Shaanxi: Few days in China’s dynastic capital

Shaanxi Province is an important cradle of Chinese civilization. It is situated in the hinterland of China, covering an area of 205,600 square kilometers and having a population of over 38 million. Xi’an, anciently known as Chang’an and today’s capital of Shaanxi, is an ancient Chinese dynastic capital and the starting point of the Silk […]

Shaanxi Province is an important cradle of Chinese civilization. It is situated in the hinterland of China, covering an area of 205,600 square kilometers and having a population of over 38 million.

Xi’an, anciently known as Chang’an and today’s capital of Shaanxi, is an ancient Chinese dynastic capital and the starting point of the Silk Road. The city had hosted 13 dynasties, including Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang during a span of 1180 years.

We journeyed from Beijing to Xi’an, a distance of more than 1200kilometres, for only five hours, using a high-speed train running about 280km/h. The trip was smooth and memorable, thanks to the coaches’ wide windows which offer a stunning view of expansive farmlands and vegetation along the route.

Development projects are visible across China. As the journey progressed, I couldn’t lower my gaze from the high-rise residential quarters and wind turbines dotting the landscape even though my body was yearning for sleep.

Upon arrival in Xi’an, we were welcomed with ‘Chang’an Impression’, a multi-media, live-action performance, staged at the ‘City Wall’ by dozens of young men and women in colourful traditional costumes. Its immersive dramatic approach artistically mirrored the culture of the well-known Tang dynasty and, in a virtual way, transported us to a dreamland of Chang’an.

Though Chang’an Impression offered us a cursory insight into the lives of the Tang emperors, the impressive transformation Xi’an has witnessed in recent times has significantly changed the face of the ancient city. Tree-lined boulevards, high-rise buildings, pleasure parks, elegant modern boutiques and luxurious five-star hotels are now a common sight in Xi’an, save for few buildings with ancient Chinese architecture.

After the impressive performance, we set off for our place of residence at one of the best hotels in the city, where one of the city officials briefed us about Shaanxi province and the packed itinerary to make the trip memorable. Indeed, long after we left the province, the ancient city lingered in my mind.

Xi’an is home to the mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, an archaeological site containing thousands of clay soldiers called the Terracotta Army. On a Sunday evening, we were ushered into the building housing the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, founder of the first unified empire in Chinese history, the Qin Dynasty, which, during the 3rd century BCE, wielded unprecedented political, military and economic power and advanced the social, cultural and artistic level of the empire.

The site is located in the eastern suburbs of Lintong County, 35 kilometers (22 miles) east of Xi’an, on the Lishan Mountain in the south and overlooking the Wei River towards north.

The pits containing the terracotta army guarding the mausoleum were discovered in 1974. Three pits have been excavated so far, and from them, a total of 8,000 life-size terracotta warriors, chariots and horses, and approximately 40,000 bronze weapons have been unearthed, according to the writings engraved on a black tile inside the building. Occupying an area of over 200,000 sq m, the three pits are arranged in a triangular shape, facing the east.

The mausoleum has been listed a State Priority Protected Site and thus is under the protection of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Cultural Relics. UNESCO listed it as a cultural heritage site in December, 1987.

After being tour-guided around the site’s inner and outer compounds, which have perimeters of 2.5 km and 6.3 km respectively, we filed out, posted for a group photograph and headed back to the hotel.

Poverty reduction supermarkets

China is a developing country and has about 16 million poor people, according to official figure. But the government is relentless in lifting its people out of poverty that, in 2015, it launched a poverty reduction campaign and set a five-year target of eliminating “absolute poverty” by 2020.

Across the country, the government has stepped up several initiatives, including development of local industries and financial support for impoverished counties. The efforts are already paying off. Statistics from China’s Poverty Alleviation and Development office showed that over 80 million people were lifted out of poverty in the past six years, slashing the poor population from 98.99 million at the end of 2012 to 16.6 million at the end of 2018.

At the opening of “Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Poverty Reduction” held in Xi’an, Mr Hu Heping, CPC Secretary, Shaanxi Provincial Committee reeled out the province poverty reduction initiatives, which, he said had made remarkable progress.

In Xi’an, the city authorities launched what it called “Poverty Reduction Supermarkets” in January 2018 to address the sales challenge of agricultural produce in poverty-stricken areas.

The aim was to collect agricultural products from rural farmers in hard-to-reach villages through door-to-door purchase, build “green channel” to address challenges and leverage on sales big data to undertake “sales-based production”.

The programme has effectively boosted the morale of poor villages and households to develop agricultural industry. As of April 2019, the supermarkets offered more than 200 single items in 13 categories with its supply system covering 10 cities with subordinate districts, more than 30 cooperatives and over 900 supply households in the province, Shaanxi poverty reduction report said.

