Around The World In 72 Days - Xi'an Four - City At Night And Muslem Quarter

We continue the long slog trying to get caught up with all of our China pictures, particularly those from Xi'an. (I know, you feel this is some kind of China history simulation as if you were participating in Mao's Long March (read about it here to get an idea of why you are feeling the way you are). This is our last post from Xi'an with only two more China posts to go!

Tang Dynasty Era Show - Story of Wu Zhao

The only female Emperor in Chinese history, this musical is a representation of her career starting as a young concubine to the Emperor at age 14 through her rise to power.

 

Xi'an at Night

Our driving around Xi'an and the surrounding area during the days we were touring left us with the impression that (despite the monuments) this was a drab city (not helped by the season of dust coming off the deserts of Mongolia to the north). But leaving the show and driving back to our hotel, we were amazed by all the lighting turning the cityscape into something entirely different. Truly, if I ever came back to Xi'an it would be to take pictures of the city at night. What I am showing below is simply a very small are right outside of our hotel.

Entrance to the Hyatt Regency Xi'an

On the street

Buildings

Muslim Quarter - Candid Shots

The Muslim Quarter is like the market section of Xi'an. Lots of economic activity, hustle, and bustle. It was a good opportunity to do candid photography.

Why my niece RMG will NOT be visiting the Muslim Quarter

Challenging McDonald's? According to our guide, this line was for what he called Xi'an hamburger.

The Transaction

Family Dress-up Time

In the Quarter

Signs of the World

Is this where all the tours that torment me originate? Or is this where they get rid of the tours that fail to get me?

Mourn not all those earrings you have lost!

Around The World In 72 Days - Xi'an Three - Center City

We are still slogging our way through the incredible number of pictures we took in Xi'an. This, of course, reflects the wealth of history and activity that made Xi'an such a prominent city for so many thousands of years. Today we are visiting the city center. There were three sites of note we visited; the City Wall, the Drum Tower, and the Bell Tower. 

The City Wall is a modern reconstruction but it completely encircles the city core as it did during the Han, Sui, Tang, and Ming Dynasties. The Drum and Bell Tower were used for communication throughout the city. Both were build originally in the Ming Dynasty. Bell towers are found throughout historical China as communication systems. The Xi'an tower is the largest. It has been reconstructed for damage and other reasons numerous times over its history.

The Wall

 

 It's China

It's a Big Wall

And there is a veritable ecosystem of its own on it

 But who would guess it would hold its own nefarious secrets

For Indeed Here...

...Is one of the primary staging areas for the Red People's Tour Group Army

On to the Drum Tower

Which (odd as it may seem) has many...

There was also a musical presentation within

The look of horror as this performer finds she has been assigned to work with de-I Sandia Outfitters and will be doing promotional work in New Mexico.

The Bell Tower seen from the Drum Tower

The Drum Tower seen from the Bell Tower

One of the Bells

Streets radiating out to the North, East, South, and West Gates in the Wall

 

Other