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Understanding Xi'an
The heart of China
By Laura DeVito
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Xi'an, known as the "Eternal City," is brimming with rich history and culture. It is the present capital of the Shanxi Province, and the first reigning capital over a 4,000-year period during the Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang dynasties. Xi'an is an enormous contributing force in China because of its past prolific leaders, involvement in the Silk Roads, and current status in growing tourism and industry. Xi'an is a place that you must visit in order to experience fully the history of China and to grasp the metropolis it has now become.
During the Neolithic Period, approximately 4,000 B.C.E., Xi'an was first a village called Banpo that gradually became apart of the Zhou dynasty in 1027 B.C.E. The Qin Dynasty eventually came to power in 231 B.C.E., followed by the Han Dynasty in 206 B.C.E. and the Sui dynasty in 583 AD. Tang, the last dynasty that occupied Xi'an, was of vast importance because of the creation of the Silk Roads that caused mass amounts of travelers and merchants to journey from the Middle East and Europe to do business in Xi'an.
Xi'an's history is literally at the heart of its foundation today with the Bell Tower (Zhong Lou) being located in the center of the city and the city walls that encompass it. The four main streets: Dong Dajie, Xi Dajie, Nan Dajie and Bei Dajie, are all centrally located at the Bell Tower, which gives easier navigation to different areas in Xi'an. The Drum Tower (Gu Lou) is the landmark for finding Muslim Street. Muslim Street is adorned with lights in the trees and has many savory foods and specialty gift shops galore. Xiao Zhai is in South Xi'an, the main commercial and shopping district where many young people buy the latest trends. Today, tourism is growing rapidly in Xi'an, because of its wealth of historical findings, flavorful variety of cuisine, selection of shopping and exciting nightlife.
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An assortment of delicacies in Xi'an includes: typical Shaanxi dishes such as noodles, dumplings, rou jia mo (Xi'an hamburger), spicy meat kabobs, and much more. Xi'an has dishes originating from other provinces such as mild Guangdong cuisine and the famous hot pot of the Sichuan Province. Hot pot is a wonderful experience because you choose and prepare many different ingredients such as, Chinese cabbage, mushrooms, potatoes, shrimp, pork, and lamb. Then, you add them to the boiling pot to make a delicious soup concoction and dip each piece of food into a garlic or spicy sauce. Karou is a famous dish served on Muslim Street. Karou consists of spicy meat kabobs that may not look pleasing to the eye, but are very tasty. One should also attend a dumpling feast, because you can choose twelve or more different dumplings; but be careful, because the dumpling juice can sometimes be steaming hot. All of these choices usually come in plentiful amounts and are reasonably priced for a tourist or a native Xi'an resident.
Nightlife in Xi'an is filled with options. There are two major theatres that you may attend that include the Shanxi Grand Opera House and the Tang Dynasty Theatre, but the latter receives the highest praise for performances. Near the Wild Goose Pagoda area, you can find a place called Paradise Park. It's an |
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amazing area in which you can experience the Tang Dynasty. Walk among the incense-lit walkways and see the beautiful gardens, dancing, and hear the Tang music drifting through the air. Also, included is a three-dimensional video that gives you even more insight into Tang Dynasty life. You can also wander down a road called De Fu Xiang that is west of South Gate and see a little street lit up with white lights. It has bars with live music, a few western-style restaurants, and a great teahouse named Fu Bao Ge that holds a small ceremony each night. This ceremony has music and two women wearing traditional silk dresses, who stand in the center of the room and present the tea-pouring technique to customers sitting at surrounding tables. Tea is like wine in America. In a tea ceremony, you must savor the scent of each individual tea pouring and then drink it. Also, tea matures with age, and becomes more valuable over time. If you are a true tea connoisseur, you must have a different teapot for each different type of tea you serve to your guests. Once the teapot is used, the flavor is permanently imbedded in the teapot. Therefore, if you serve green tea in the teapot, then green tea is what should be served in it from that point in order to get the best flavor. There is one difference of course, with tea and wine. After the night is over from tasting and drinking tea, you actually feel refreshed.