Hanzhong – China’s charm city

Hanzhong is one of China’s best eco-friendly cities, filled with green mountains, clean water and the fragrance of flowers all year around. Located in the southwest of Shaanxi Province, the city enjoys abundant rainfalls and moist climate. Tourism is a key element in Hanzhong’s economy, earning the city 30.8 billion RMB in 2018, according to government report.

From Xi’anbei Railway Station, we took a high-speed train and in less than an hour, we were in Hanzhong. It was a bright, breezy day when we arrived. Two luxurious buses bearing 33 African journalists and city officials snaked up the narrow, well-paved road, with forest-covered mountains lining both sides, to Panda Valley, a tourist site in Foping, one of the city’s counties.

At the main entrance, city officials gave a brief introduction of the valley, and afterward piled us into battery-powered cars which conveyed us deep into the nature reserve housing cute pandas, golden monkeys and other rare animals and plants.

Giant pandas, regarded as a national treasure of China, are considered a living fossil. Currently endangered species, this unique bear has long been revered by the Chinese people and can be found in Chinese art dating back to thousands of years.

The next stop was the ecological park of crested ibis in Yangxian County. We streamed into a briefing hall where a short video about the lives of the endangered birds are screened.

The species declined rapidly during the late 19th century and early to mid-20th century due to the deforestation of woodlands used for nesting, over-hunting and loss of wetlands, as well as the use of agrochemicals in rice-paddies, which causes reductions in the abundance and diversity of its prey.

As we moved round the reserve, I was so enthralled by the effort of the provincial government to protect its ‘oriental gem’. In Yangxian, nest-sites are patrolled and guarded during the breeding season. Some rice-fields are maintained as feeding-sites in winter and loach are introduced to them.

We arrived at the hotel late in the evening, and after a quick, painless check in, we set off again for boat cruising on the Han River. After a short but exciting cruising, I, along with three other colleagues, set off to find dinner and explore the quiet city. A mid-aged Chinese man, Gaou Xinpeng, we approached to direct our way to a modest restaurant was not only receptive, but also generous. He couldn’t speak English, and we couldn’t speak Mandarin, but with a translation app, we managed to communicate our intention.

Using a mobile app, he called a taxi for us, spoke to the driver, paid the fare, and after about five-minute drive, we arrived at a bustling area, filled with roadside restaurants. We wandered from one restaurant to the next, and eventually settled at one, ordered for rice and spiced fish pepper soup, and as we were about to eat, Xinpeng appeared on his electric-powered bike and joined us on the dining table though he opted for only soft drink.

To enjoy his company, he invited his Pakistani friend schooling in a nearby university and whose Mandarin is far better than mine, to translate for us. We talked about our profession, countries and mission in Hanzhong, and at every interval we all expressed deep gratitude for his bigheartedness. There was so much to discuss. But the clock said we call it quit and rush back to the hotel and get some rest, for in just a few hours later, we would need to get up for Sohuur, a pre-dawn meal in Ramadan.

As we requested for our bill, Xinpeng gestured that we leave that he had already settled that. “Why?” a colleague Karim Badolo queried. But instead of responding, he quickly ushered us into a waiting cab, spoke to the driver, paid the fare and bade us farewell. He also promised to take us round the city the next day but our itinerary didn’t allow that to happen. As we cruised back to the hotel, we all kept talking about this kind-hearted fellow, whose surprising gesture speaks volume about the disposition of Chinese people toward foreigners. That was the day’s adventure.

The next morning in Ningqiang County, we strolled along a narrow walkway in the valleys to the origin place of Han River. The expanding greenery all around tells a lot about the people’s passion for nature. Often, we would stop to take pictures in the scenery.

The visit to “provincial modern agricultural tea park” where dozens of rural women work and earn about 7,000 RMB a month, offered us a firsthand experience on how the government is fighting rural poverty. There, we learnt that 621 families transferred their land to the park, 191 families got shared dividends while hundreds of rural people were lifted out of poverty. The park produces 300 tons of tea yearly, which is sold in other China’s cities and online platforms.

We also visited the Han Culture Expo Park in Xinghan new district, where the Han Museum of Culture is located. In the building, there are enormous wood works of art conspicuously hung on the walls. There, we were garbed in traditional Han robes and traced Chinese characters. We paused for lunch, and then returned to Xi’an.

The next morning after a brief breakfast for those not fasting, it was time to move to the Xi’anbey station for a train ride back to Beijing. As the bus took off from the hotel, I looked out through the window to bid the ancient city farewell while reminiscing about my experience of Shaanxi. Quickly, I realized that I hadn’t seen enough because there was so much in the ancient city. This is even more so as we missed the opportunity of exploring night life in Hanzhong as promised by my Chinese friend, Xinpeng.