Celebrate!

We celebrated the National Day holiday in China from October 1 – October 7.  This year is the 75^th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. 

Xi’an City Wall:

The Xi’an City Wall is the largest-scaled, best-preserved, and most complete ancient city wall in China.  It was built in 1370.  We love spending time at the wall – inside, outside, and on top.

Wild Goose Pagoda – Xi’an:

It is one of the landmarks in Xi’an as well as the oldest and largest square brick tower in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). The Pagoda was  built in 652 AD to house Buddhist scriptures.  We walked to the top and marveled at the historical significance. 

The Red Wave Valley Danxia Landform:

There is a sign at the site comparing this site to the “American Antelope Valley,” and the Arizona “Wave” natural landform.  The trail started with a glass bridge spanning a huge canyon. Terrifying!  The formations were unique and stunning, with slot canyons and deep gorges.

Yulin City Great Wall of China:

We drove to a city north of Xi’an called Yulin.  We went to a section of The Great Wall. Most of the parts of the Great Wall in this area were built between 475 BC and 221 BC. There is a famous tower that we climbed that was built during the Ming Dynasty.  A lot of The Great Wall is just natural rammed earth.  It is fascinating to see how it runs right through farms and is still intact.

Hong Shi Xia

A place where caves (grottos) are built into the cliffside. The caves are temples and shrines.  Some still have colored paintings inside the caves. Also along the outside of the cliffs are many famous calligraphy works carved into the walls.  The 44 caves are intriguing. 

Red Cow Village – North China along the Yellow River

We visited a small village that is known for jujube farming and living in caves.  The mayor took us to the village museum in the caves.  It was an amazing museum in that it was just the local people’s lives on display.  They had a cave full of valuable treasures.  Some of our favorites: ancient wooden containers, wooden desks used in a school room, a collection (hundreds) of rare abacuses, a family genealogy cave with family histories painted onto the cave walls.   A production started at 1:00.  Hundreds of old villagers marched in carrying farm implements.  A big cow was the leader.  The mountainside was the backdrop and stage.  The old people presented songs and dances with their implements and had action going on all over the mountain.  Such an unforgettable experience.  We ate a buffet lunch consisting of local vegetables, fruits and grains. (millet porridge, jujube cake, sweet potatoes, corn bread)

Visiting this village was definitely a once in a lifetime experience.