Local traditions and culture in Xi'an

2 more images

Be aware that, like everywhere else, temples are praying sites, and, despite their old and exotic look, they may keep being used for their religious purposes.

That is the case of the Wild Goose Pagoda, where we tried to do not disturb the praying monks, but… only their great concentration helped us.

VT now allows the inclusion of video. As son as I edit it, I will be able to add the interesting waving sound of the prayers. It’s a promise!

Maybe because of the excess of population (maybe because they eat them…) dogs and cats are not very visible in China, where pets seem to be mainly fishes and birds.

Birds deserve a special attention, with people taking them to the parks to “meet friends” and exchange melodies. Without surprise, selling birds is an important branch of local commerce.

One thing that I noticed is the rigour used by the workers in their jobs: In shops, restaurants, everywhere, the staff lines the corridors, occupying predetermined places, and standing rigid until a client needs their service.

In a long and empty store (yes, it happens also), sometimes, it looks like a handsome military parade.

If you are in Xi'An you have to eat Baozi. (actualy not only if you are in Xi'An)That´s definitive a cultural tip.
I like those dumplings very much but if you dont know Chinese language it may be a surprise what is inside the dumplings. (especially when you buy it in the street market) It may be pork, beef, seafood, vegetables...

Besides, its also important to order it in the correct way. I mean the correct pronunciation. Once I made a mistake when I ordered it in a restaurant. Fortunately the waitress understood English otherwise they would give me a newspaper.

called Chang'an in ancient times, more than 1 million years of condensation of history. During Xi'an's 3,100 years of development, 12 dynasties such as Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang, held it as their capitals

Climatic Features: temperate and continental climate; cold and dry in winter and hot in summer and rainy season comes in July, August and September

Average Temperature: 13.3C annually
Rainfall: 604.2mm annually

Mountains: Mt. Huashan, Mt. Taibaishan, Mt. Lishan

Rivers: Hui River, Wei River, Feng River, Jing River

This is the entrance ticket to see The Terracotta Warriors cost RMB65.00, if you need a translator they charge extra RMB40.00. So what the hell is Terracotta Warriors? Those warriors are earthenware made to fulfill Emperor QingShihHuang's desire to have a perfect world after he died. So these warriors and horses and many more are part of his mausoleum as decoration or whatever purposes, all these were discovered by a farmer called Yang Zhi Fa many thanks to Mr.Bill Clinton.

INCENSE
In the chinese temples you can always smell the scent of the incense floating in the air. They offer incense sticks to their gods, placing them in places suited for that purpose.

SMALL FEET
The old days when women were obblied to have small feet and suffered a lot to get it are over, but you can still see old women with such traces of the past fashions. This photo shows the 2 generations...