V is for Vagabond: Xian - Random City Photos

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Xian - Random City Photos

Here are some random pictures I took of Xian.

The hostel I stayed at, Square Hostel.

Map of Xian

old city wall - you can bike around the whole thing

Wild Goose Pagoda

view from the wild goose pagoda

kite flying is quite popular. the kids make it look so fun

Light and water fountain show every night

That's right! Man!

What's this replica of the Pyramid and the Colossus or Rhodes doing in Xian? It turns out these replicas were made because Chinese were too poor to travel to the actual destinations. This is where they went instead to see the wonders of the world. Makes you think how nice you have it doesn't it?

The not so modern parts of China

Bell Tower

Drum Tower

Um... potential for a fun time here? I didn't find out.

Statue depicting Tang Musicians

Statue depicting Tang Wrestlers

Map of the Tang Paradise Theme Park

Tang Paradise Theme Park

Banpo Neolithic Village Museum. These ancient people lived around Xian from 5000-4000 BC. Unless you're into archeology you can skip this museum. BTW, their society was dominated by women.

Western Toilet is a selling point

This is a drawing by the Banpo Neolithic people. This design is what was used for the 2008 summer Olympic mascots. No wonder nobody in the west could figure out what they were based on, myself included.

A drawing by a farmer in the Xian area.

Shaanxi Museum
Inside the museum they have many artifacts, including terracotta warriors. I'm too lazy to post all my pictures of demonic looking tomb guardians, art, weapons, and statues of artisans. You'll just have to go there yourself.