Xian then - Xian now

                       

Much of early Xian's art reflected everyday life. Acrobats and jugglers entertain royalty and merchants alike. Arabian horses are the preferred luxury mode of transportation. A camel from 630CE is encouraged to rise, but would only have been used to transport goods, being too valuable to carry this or any rider who would have been on donkey, horse or foot.

                         

Xian's famous 300 foot tall Bell Tower was built in 1384, marking the geographical center of the city  and seen here on the upper left.  It is the largest and best maintained of its kind in China. Today, traffic circles the tower like a giant rotary. Four roads emanate to compass point gates with moats, towers and 40 foot high walls. The highly decorative pagoda topping the gate wall towers over the street below. We were greeted upon arrival by period dressed guards and local royalty at Yongning, the southern "gate of eternal peace" seen here on the lower left and then spent the evening watching this river transversing modern city begin to glow as the sun went down. 

Had we arrived during the Silk Road period, passports with letters of introduction would have been required and an entrance toll paid. When it comes to travel and supporting the local municipality, some things haven't changed. 

If you come to Xian today expect a large modern city. Of course you'll take the trip to see the Terracota Army and possibly the Great Wall. We'd also strongly suggest you go to the bustling Moslem quarter to stroll and sample the food, particularly the kabobs with pomegranate juice on the side. Visit its mosque, which looks oddly pagoda like and although the people look somewhat Mongolian Chinese, their dress will remind you that this is not a Budhist population. The mosque and its gardens are a piece of absolute tranquility in a bustling city. 

Xian in Brief:

- Formerly Chang'an and then Chian, this 1st ancient Imperial Capital is now called Xian

- Ancient population 120,000 vs 8 million today

- Religious demographics - Budhism and Islam, followed by Confucianism, Taoism and Lamaism

- Silk Road Significance - as the Ancient Capital, beginning in 210BCE and the most eastern land departure and terminus point, this was a hub of diverse ethnic identities and religious beliefs. This confluence brought the city vast material wealth as well as religious and cultural melting for over 1,000 years. 

     

Chang'an - The Silk Road's Most Eastern Terminus - or Starting Point

Qin Shi Huang Di was the young vissionary ruler who established Chang'an, the city of eternal peace, in 221BCE, a name well deserved upon conquering and bringing together the 7 states of what we think of as eastern China and who had been battling since 476BCE.  By naming himself emperor instead of king, he established the title for a unified China. Walls that had been built to protect these states were joined and extended north to protect against the region's enemies.   Before  his death in 210BCE, Qin unified the area by introducing standardized language and writing, roads, irrigation, weights, measures and currency - the circular coin with cut out "Middle Kingdom" square. But far from benevolent, this first emperor of China centralized power to maintain control and create a huge peasant workforce. He destroyed evidence of previous rulers by burning books that referenced their accomplishments. He forced nearly 2 million - a full 10% of his subjects - along with innumerable captured foreigners to connect China's famous wall while also expanding it north to further protect from the region's enemies. 

Qin Shi Huang Di may be best known in the west for the terracotta army he had built to join him and 100 of his concubines upon his death in his mausoleum.  Each of the six-thousand warriors are different in appearance and would have been brightly painted. Facing west to protect against his enemies, they were set up as like a Romam army with the vanguard, foot soldiers, charioteers  and additional ranks with horses and actual weapons covering an area equivalent to approximately eight football fields. 

But like many countries who build their military forces too quickly, creating this well fitted out army nearly bankrupt the new empire. After Qin's death in 210BCE, his weaker son Qin Er Shi went to war with Chang'an's actual army. They raided the tomb to obtain weapons that would have been held by many of the terracotta warriors. 

 Over centuries, the wooden beams of this resting place collapsed and the retaining walls filled in the land, hiding this mausoleum until it's inadvertent discovery by farmers digging a well in 1974.  Work continues on this project, which former French president Jacques Chirac called the eight wonder of the world - which in fact it may very well be. 

Although Quin Shi Huang's son was killed in 206BCE, the Qin Dynasty (221-206BCE) was China's 1st Imperial Dynasty to be replaced by the Han Dynasty which lasted from 206BCE - 220CE. And as importantly, the Chang'an region continued to  act as an essential Silk Road crossroad for people from Central Asia, the Middle East and this newly evolving empire - and held that distinction for over 1,000 years.