The Sacred Land of the Loess Plateau

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The Loess Plateau is one of the four major plateaus in China and also the plateau with the largest loess coverage in the world, also known as the Wujin Plateau. It is the cradle of the five-thousand-year civilization of the Chinese nation and the main revolutionary base where the Central Red Army arrived in northern Shaanxi in October 1935, opening a new chapter for the Chinese revolution. The Loess Plateau borders the Taihang Mountains to the east, the Wushaoling at the eastern edge of the Qilian Mountains to the west, the Qinling Mountains to the south, and the Great Wall to the north. In the middle, two longitudinal mountain ranges, the Luliang Mountains and the Liupan Mountains, divide the entire Loess Plateau into three parts: the Shanxi Plateau, the Shaanxi Plateau, and the Longzhong Plateau. The Shaanxi Plateau lies in the middle.

When I was a child, I spent two years in Taiyuan, Shanxi, so I still have childhood memories of the Loess Plateau: countless crisscrossing gullies formed by thousands of years of rainwater erosion and wind erosion, extreme climate changes with sandstorms raging relentlessly, and of course, the spirit of the people fighting against nature with boundless joy, as well as various simple folk arts and traditional cuisine. Later, on a business trip to Yan'an, I climbed the ancient city wall and visited some scenic spots of the ancient capital. Today, I set foot on the Loess Plateau again with a five-day tour of Xi'an and northern Shaanxi organized by Chengdu Qiaole Cultural Travel. I am making a pilgrimage to the homeland of the sages of the Loess Plateau and the traditional revolutionary base of the Red Army. I feel excited and proud from the bottom of my heart. Because for five thousand years of Chinese civilization, the sage Fuxi lived in the hinterland of the plateau in Yanchuan County, Shaanxi Province, in a place still called Fuxihe Village. We visited the Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor, the ancestor of the Chinese nation, and also came to Xi'an, which served as the capital for fourteen dynasties, appreciating the grandeur of the Qin Terracotta Warriors and the Tang Huaqing Palace. We also personally visited the surging Hukou Waterfall group on the Yellow River bordering Shanxi, experiencing the magnificent waterfall scenery that inspired the famous Yellow River Cantata. We also went to holy sites like Nanniwan, Wangjialing, and Zaoyuan in Yan'an to receive revolutionary traditional education. Everyone was filled with a strong sense of national pride.

After getting off the bullet train at Xi'an North Station, we transferred to a bus to take us to various places. The trip lasted five days. I will list in chronological order the journey of tracing ancestors and receiving revolutionary traditional education on this sacred land.

As we traveled, we listened to the guide's explanations. It is said that the discovery of the Terracotta Warriors has an interesting story, which the guide told vividly. Here is a brief retelling: Many years ago, there was an illiterate farmer named Yang in this village. Once, while digging a well, he found a few helmets. Not daring to delay, he immediately reported the discovery. After the cultural relics department confirmed they were artifacts, he was rewarded with some work points and thirty yuan. At that time, this was not a high value, but it was a huge sum of money at the time. He did not dare keep it for himself and donated it all to the village. Later, the national cultural relics management department attached great importance to it and immediately ordered the sealing of the village and the relocation of residents. This angered the villagers, who blamed Old Yang for harming the whole village for a small reward. They decided to expel him from the village and forced him to live in the deep mountains for five years. It was not until the country first opened up that French President Jacques Chirac visited the Terracotta Warriors. After seeing the underground warriors, the president was greatly shocked and asked to meet the discoverer. People were sent to find Mr. Yang. The president shook hands with him warmly and asked how he discovered them. Old Yang could not read, so he only drew three circles on a piece of paper, meaning: I was here in the village, I dug a well, and I found the treasure here. The president highly praised the Terracotta Warriors, calling them the Eighth Wonder of the World. The news that there were Terracotta Warriors in Shaanxi immediately spread around the world. What about Old Yang, who discovered the Terracotta Warriors? It is said that later, someone was hired to teach him to write. After three months of practice, he learned to write the big characters: 'Yang, the discoverer of the Terracotta Warriors.' Since then, he has been stationed there, meeting with more than 200 heads of state from around the world, and became the richest man in the village. Of course, the villagers also benefited and became wealthy, regarding him as a deity. I asked the guide whether this was an unofficial legend or true. The guide said they do not spread rumors.

Four days were still too short, leaving some regrets. For example, I could not arrange time to visit Xi'an's Tang Paradise, the Lishan Mountain at Huaqing Palace, or actually climb the Pagoda Hill in Yan'an. I will save these for the next opportunity. Goodbye, Xi'an! Goodbye, Shaanxi! Thank you to the leaders, guides, and staff of Qiaole Cultural Travel! Let us meet again next time!

Travel Diary Table of Contents

1. Xi'an Qujiang Ruins and the Tang Dynasty Never-Night City

2. Huangdi Mausoleum and Hukou Waterfall in Northern Shaanxi

3. Yan'an Nanniwan, Wangjiaping, and Zaoyuan

4. Xi'an Huaqing Pool and Terracotta Warriors

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