China - Part 6

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Day 10

Whilst we had been enjoying our adventures in China over the past 9 days, day 10 was magical. What a difference a clear blue sky makes. We are so fortunate to live where we have these blue skies, a large portion of the year.

Although we arrived late the previous evening, we still had an early start to beat the traffic. We thought our first destination was the Terracotta Warrior complex. Alas, it was a Terracotta workshop, but  not authentic, just recreations for the tourist and export market.

We finally arrived at the complex, however by this time it was lunchtime, followed by tea tasting - hold the fingers correctly!

Yang Zhifa, a peasant farmer, was digging a well when he found a piece of old terracotta. He thought he'd stumbled on a disused kiln which would supply him with free jars. How wrong he was: it turned out to be the first warrior of the famous Chinese terracotta army of the Qin Dynasty [211 - 206 BC] Here he is, signing books telling the story of the warriors.

Today's view of the countryside surrounding the tombs.

Before the diggings began.

        Some progress.

The enormity of the find being revealed.

Now 3 vast covered chambers reveal the gargantuan master plan of Qin Shi Huandi, the 1st Qin Emperor. [259 to 210 BC]

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/lucky-strike_the-man-who-dug-a-well-and-found-an-army/35232562

So many photos taken of this totally awesome, mind boggling spectacle, but I have limited myself to a few.
                  Hall 1

Painstaking reconstruction.

It was dusk on our return to the city. 

We caught our first glimpse of the 'modern' City Wall, built in 1568 AD by the the 1st emperor of the Ming dynasty. It is the most complete city wall in China and one of the largest ancient military systems in the world. Unfortunately our itinerary didn't allow time for us to explore it.

Our destination was the Tang Dynasty palace, opposite the western City Wall. [as above] It was established in 1988 to showcase the music and dance of the Tang Dynasty. Prior to the show, we dined on a selection of delicious Chinese dumplings.

Day 11

We finally had a slow morning and didn't need to board the coach until 10 am. 

Our first stop was the Da Ci'en Temple complex and in particular The Big Wild Goose Temple. Built in 652, it functioned to preserve Buddhist materials collected along the Silk Road. 

Lunch was our final Chinese banquet,  yet again at the Tang Dynasty Palace.

We then drove to the Beiyuanmen Muslim market, where we were finally given adequate time to explore at our leisure. In the long past, foreign diplomatic envoys and merchants lived here. Over time the population has increased to nearly 20,000 Muslims, with most being descendants of these immigrants. It was definitely a vibrant area to visit, with mouth-watering delicacies to tempt one. Very few did, as we had the long flight ahead of us and didn't want to take any chances. 

Making hand made pasta.

4pm saw us driving to the airport. Our 8 pm flight took us to Guangzhou, where we spent only a few hours asleep, before making our way back to the airport for the 10 hour flight home. 

In that short time, it wasn't necessary to use the gas masks supplied to all rooms!

At the airport in Xian, there were a few hiccups with passports and tickets not matching, so quite a length of time was spent standing in queue. This resourceful Chinese charged a very small amount to quickly cut our facial profile. Quite impressive results. 

  

I returned from  China having seen its poverty / opulence, pollution / pristine, high density / isolation, and I wonder what its future has in store. Can they sustain their population growth? Australians total population is found in Beijing. Such a huge country and its historical and natural

wonders are endless. What an exciting 11 days we experienced.

Hope you managed to follow along on my wonderful adventure in China. I would love to read your comment.

China -Part 5

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Day 8
Continuing the recount of our 11 day visit to China.

The morning of Day 8 had been spent exploring Shibaozhai's, Red Pagoda.

 On our return to the Katerina, we cruised further up the Yangtze River. At about 3 pm we moored at Fengdu. I was the only one of our group who elected to visit its old city and the relocation Village.

In the old city we walked through narrow, but busy alleyways, to visit a Chinese school for children 4 to 6 years. It seems a lovely idea to be able to visit, but in the height of the tourist season, the disruption must be awful for the teachers. 

From the school we continued into the busy market area. Falling rain added to the hustle and bustle, as the locals went about their daily way of life.

       Noodle making

It was about a half hour drive to the edge of Fengdu, to visit  an 84 year old, who had been given Government money to build a home and some land to share, to compensate for the flooding of his farm. He said he was happy with the flooding of the Yangtze and his move to the new location.

Lower floor of his new home.

                    Kitchen

                 Laundry

                 Bedroom

The shared fields, growing a variety of vegetables.

Back on board, we enjoyed a final night in the company of our many new friends. Just on retiring for the night, the Katerina sailed past this brightly lit city for about half an hour,

Day 9

The Katerina docked in Chongqing, soon after sunrise. Our wonderful voyage was over.
As part of our 'Tripadeal', we spent the day in a coach, visiting Chongqing's highlights.

During our visit to China, we were regularly exposed to the traditional Chinese way of life, amidst modern surroundings. This was particularly so in Chongqing.

The boat's porters, organising for the disembarkation of our luggage.

Carrying a roll of carpet from the Katerina.

Immediately below this huge, very new bridge, we visited Huguang Guild Hall - an old complex of buildings that had been a cultural, business and social centre.

Water tank incase of fire.

The time is midday. The hazy view is supposedly not pollution, just winter cloud.

The modern, commercial area of Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street and
The People's Liberation Monument, 1945 to celebrate victory over the Japanese.

Perfect shot of contrasting ways of life. Not sure what the ladies in red were carrying, but it was extremely heavy.

Chongqing's 'Sydney Opera House' at the junction of the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers.

The domed 'Hall of the People' - musical and theatrical performances. Dancing very popular in the grounds. 

Opposite was the Yangtze River Museum, where we spent 2 hours viewing informative displays about the history and creation of the project. 4pm saw us all back on the bus, headed for the airport and our 8pm flight to Xian. 

Our first glimpse of the sun in 9 days, as we neared the airport.

Almost there. Clear blue sky and sunshine just a sleep away! I'd love to read your comment.