there is a very nice and quiet little garden
the bell at the Bell Tower
the modern shopping mall next to the Bell Tower
the backside of the Drum Tower
a sideview of the Drum Tower
she sells Xun, ancient Dragon Egg flutes
not sure what she sells, but the horn is load en clear
inside the muslim quarters live the Hui people
the drums are freshly painted
Xi'an is one of China's oldest cities.
Presently it is the busy capital of Shaaxi Province and the center for China's space
program. In the past Xi'an has served for many centuries as the capital of China.
At
Banpo, at the edge of the
city there are remains of a 6500 years old neolithic settlement of the
Yangshao culture.
Xi'an is most famous for the necropolis
of the first Qin emperor
Qin Shi Huang with the warriors of the Terra Cotta Army and his underground
mausoleum, waiting
to be excavated.
Sculptures to the east and west remind of the old days when the city was the start and end of the
Silkroad.
Tang
emperor Gaozong allowed the practice of Islam in 651 AD and Xi'an still has a large
Hui moslim contingent.
We were
in China's old capital several times, our last visit was in May 2004.
a statue of a large bronze bowl
a view over the square with the Bell Tower in the background
the Drum Tower
inside the old Da Ci'en Temple
the statue at the beginning of the Silkroad
the Wild Goose Pagoda towers in the background
