Xi'an

Terra Cotta Figures, Shaanxi Museum

Xi’an was without question the highlight of the tour.  Although we saw the terra cotta warriors in the midst of an enormous mob of Chinese people visiting this most important site on the grave cleaning holiday, they are indescribable.  But we’ve all seen enough pictures of them that perhaps I won’t bother to say more.  No photo I could manage to get was as good as the professional ones we've all seen, but here is one anyway. 

What I hadn’t expected to find in Xi’an was a vibrant Muslim quarter.  Its main street was packed with Chinese of every variety on Sunday evening.  The sidewalks were crowded with vendors, 

Muslim Quarter on Sunday evening, Xi'an

many selling food, such as barbecue on a stick or goats’ feet, a local delicacy.  As a result, 

Goats' feet for sale

pedestrians occupied the narrow street from curb to curb, jostling and shouting to each other, over the blare of music from the shops and the cries of vendors hawking their wares.  I have rarely encountered such a thrilling travel moment.

The old city of Xi’an is still surrounded by a complete wall, as it was at the time of the Tang dynasty, the greatest leader of which, Emperor Qin (pronounced Chin) Shi Huang, created the terra cotta warriors and gave his name to China.  

Main gate to walled city, Xi'zn

It was in Xi’an that I finally put together what I believe is the narrative of modern China – the story the government encourages the people to believe about themselves.  We, of course, have our own narrative of who we are as a people – exceptional, superior, right-thinking, self-sacrificing, and so on.   In modern China, though Mao is still a revered figure, the narrative of his rule is a version of “mistakes were made.”  In building a great new society, many experiments were tried -- so the narrative goes -- not all succeeded, yet the great work of building modern China moves on.  There are no more peans to the Long March and only rueful acknowledgement of the Cultural Revolution.

Since Deng Xiaoping began opening China, there has been a renewed emphasis on China’s imperial history and the great dynasties when China was united as a single nation, peaceful and prosperous.   Xi’an at night is a propaganda hymn to this vision of China. 

The wall and its pagodas and gates are all illuminated, which makes them even more impressive than they are in daylight, and a magnificent and beautifully lit boulevard has been created leading to the main gate.  It is full of heroic figures from the Tang dynasty.  One is reminded of the Depression-era hymns to workers and the common man in the murals and paintings of artists like Diego Rivera and Thomas Hart Benton. 

Emperor Qin, Main Boulevard, Xi'an

Wise Counselors

These are magnificent works of art in their own right, but build the narrative of a heroic leader surrounded by wise counselors and worthy generals while the women (and nation) support their leaders.

Concubines and Courtiers

The government has poured billions into this historical and cultural narrative -- and it is truly breathtaking.