The economic environment of Xi'an is expanding at a steady pace with its tourism, technology, and education. Tourism is growing in leaps and bounds because of its wealth of historical sites since it was China's capital for thousands of years. Some of the prominent places are the Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi'an City Wall, and Banpo Village Site. The Wild Goose Pagoda has Tang architecture and played a major role in bringing Buddhist scripture to Xi'an. Monks still practice within its seven-story walls. When you climb all seven stories you may see a grander aerial angle of the city. Close to the Wild Goose Pagoda is the History Provincial Museum that houses many artifacts and remnants from Tang to Qing Dynasties. The Xi'an City Wall, built in the Ming dynasty, is a great place to see because it is the most complete and in the best condition of all the walls in China. During the Spring Festival it is adorned with light sculptures from all 12 of the Chinese zodiac animals and other interesting subjects such as nature and Chinese warriors. Near the Xi'an City Wall is the famous Shuncheng Lane that is known for its preserved city streets and shops that not only carry jewelry and traditional Chinese souvenirs, but also have a great amount of art |
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supplies for calligraphy. Shuncheng is a great area to explore by foot. The Muslim Square, as mentioned above, has many appetizing Shaanxi dishes, but also has other shops, and is a great street to wander. Outside the city limits are such places like The Banpo Village, which is a famous archaeological site that has findings of human civilization from over one |
million years ago. The most well-known travel spot in Xi'an is the Qin Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses that were discovered by a local farmer who began the excavation in 1974, which was made officially public in 1994. This exhibit is truly the "eighth wonder of the world." Upon walking inside the building, you will see hundreds of individually carved terracotta warriors facing you and ready to defend their emperor, Qin. The terracotta sculptures were once brilliantly colored, but due to oxidization, they have faded. Therefore, most of the soldiers are now left underground until there is a technology that can keep the colors as vibrant as |
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they once were. Apart from the Terra Cotta Warriors, is a section of bronze chariots. The chariots are about three feet high by 8 feet wide. The intricacy of all the sculptures that have been unearthed tells a story of the specificity and diligence of Emperor Qin's rule. A lesser-known site for these types of sculptures is the Yangling Mausaleum of Han Museum. It has exhibits of figurines which were once adorned with silk clothing. One can view these artifacts through a glass floor in the building and actually see people working on the excavation. It is quite interesting to observe the process of unearthing the precious secrets of China's past.
The technology side of Xi'an's economy is also flourishing with companies such as Boeing, BYD,
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and Worksoft. Boeing is one of many aircraft manufacturers that are situated in the aptly named "Aircraft City" in the Gaoxin Kaifa Qu area. BYD is apart of the automotive manufacturing district in Xi'an, and while known for the production of the F6 Sedan, BYD also plays a leading role in the advancement of a high quality rechargeable battery for vehicles. Worksoft is central to the computer and software technology industry of Xi'an. Worksoft has been a dominant source for software development and operates on a global scale. The entire district is known as "Xi'an National Hi-Tech Development Zone" where all the technological development and manufacturing are produced.
Education plays a significant role in Xi'an's economy. Xi'an has the most universities of any city in China. Jiao Tong University is the most prestigious in Xi'an, with a major focus in Science and Engineering. Northwest Industrial University is another prominent university that specializes in the fields of Aeronautics, Astronautics, and Marine Engineering. A third important name in the field of education is Xi'an Polytechnic University, which specializes in Textiles, and has established a foreign exchange program with Emporia State University, located in Kansas.
With all of the opportunities that Xi'an affords, it is not surprising that expatriates are attracted to live and work in Xi'an. The life of an expatriate in Xi'an is nothing short of enjoyable, inspirational, and motivational. The majority of expatriates who choose to live in China are English teachers for primary schools up through university-level teaching. A teaching job in China is highly enjoyable, because the students who attend are waiting with open ears and smiles on their faces. Chinese students are always ready to learn and absorb any bit of information including improving their English skills, hearing about countries outside of China, and learning details about the teacher's life. Students want to become friends with their teacher and engage in conversations in English outside the classroom. For the most part, teachers' colleagues and students treat foreign English teachers very well. The most rewarding part of teaching is witnessing the kindergarten student succeed in pronouncing words and creating sentences, and the college student receiving a job offer in a company or pursuing graduate work in China or abroad. Foreign English teachers in China typically have reasonable class loads and salaries, which translates into exciting opportunities for travel in China and surrounding countries. This is the reason many foreigners in their 20's choose this profession. It allows them time to enjoy another country and its people and decide what their next step in life will be. Some foreign teachers marry Chinese citizens and stay in China for the rest of their lives, while others use the time as a break from college or as a means to explore their direction in life. Either way, it's a great use of time, because expatriates get to know another culture and its people, travel, earn money, and learn Mandarin Chinese.
Xi'an is a great place for someone to visit or live. The city encompasses a full spectrum of possibilities with its rich history and culture, metropolitan atmosphere, and technological and industrial development. The city possesses one-of-a-kind experiences for all passersby and foreigners who want to be a part of the community. Xi'an resembles the U.S. Midwest because of its straightforward and kind people and its cultural variety due to the central location that creates valuable connections in both economy and education. Xi'an has much to offer, and the essence of Xi'an is something special to experience.
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