The Golden Lock Pass

One of my favourite parts of climbing Hua Shan was examining the thousands of padlocks along the way. These are clasped here by couples - the belief is that if you and your lover engrave your names on a padlock and place it along the mountain trails, you will stay together forever. You can see them everywhere along the trail, but the greatest number of them can be found at the Golden Lock Pass.

The Padlocks hang from the chains lining the trails











There are just tons of these! Apparently if you want to get divorce, it is only considered final if you and your soon-to-be ex-spouse climb back up Hua Shan, find your original padlock, and cut it off before the eyes of a witness.

. . .

What do you mean you don't believe me??













We got our own padlock engraved with our Chinese names! It's official, we're stuck with one another. We hung it along the Golden Lock Pass.

Thus ends the Chronicles of Xi'an! I am headed to SE Asia next.

Hua Shan (Flower Mountain)

On Saturday we climbed the stunning Hua Shan (Flower Mountain), about 2 hours east of Xi'an. Hua Shan is one of the 5 sacred mountains in China. It is also the steepest out of them all (see photos below)! Hua Shan is named for its West Peak, the Lotus Peak, said to resemble a lotus flower. It was a little sketchy finding our way to this mountain, involving a lot of vehicle-changing and random people taking us to random places, but we made it in the end and were rewarded with this breathtaking (literally) climb. I think it was my favourite part of visiting Xi'an.
Jen climbing the Stairway to Heaven. This part of the pass was actually called "The Heavenly Ladder." We get it, we get it.












Hua Shan was as fun to go down as it was to go up! There are tons of rest stops and roadhouses along the way, and although the mountain is steep, there are stone stairs and chains the entire way. I'm glad we were here in the off-season though, since it's supposed to get quite crowded during summer months.





View on the way to the West Peak.











Taking a break - these guys haul their wares all the way up the mountain. How many times a week do they do this?
A guesthouse, or the remains of one. If you actually climb the entire way up Hua Shan, you would most likely stop off to rest along the way. Since we only had a day, we took the cable car part way up (I know, we're cheaters) and hiked the rest. The cable car was fun, but at the bottom of the sign with the safety instructions there was this statement: "The building of the cable car has ended the history of 'there is only one way up Hua Shan'". I found that a little sad.


Sketchy. . . killing time in the ghost town at the bottom of Hua Shan. Like I said, it's off-season. . .

Evening glow behind Hua Shan. Hey are those Canadian maple leafs on that blanket??

The Terracotta Warriors

We visited the famous Terracotta Warriors while in Xi'an. They are located about 1.5 km east of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum. Emperor Qin began work on his mausoleum in 246 BCE, upon ascending the throne at the age of 13. It took 11 years to finish and, in the grand manner of all mighty leaders who also happen to be fabulously rich and powerful, it is full of treasured objects and sacrificial items.

In 1974, some farmers were digging a well nearby the emperor's tomb and stumbled upon some pottery. 30 years later, this massive excavation is still ongoing along with constant restoration work, as the warriors and horses are found in pieces (see below). So far there are three main pits: Pit 1 is the largest and most fully restored (see the picture above; also below left). It contains soldiers and war chariots arrayed in battle formation, forming the main force of this underground terracotta army. Pit 2 is northeast of Pit 1 and is thought to contain a flanking army, while Pit 3, northwest of Pit 1, is thought to be the headquarters or control centre of the entire force.

Yet it is not just the scale of this army that it is impressive - there is an incredible amount of minute detail given to the entire array, from the metal chariot fittings and horse tack to the individuality of each soldier. They are not merely stock types, but contain varying facial features and expressions. You can almost imagine that each and every actual living member of the emperor's army had his image preserved in baked clay in order to serve his leader in the afterlife.

Pit 1: The Terracotta Army








Pit 1: Ongoing restoration work at the rear of the pit








Pit 2: Excavated remains, mostly in pieces from the elements and the wooden roof caving in - this picture almost looks like a battlefield strewn with fallen warriors.

