痴别谤苍辞苍鈥檚 Cindy Keith won a through Black Press Media and the Abbotsford Chamber ofCommerce and now 鈥� 蝉丑别鈥檚 sharing her experience with you.
Blog #2: Sensational 齿颈鈥檃苍!
By: Cindy Keith
As the Beijing airport is undergoing major renovations (travel in China is growing so quickly!), we ended up getting an early start to our flight for 齿颈鈥檃苍.
We then had the wonderful opportunity to visit the Banpo Museum and Gardens. It featured a prehistoric (matriarchal!) village site of almost 7,000 years ago! Imagine a Neolithic village discovered in 1953, containing the carbon remains of several well-organized settlements!
The archaeological collection was very well-preserved and presented. One of my favourite things about 齿颈鈥檃苍 is that after an earthquake devastated most of the town, a new wall was constructed in 1370 during the Ming Dynasty and mostly remains intact to this day and circumnavigates the city.
We walked around the top (some even rented bikes!), peering down at the city parks where families played, exercised and I caught a make-shift 鈥榡补尘 蝉别蝉蝉颈辞苍鈥� under one of the little pavilions.
It was wonderful to see this charming walled city from above!
Driving around 齿颈鈥檃苍, I was shocked at how many 鈥榥别补谤 尘颈蝉蝉鈥� traffic jams there were - with cars and electric/push bikes (whose operators rarely don helmets)! Apparently their 6/7-rail metro system is almost completed (three now exist) and should make things flow better.
We culminated our evening by enjoying some tasty and unique dumplings for dinner 迟丑别苍鈥漈补苍驳 蝉迟测濒别鈥� entertainment. The costumes and facial makeup were glorious and the performance was so energetic!
Our next day, we ventured out to visit the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. Construction began in 707 and it measured 44 metres tall at its time of completion and was built to store the translations of Buddhist sutras.
The massive earthquake, the 1556 Shaanxi province earthquake eventually damaged the tower and reduced it to a height of 43.4m. We loved the peaceful grounds with locals practicing Tai Chi and admired the Peony (national flower of China) gardens.
One of the oldest cities in China, 齿颈鈥檃苍 is the Silk 搁辞补诲鈥檚 starting point and home to the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang (the first emperor of China!).
Immediately after his ascension to the throne in third century BC, he ordered the construction of these life-size Terracotta soldiers, including their carriages and horses to be built inside his mausoleum.
It is a form of funerary art; buried with the emperor between 210-209 BC, in an effort to be protected in his afterlife.
The figures were discovered in 1974 by local farmers. It was much more extensive than I 谤别肠补濒濒别诲鈥濒别补谤濒测 over the past 22 years local archeologists have been working very hard! This is now deemed the eighth Wonder of the World and it was absolutely fascinating to explore and conceptualize for us all.
Being in China for several days now feels great. Having not ever taken a bus tour or traveled exclusively in high-end hotels is something I definitely need to reconsider! One of the best parts before heading out from the Okanagan, was that I 诲颈诲苍鈥檛 have to do all the planning typical of individual travel - much less pre-travel stress for sure!
Not having to pay for every meal and arrange each method of travel is sure a welcome change.
滨鈥檝别 realized that although the preparation stage of a trip is actually what makes it based more on individual preferences, and can be part of the fun when it all comes together as you imagine it will, this is sure a great 补濒迟别谤苍补迟颈惫别鈥苍诲 I dare say, it has definitely raised the (proverbial) bar.
:) Cindy
Check out and stay tuned for her next blog post in a few days.
