Silk Road Expedition, Sept. 7, Day 7 – Xian

That day was yet another intensely busy day in the ancient capital. The group started off with a one-hour drive with students from Group A over to Zhongnan Mountain, home of a veritable smorgasbord of fantastic sights. First up on the itinerary was the beautiful Lou Guan Tai Taoist monastery, an important Taoist site where the great sage Lao-tzu supposedly wrote the Tao Te Ching (I’m probably the only dweeb here who knows what that last sentence actually means.)

To be honest, it was the kind of  place probably better enjoyed alone or at most, with a very, very small group. The tranquility of the monastery was more or less totally shattered by the hundred or so chattering American students that suddenly came pouring in through the gates like water flowing from a bursting dam.  It was still a sight to behold, nevertheless.

(Actual Taoist monk that I didn't want to bother, so I took his photo from behind)

Next up was an intensely impressive display of skills from a nearby martial arts school, which was both immensely impressive and also a bit shaming. I’ll admit, it’s hard to feel proud of what oneself when watching a child less than half one’s age flipping through the air with amazing strength and agility. 

Despite that, it was an incredibly fantastic show that they all put on. However, even now I feel bad for what some of them went through afterwards with a veritable mobbing from TBC students wanting a photo. Mind you, these were young men and women who knew no Chinese, and could only gesture like they were taking a photo to children who didn’t know a word of English. I decided to stay out of it and hope wistfully that the martial arts students would actually want me in a photo … and no joke, I had no idea whatsoever that such a flimsy hope would actually come true.

After that, we went off down a dirt road past beautiful terraced farmland to the Daqin Pagoda, which has quite a bit of history despite its somewhat drab appearance. It actually used to be the library of one of the most famous monasteries in all of China, built by the Christians of the Eastern church who lived there in 640 AD. This church, which consisted of a curious blend of Christian beliefs fused with Buddhist and Taoist ideals, thrived during the Tang Dynasty until the 800s, when persecutions drove them from the country. The Da Qin monastery was converted to a Buddhist temple, but then was abandoned after being damaged in an earthquake in 1300. To this day though, it still stands as a beautiful reminder of the community that once lived there.

Next to it was a reproduction (the original is housed in a museum in Xian) of the famous stone tablet commemorating the arrival of Christianity in China, there on the tablet called “The Religion of Light”, supposedly introduced by a Syrian monk known only by his Chinese name, Ah Lo Ban. 

Note how the cross here is infused with Eastern imagery, such as the pearl in the center and the lotus flower it arises from

While traveling back to Xian, we stopped briefly at a recreation of the palace of Qin Shihuangdi, first emperor of China…which quickly felt like more than an oversized tourist trap five minutes after arrival, to be blunt. 

Fortunately, the day was not destined to end on such a dull note. First, after a quick bite to eat, Daniel and I rushed back to the Muslim Quarter to visit the wonderful vendor that we met the night before just one last time so we could take advantage of her fantastic prices yet again. Like before, she was simply so patient and helpful, by the time it was over I had bought five more Olympic T-shirts.

Then, on the way back, we found first-hand proof that foreigners like us do in fact pay grossly higher prices than natives in China. While looking at the selection of a vendors dried fruits, a local woman ambled up and asked for the price of one bag, and she was promptly told in Chinese that one bag was 12 yuan. When we asked however, without missing a beat the vendor replied in English that the price was 24 yuan. Fortunately, we were the ones who walked away from that deal as the victors, for once he gave us our price, we immediately pointed out that he had distinctly told the woman something else no less than three minutes earlier. Begrudgingly, he let us pay the local price instead of the special foreigner discount. 

Then, it was off to a Tang Dynasty-era song, dance, and music performance for all those who paid 120 yuan for a ticket on the train ride to Xian, and I’ll tell you this; it was unquestionably and completely worth the price. The music, the costumes, the singing, the dancing…it was all just a complete dazzling of all the sense in just about every possible way.

 

“Glorious” is how I can best sum it all up as simply as possible. Simply glorious! An utterly spectacular show I couldn’t do justice in describing even if someone told me to do it at gunpoint. It was all absolutely superb, though I overall I personally liked best the women who sang an old song about the return of spring as they danced about in beautiful flowing green dresses. 

I don’t care what anyone says, and I care even less about the fact they I couldn’t understand them; to me they sounded like a chorus of angels.  

Yeah, that’s right. I said it. And I’m not repentant one smidgeon. It was an absolutely marvelous manner to bring the day to a close.