China Traveling

The first landmark visitors will encounter in Xi’an is the ancient city wall, which stretches round the old city. The northern side runs parallel to the railway. Xi’an was originally a walled city, and even today the wall is considered a landmark dividing the city into the inner part and the outer part. The city wall is massive – tall, long and thick. The South Gate and North Gate are the two main entrances to the inner city. The city itself is neatly arranged along the city wall.

History

Xi’an City Wall was erected in the 14th century Ming Dynasty, under the regime of

Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. When Zhu Yuanzhang captured Huizhou, long before the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, he was admonished by a hermit named Zhu Sheng, who told him to “build high walls, store abundant provisions and take your time in proclaiming yourself emperor.” This advice Zhu Yuanzhang heeded. Once the whole country was unified, he sent orders to the local governments to build city walls on a large scale. Zhu assured that “out of all the mountains and rivers in the world, the area of Central Qin is the most strongly fortified and strategically impregnable.” The current city wall is an enhancement of the old Tang Dynasty structure, as a result of the emperor’s wall building campaign.

The Structure of the City Wall

The first city wall of Xi’an was built of earth, rammed layer upon layer. The base layer was made of earth, quick lime, and glutinous rice extract, tamped together. It made the wall extremely strong and firm. Later, the wall was totally enclosed with bricks. A moat, wide and deep, ran around the city. Over the moat, there used to be a huge drawbridge, which would cut off the way in and out of the city, once lifted.

Xi’an’s city wall, after its enlargement in the Ming Dynasty, stands 12 meters high. It is 12-14 meters across the top, 15-18 meters thick at bottom, and 13.7 kilometers in length. There is a rampart every 120 meters. The ramparts are towers that extend out from the main wall. The ramparts were built to allow soldiers to see enemies trying to climb the wall. The distance between the ramparts is within the range of arrows fired from either side. This allowed soldiers to protect the entire wall without exposing themselves to the enemy. There are altogether 98 ramparts; each has a sentry building on top of it.

The highlights of the Li River can be seen along the 84km waterway from Guilin to Yangshuo. Pinnacles covered in deep foliage (shrouded in mist on rainy days), clear water, deep ponds, dangerous shoals, and vistas of idyllic countryside can be seen along the river banks. The scenery varies according to the weather and season. On sunny days the Li River looks like a bright landscape painting, with clear reflections of green peaks rising straight out of the water. On foggy and rainy days, the Li River is shrouded in mist and appears mysterious and magical.

Attractions:

Langshi Village and spectacular mountains

Each turn of the river holds new surprises. In the green forests on the left bank lies a village named Langshi Village, where the houses are built with black bricks and red tiles. Mountains such as Dahuang Mount, Wenbi Mount, Bijia Mount and Lion Mount line the right banks of the river; whereas Guanyin Mount, White Rabbit Mount, and Gold Cock Peak line the left banks. The origins of these names have been lost in history.

The Fresco Hill – The Nine Horse Mount

Nine Horse Mount is 61km from Guilin and 4km from Xinping(a small fishing village on the river bank). The cliff face has images of what appeared to be a group of horses. Variegated in yellow and white, dark and light, the horses assume a variety of poses: some seem to be running, some just lying there and others playing. These images have been present on the mountain side for centuries

The number of horses there depends on your imagination. Legend has it that the horses came from heaven. They escaped to earth when the Monkey King was not watching closely. When they were drinking by the Li River, a painter saw them and wanted to draw them. But the horses became startled, escaped into the hills and stayed there forever. This unusual cliff view has attracted many poets, painters, scholars and tourists over the years.

Yellow Cloth Reflection

The most famous of the reflections of the mountain scenery along the Li River is Huangbu beach. The clear water reveals a yellow rock board at the bottom of the river for about 100 meters. The rock resembles a piece of yellow cloth spreading over the river bed; hence its Chinese name. On the bank near the beach, a group of seven peaks are named “seven fairy sisters”. Legend has it that these sisters descended from the heavenly palace one day to tour the Li River. They were so taken by its scenic beauty that they forgot to return. When the King of Heaven found out, he ordered them to come back, but the sisters chose to remain on earth. They changed themselves into stone peaks by blowing gusts of miracle air.

Some 25 kilometers southeast of the city of Guilin lies Ancient Daxu (”Big Market”) Town. The city, situated on the east bank of the Li River, has been a busy center of trade ever since the Qin (BCE 221-207) Dynasty period, when, under the reign (BCE 246 – 210)* of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the Ling Canal, which connects the Xiang River of the Yangtze River watershed with the Li River of the Pearl River watershed, was dug.

Ancient Daxu’s strategic placement on the banks of a river that had “spokes” leading to the Yangtze River system as well as to the Pearl River system made it a natural transit hub for trade between merchants far away and the upland population within a very large radius of the city of Daxu, since, for these areas, there was little alternative to the prosperous city on the banks of the Li River. Thirteen of the old town’s shipping docks remain to this day, spread out along the city’s 2 1/2-kilometer-long main street, and they bear witness to the town’s former high degree of prosperity.

By the time of the Northern Song (CE 960-1127) Dynasty, Daxu had achieved the status of the richest and most influential of ancient cities of what is present-day Guangxi Province, which was no mean achievement for the period. But it was during the Ming (CE 1368-1644) Dynasty that Daxu reached its pinnacle of commercial success; Wanshou Bridge, a handsome single-arched stone bridge that was built during the period, spans the Li River, while the streets of Ancient Daxu Town were – still are – paved with naturally-occurring dark-green limestone blocks, now worn to a shiny patina, thanks to centuries of use.

As is so often the case in general, Daxu’s particular “claim to fame” – its strategic location on the banks of a busy waterway, with “spokes” radiating out to China’s greatest centers of commerce, making Daxu a natural trade and traffic hub – has also proven to be the ancient city’s Achilles’ Heel, for during the 1930s, waterways ceded their position of prominence to railways and highways, and Daxu’s commerce declined rapidly thereafter. Just as many towns and villages along the Silk Road had rapidly blossomed into important centers of commerce, then shrank with almost equal rapidity when the overland Silk Road gave way to the “Silk Road” by sea route, the burgeoning ancient town of Daxu fell into decline once its trump card, as it were, had been played out.

The World Expo 2010 Shanghai will be held from May 1, 2010 to Oct. 31, 2010 in Shanghai, China, with an expected number of 70 million visitors. China Highlights will keep focusing on the Expo 2010 Shanghai and assist you in visiting the Expo by providing high-quality travel services.

The Front and back of an Expo ticket

China Highlights gives a helping hand on your Shanghai Expo Tour