BINGLING CAVES
Starting from...
by SirRichard
BINGLING CAVES
Starting from Liujiaxia Dam, Bingling Si is two hours away upstream on the Yellow River. Between June (sometimes as late as July) and October, tourist boats depart daily from the dam to Bingling Si, while during the winter months the water level is too low for boats, and there is no access by road. The river trip to the caves is striking, some cultivation ties along the riverbanks among the otherwise barren, yellow-brown hills and ridges.
Dasi Gou (Big Temple Gully), the entrance to Bingling Si, is surrounded by giant rocks shaped like gnarled fingers. If the time and water lever is permitted, the visitor can climb up the sandy gully through the high yellow rock gorges to the Upper Monastery. In some tiny mud huts, built against the rock-face, a small community of Tibetan lamas is living there. They tend a small, newly reconstructed temple housing early Qing-dynasty sutras. The temple was destroyed three times, and ruins of the lamas' former quarters are scattered about. If you want to travel the caves, any one of the travel agencies in Lanzhou can arrange the route for you. And also, there are inexpensive Chinese tour buses that depart from the bus station in front of the Shengli Hotel early in the morning. It is also possible to take a public bus to Yongjing and then catch one of the tour boats. Take along a lunch-box, as facilities at the site are minimal. A permit to photograph the Bingling Si cave interiors costs RMB 800.
The best way to get around is...
by kublaikhan
The best way to get around is to take taxi. Taxies in Xian are not expensive and save time. The hire price is 5(or 6 for a better car)Rmb which covers the first 3 kilometres and an additional fee of 1.2/kilometres applies for additional mileages.
Bing-ma-yong (Terracotta Warriors)
by wandering360
A huge army of statues of Emperor Qin ShiHuang's Warriors and Horses were buried in a small town near Xi'an. One of the pits was accidentally discovered in 1974 by a peasant digging a well.
The peasant can now been seen in the corner of a small museum elsewhere in the town selling autographed postcards. Sadly, few people recognise him from the large photos of him hanging on the adjacent walls. It's not a very interesting museum but if you happened to be there, keep an eye out for him and buy a souvenir once you've seen his photograph. It should make his day. (Supposedly, it was US President Clinton who suggested that the peasant should capitalise on his fame on a state visit to China.)
The Terracotta Warriors - Vault 2.
by K.Knight
Not quite as large as the first Vault, but equally impressive, the second vault houses warriors in different kinds of formations. For some unknown reason this pit is in the shape of an L and covers over 6,000 square meters.
The second pit has so far unearthed over 900 various forms of bronze weapons, 11 wooden chariots, 32 terracotta cavalryman, 67 pottery chariots, 124 saddled horses and numerous warriors. Most have been removed but there are still some on display
Hua Qing Hot Springs
by xiquinho
This was the site of a pleasure palace built by Tang Emperor Tai Zong. But during that period it became especially famous, as the Emperor Xuan Zong dallied here with the beautiful concubine Yang Guifei, neglecting affairs of state to such a degree that he almost lost the kingdom during a rebellion.
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Bell tower almost dwarfed by shopping mall
Bing Ma Yong - Terracotta Warriors
Mike and Anna on the Xi'an city wall
Xi'an - China
