Chang'an Everlasting: 2018 Summer and Winter Vacation Travelogue

If you could only pick one city to visit in China, without a doubt it has to be Xi'an—the root of Chinese civilization. The Zhou Dynasty was the first Chinese dynasty with precise historical dating; King Wu of Zhou established his capital near Xi'an, known historically as Fenghao. Later the Eastern Zhou moved east and enfeoffed the Qin in Xianyang. By the Western Han, Liu Bang entered the old Zhou capital and renamed it Chang'an, meaning 'everlasting peace and stability.' The Xi'an city we see today is not the Han Dynasty Chang'an but rather the Sui Dynasty's new Daxing City, located southeast of the old city. The Tang Dynasty built upon Daxing to create the great Tang capital, renaming it Chang'an. It was this later Chang'an that became the starting point of the Silk Road and the beginning of the great ethnic blending. Truly deserving of its title as the capital of thirteen dynasties.

As I planned the family trip, I made Xi'an our first stop. I had already visited once on a business trip and seen some sights, so I had a good idea how to organize the itinerary. We had to stay inside the old city; I chose the Xi'an Juncheng International Hotel near the west gate (via a Ctrip flight+hotel package), for four reasons: easy access to the city wall for impromptu visits, convenient transport, not far from the metro, and a nearby Muslim Quarter to wander around. Later, walking from the hotel to the metro station, I spotted a Xi'an Ancient Capital Culture Hotel even closer to the station, though it catered heavily to tour groups—buses constantly coming and going. The metro stop is Sajinqiao Station; the Muslim Quarter is the Sajinqiao Muslim Quarter, and there's an old temple nearby worth a look. A lovely spot.

Xi'an is a bit like Chengdu in how you explore it. Starting from the city center, head east for the Terracotta Warriors and Huaqing Pool, west for Famen Temple and Han tombs, north for Mount Hua and the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum, and south where locals love to drive into the mountains to escape the heat. Within the city, spend the daytime at the Shaanxi History Museum and the Forest of Steles Museum, and the evening at the Bell and Drum Towers and the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, when the lights are gorgeous.

Our six-day, five-night itinerary: departed July 28, returned August 2, five nights in the same hotel.

July 28 and 29 we stayed downtown. On the evening of the 28th, we visited the Bell and Drum Towers and had dinner at a famous old Xi'an restaurant nearby. On the morning of the 29th, we went straight to the Shaanxi History Museum and bought 'Treasure Gallery' tickets so we didn't have to queue. The collection is vast—we spent nearly the whole day there. Our original plan was to hit the Forest of Steles Museum in the afternoon, but by the time we checked the hour it would have closed, so we skipped it and went directly to the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. We arrived around four or five in the afternoon, and a rainbow appeared—an auspicious sign, haha. Inside the temple didn't hold much interest for us, so we didn't enter and sorted out dinner nearby. After eating, the pagoda lights came on, and we strolled over to the fountain square for a while. Those two days were pure metro + walking. When our legs gave out, taxis were easy to catch.

For the following days we booked day tours. On July 30, we went to the Terracotta Warriors and Huaqing Palace, and saw a show called 'Camel Bell Legend,' which tells the arduous and touching stories of the Silk Road—quite worth watching. Outside the Warriors there was a family activity where you can make your own small terracotta figure; kids absolutely love it. The figurines need a few days to dry and are then shipped to your home.

On July 31, we visited Famen Temple, Qianling Tomb, and Maoling Tomb. I remember Maoling was first. The Maoling Museum is actually Huo Qubing's tomb; from the top of the tomb mound you can look over to Wei Qing's tomb nearby and, a bit farther to the west, Maoling itself—the tomb of Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che. After that, we visited the tomb of Prince Yide. The original tomb murals we'd already seen at the Shaanxi History Museum, so this stop was just to see what the inside of a Tang tomb looks like. Qianling is the joint imperial tomb of Wu Zetian and Li Zhi, said never to have been looted to this day. The stone statues lining the spirit way, the Wordless Stele, the Shushengji Stele, and the sixty-one foreign chieftain statues—all quite an education. Finally, Famen Temple. Though mostly modern construction, no expense was spared. My wife also reminded me that we saw an immersive walk-through drama there telling how each dynasty protected the Buddha's finger relic. We were back at the hotel around five in the afternoon and walked straight to the Muslim Quarter for dinner. Our son insisted on treating us to barbecue skewers—no problem. We picked the busiest place, and it was indeed excellent. He paid over two hundred yuan.

August 1 was Mount Hua day. Since it was a day tour, we got up quite early. About 2.5 hours by coach to the foot of Mount Hua. With limited time, we took the cable car up and down, climbed West Peak, South Peak, and Middle Peak, gazed over at East Peak, and skipped North Peak as too far. If time weren't an issue, you could spend two or three days climbing from the base. The cable car ride is highly recommended—nearly twenty minutes total. The first segment climbs straight up a peak, and the second stretches like a zip line from this peak to the next, surrounded by towering mountains, a dizzying drop below. Everything goes quiet; even the wind disappears, leaving only the sliding sound of the cable car, with a clunk at each tower. Oh my god.

Before leaving on the afternoon of August 2, we headed to the Muslim Quarter again, bought all sorts of local pastries and dried fruit, and finally tried the spicy pepper soup. Well, it wasn't really my thing—I only said that to my wife.

Following the trail of history, our travels will continue eastward. Next stop: Henan? Shanxi? Shandong? Stay tuned!

A four-day trip to Phuket: my wife booked a Marriott vacation package, a suite with a private pool, perfect to go with our neighbors. Only on the last day, my wife and I had to attend a Marriott member club presentation—essentially a timeshare sales pitch, one-on-one. If you have spare cash, it's worth considering; after all, it's one of the top hotel groups with resorts all over the world. Sunshine, beach, pool, shopping—what else is there in Phuket?

Travelogue Contents

1. 2018 Summer Vacation Travelogue

2. 2018 Winter Vacation Travelogue

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