MOGAO CAVES
A holy site for...
by SirRichard
MOGAO CAVES
A holy site for Buddhists, Mogao consists of 492 caves, the interiors ornately painted and containing large statues of Buddha. Long ago, there were over 1000 caves, but time and nature have caused many of them to collapse. The oldest cave dates back to 366 A.D. and the most recent one is from the 1500's. We went into several caves that dated back to the early 600 and 700's, and the decorations were amazingly intact.
When the people hollowed out the caves, they covered the walls with a clay plaster. Then they painted the walls and ceilings with mineral paints. If you were to combine all the murals, there would be over 45,000 square meters of paintings. The murals on the cave walls tell legends of the Buddha of the past, present and future. The ceilings boast intricate lotus flowers (which symbolize wisdom and paradise) and thousands of little Buddhas.
Each cave has at least one statue of Buddha and his disciples. In the largest cave, there is a Buddha which is 34.5 meters high! I noticed that the Buddha's hands were posed in specific ways. I found out that when his hand is raised with his palm out, he means 'do not fear.' When his hand is raised and his fingers are tilted slightly forward, he is teaching. When his hand is held out with the palm up, he is offering help. Finally, if his hand is out and his palm is down and facing the visitor, he is giving to that person. Also, I noticed the Buddha statues built after the 7th century had more Chinese features than the ones before, which looked more Indian.
I went to Xi'an from Beijing...
by szabolcs
I went to Xi'an from Beijing by train (soft-sleeper) on both occasions. It was fun for the first time and the experience is worth it but if I return to Xi'an I will prefer airplanes (China Northwest Airlines flies to Xi'an mostly). It takes about 14 hours from Beijing to Xi'an and the train mostly goes at night so most of the time it's dark and you don't see much of the landscape.
Impressive Warriors
by Bickers72
These guys are one of the most impressive sights you will see if you visit China.
Row upon row of life size warriors buried as protectionfor the tomb of Qin Shihuang. Sadly alot of them have been destroyed by fires and cave ins over the 2000 years they have been buried but what remains is magnificant. You can also watch as the archaeologists painstakingly piece the warriors back together.
The warriors were all originally buried with weapons however these have been put into storage. Maybe in later years they may replace these with replicas. This would make the warriors seem even more menacing.
Be warned that officially no photos can be taken in alot of the areas however we had no problem sneaking a few snapshots in
Shaanxi Grand Opera
by al2401
One of the things I love to do when travelling is to go to the theatre. What better way of experiencing the culture of a place. In Xi'an I went to the Tang Dynasty Show. This is a variety performance by the Shaanxi Song & Dance Troupe showing different aspects of Shaanxi music, dance and drama from the Tang Dynasty. The troupe has performed in over 40 countries and has a world wide reputation.
Each act was introduced in English. The performances were fascinating and the costumes and sets were brilliant and very colourful. For some of the dances the women wore costumes with sleeves that covered their hands and trailed on the ground. They waved them through the air to form fascinating shapes - just like the girl gymnasts do with their ribbons. I enjoyed the Pai Xiao solo. This instrument is something like the Pan pipes and the musician played them so beautifully - just like birdsong.
This experience can also include a Dumpling Banquet with many local speciality fillings.
The Great Mosque
by Paul2001
The Great Mosque may be hard to find but it is worth seeking out which by the way is half the fun in visiting it. The mosque is located in a narrow alleyway that is filled with vendors selling souvenirs of all sorts. As in much of the Islamic quarter, it all seems very chaotic but once you do actually find the Great Mosque you will find some measure of peace. There are not so many bus tour groups here so you can wander the garden-like compound without having to be interrupted by a tour group.
The Great Mosque dates from 742 when Muslim traders made it Xian by way of the Silk Road. I have been to many mosques in the Middle East, South Asia, North Africa and even Canada but this one is quite different from any other that I have visited. This is because of the fascinating blend of Chinese and Islamic architecture. For instance what would be a minaret used for the calls to prayer in the Middle East is a pagoda in China more resembling those in a Buddhist temple. The whole mosque is set up in a succession of courtyards not unlike a Buddhist or Daoist temple. The difference might be that the mosque faces east instead of south. The prayer all, which I could not enter not being a Muslim, is quite pretty and was very active during my visit.
The Great Mosque is open from 8am to 7pm daily but on Friday's access might be restricted to Muslims only. The admission price is Y12.
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An Officer - Terra-cotta Warriors - Xi'an
Warrior in the museum area
Terra Cotta Warriors being repaired
Xi'an - China
