Xi'an - Not Just Terracotta Warriors

Yes, it's true - this trip took place in 2005. Old stuff? Well, I don't think Xi'an goes out of date like our new technology does. One thing I know has changed since then is that the one-child-per-family law has been rescinded. I'm glad for my young friends who are of child-bearing age.

In this article, I share with you random photos taken during my daily walks around Xi'an. In time, I will post more articles describing my experiences in depth.

Throughout the trip, I wrote to friends as a kind of diary and ongoing dialogue with them about the culture and the people I met. I decided to share my writings with you. You might decide to go there yourself and compare how things are now with how they were then, or you might just enjoy being an armchair tourist as I enjoy reading about other peoples' trips to places I will probably never visit.

I wonder if they still do this. Once upon a time, I remember when people were out in the streets or parks after work in Israel and Canada. Now it seems that most people are stuck to their computer screens. I know that I am. I play mahjong on the computer. If I ever make it back to China, I'll try to join a street game.

While there are general street cleaners, as in the photo to the left, below, it is also the responsibility (whether self-imposed or by law, I do not know) of shop owners to clean the sidewalk in front of their own shops, as in the photo on the right, below.

When the weather is good, there is a lot of life outside. I loved to spend time after dark in the Old City. In one park, people would fly kites or play with various light-up toys. And the huge buildings would glow in the dark.

Everything is so big. The buildings, the streets, but not the people. They are small. And many. I will add more articles, as I promised, to bring you more of the Xi'an that I love.