Pit 2: Excavated remains

Pit 3: Restored soldiers in the "Command Centre"

The Muslim Quarter

Our hostel was located right next to the Muslim Quarter so we explored this packed neighbourhood of trinket stands and butcher shops and crude little eateries. There was something interesting to eat at every turn, from every kind of dried fruit to these crunchy peanuty-seedy snacks to this gelatinous bread-crumb paste that Jen and I are about to eat (see above). Sorry for the ambiguity - I really don't know what any of this is called, but it all tasted wonderful. We also did a fair bit of bargaining here. I may have found a little red book or two to go with my jacket.













Right: Courtyard in the Muslim Quarter; Left: Making repairs










There are birds in cages outside all the shops here! The bird on the lefthand side kept doing flips in his cage, over and over and over again. Perhaps he was showing off for the tourists?
A typical cooking establishment in the Muslim Quarter. I loved the steam coming from the cooking pots - it made all the restaurants look that much more inviting in these brisk temperatures!










Left: Yang Rou Pao Mo - crumbled-up unleavened break soaked in a mutton stew (no pork eaten here!). The first restaurant we went to in Xi'an, we had no idea what to do with this loaf of unleavened bread. Who'd have thought soggy bread in stew would have been so delicious? This was my favourite dish of the trip.
Right: A woman cutting up our gelatinous snack at a stand in the Muslim Quarter. The people were pleasant and friendly, if a little gruff. I loved bargaining with them!

Thanks to Jen E for giving me some of her pictures!

Up next: The Bing Mai Yong (Terracotta Warriors)

The Ancient Capital

After a festive New Year's celebration in the western bar district on Hong Kong island, me and the two Jens decided to take advantage of this extended vacation of ours and explore more of Asia. Last Wednesday we left Shenzhen, the city people call China's history book of the past 20 years and headed north, to the city deemed to chart over 5000 years of China's past: Xi'an.

Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi Province, but during its heyday it served as the imperial capital for 13 dynasties, beginning with the Zhou Dynasty (11th century - 770 BCE). It was the beginning of the silk road (or the end, depending on where you're coming from, I suppose) and the silk trade made it the richest city in China. Today it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in China, attracting tens of thousands of tourists each year.

Fortunately we came during the low season, so although it was cold, it was easy-going and much cheaper. We spent 5 days, sleeping in a fun - although not exactly cozy! - hostel huddled next to the Muslim Quarter, one of those wonderful neighbourhoods that you can wander for hours, finding something interesting to eat, photograph or bargain for around every corner.

And yes, we saw the famous Terracotta Warriors along with some pagodas, the old city walls, the Shaanxi History Museum, a dinner-and-dumpling show and the stunning Hua Shan (Flower Mountain). I will be posting pictures and anecdotes about each of these places in the days to come. For now I need to get some sleep so I can gear up for our next big adventure in a few days: Southeast Asia!!

The DaYanTa (Big Goose Pagoda), constructed in 653 CE for the storage of translations of Buddhist sutras from India. It measures around 64 m in height.















The XiaoYanTa (Small Goose Pagoda), built in 707 CE. It measures around 43 m in height, but was originally 45 m until an earthquake reduced its size.

OK so you can't exactly read the red sign on the building, but it reads about 3 degrees Celsius. A bit of a shock to the system after living in balmy Shenzhen for a few months, but at the same time so refreshing and invigorating. I hear that Toronto has yet to get this cold. . .

Jen and I in front of the Drum Tower, near the Muslim Quarter.

Figures in a graveyard at the XiaoYanTa

Monkey gravestone

I haven't figured this one out yet. Perhaps a lion?

The imposing Bell Tower that still chimes - built in 1582 and restored in 1739.

The city walls at the train station. The first walls were constructed from 194-190 BCE during the Han Dynasty. They measured around 25.7 km in length. In 1370, the Ming Dynasty emperors built a new, smaller wall, 11.9 km in length - the wall one sees today in Xi'an.