It's Panda Day!

The main reason for coming to Chong Quin was to see the Giant Pandas which are bred in the zoo here.  

Chong Quin - the largest city in China with 34 million people

With our luggage outside our doors by 7.30am and a quick breakfast we were back on the coach. Our local guide had asked for an earlier start as the unusual hot weather meant that the pandas would be more inclined to sleep and Ken wanted us to see them awake and eating their bamboo. So it was an early trip to the Zoo.  

The zoo in Chong Quin is the main breeding zoo in China for Pandas.  They have 12 adults there – all in separate enclosures as they are not social creatures. It was a real joy to watch these special creatures and brought back memories of Richard and his childhood love of his toy panda.  Most of them were just sitting on raised platforms skinning the outer husk of the bamboo before eating the juicer middle part. All of the enclosures were of a good size and conditions looked good but we had decided not to explore the zoo in its entirety so the only other animals we saw were the Red Pandas which were also charming.

The rest of the day was spent exploring Chong Quin. It is the largest city in China holding 33 million people. These numbers are incomprehensible – half of the UK population in one mega city. Similar to Xi’an there were multiple high rise blocks under construction but the feel of Chong Quin was much more industrial.  We were taken up to one of hill tops to visit Eling Park. This park afforded tremendous views of the river and the city scape. Although it was around 30C it was cooler under the trees and we could see the Chinese locals enjoying the park with their picnics, We also met groups that were dancing and singing together and met a Chinese man who was making calligraphy pictures.  He was so quick creating interesting pictures in around 1 minute – many of our group bought from him.

There was also a pagoda within the park that we were advised not to climb but that did not stop Mike joining Charlotte and Mike from climbing up to get even higher views of the city.

From here we went to lunch.  The hot pot that is the local delicacy was cancelled due to time constraints and we had rather a mediocre meal in the science museum. Mike was quite disappointed as he had wanted to try the hot pot.  Chong Quin is known for its spicy schezuan food but we were not given an opportunity to try this. There seems to a misunderstanding with Chinese guides that westerners do not like spicy food but many of our group would have liked to try and to be fair were getting a little tired of bland Chinese meals.

After lunch and with temperatures rising we went to an ancient guildhall. Similar to other parts of China many of the old buildings were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution so any that are left are now well preserved. This was a wonderful wooden structure and it is so interesting to see and hear about all the symbolic elements like the chained dragon on the roof.

Following this visit we were given 40 minutes to explore another Chinese market.  It was full of spices: red chillies and peppers of all colours along with the now familiar but still very unappetising assortment of fried chicken feet, fried squid, rabbits heads (or so we were told but looked like rats heads to me). The chinese really do eat everything and every part of everything.  It was very hot now and I was a pleasure to get back to the air conditioned coach which then took us down to the port to our ship for the Yangtze cruise.

Rosa and Helen at the safety drill

Our cabin

Our ship was called Anna and was part of the Victoria cruises company.  It was a modern ship and we were offered a discounted upgrade to an executive suite which we took advantage of so we had a very lovely cabin for our three nights of the ship. We had a meal on board the boat before it ‘set sail’ at 9pm. We drifted off to sleep to the gentle throb of the engines.

Xi'an: Jade Factory, Wild Goose Pagoda and City Wall

Ancient city wall and modern skyscrapers

With another long day ahead of us we put our luggage outside our rooms ready for transfer to the airport at 7am.  One of the advantages of travelling in a large group is having our luggage taken to the airport for you and having it all checked in on arrival.  But before we got to the airport we had another full day in Xi’an.

choosing breakfast

cake for breakfast

Before we got on the coach we both left the hotel to explore the local street where we could see there was a market. It was very busy with people picking up their breakfast from local stalls as well as their shopping. Traffic was really struggling to gain access with motorcycles and cars jostling for space often at the pedestrian's expense. 

Jade buddha

silk work

Our first stop for the day was at Jade factory.  Jade is very important to the Chinese and is a precious stone. I had never really appreciated the different colours of jade that were available or how intricate some of the sculptures were.  So this was a trip that I felt very indifferent about beforehand but actually enjoyed and I even treated myself to a pale green jade bangle with support in the decision making from Mike.

The Little Wild Goose Pagoda

From here we were driven through the busy city to the Little Wild Goose Pagoda. On our travels our local guide filled us in with some very interesting historical facts about life for the average Chinese person and how this has changed dramatically in the past decades.  For example we heard about the one child policy and how if you had a second child you were fined a year’s income. We heard of a famous film director who paid over 7 million yuan for his third daughter. Other examples included stories of foot binding (10cm feet were preferred) and arranged marriages where the couple did not met each other until their wedding night and the generally lower place of women in society. It was all very interesting to listen to.

Calligraphy demonstration

The Little Wild Goose Pagoda was situated in a relaxing green park. It was of Buddhist origins and whilst many religious buildings were destroyed in the Cultural Revolution along with so many artefacts this building was saved by the local people.  It even survived two earthquakes.  The first splitting it in two and the second a few years later putting it back together!  There are photos to prove this. We also were given the opportunity here to practise our calligraphy skills with a lesson in the writing of Chinese characters. Not easy with a large brush and dark ink but good fun.

From here we drove to a more modern part of Xi’an which locally is called ‘china town’ for our lunch. It was another opportunity to try various local dishes but Chinese food is beginning to be less appetising. What I was really looking forward to was visiting the City Wall which was over 600 hundred years old. It was a complete wall encircling the older part of the city. Originally we had hoped to spend some time cycling around the Wall but heavy traffic cut into our allotted time such that we only had 40 minutes there. Mike and I were quick to get off the bus and to make the most of the time here. Despite the very hot temperature 28-30C we walked quickly along the ramparts so that we could take in the local views.  I am still astounded at the number of skyscrapers that are being built here and the mix of old and new is very interesting.

The Silk Road

Our final visit before heading off to the airport was to the Muslim quarter. Mike got quite excited when we passed a Chinese laundry!

Squid waiting to be battered and eaten

The Muslim Quarter is at the beginning of the Silk Road – the famous trading route that goes from East to West.  This was a very lively area, full of the hustle and bustle you would expect in an Asian market with lots of exotic smells with some very strange food preparation going on. A quick tour of the main street with just enough time to pick up a couple of bargains was had but it would have been good if we could have spent more time here. 

By now feeling hot and exhausted we boarded the coach for our final trip in Xi’an to the airport for our 7pm flight to Chong Quin.

Fruit and icecream cups

The flight took just over an hour and another hour to get to the Hotel. It was difficult to get a first impression of the City as it was dark until we reached the central area near the river where we were treated by a spectacular light show.  All of the skyscrapers on the river bank were illuminated with constantly changing colours.  It made you think of that Chong Quin was a modern and vibrant city. However the access to the hotel was not so good.  The coach got as close as it could to the hotel but there were lots of steps to gain access  to the hotel which was difficult for our group members that were using walking sticks or had heavy baggage so Jacqui helped a few down the steps and carried their bags for them.   It was an upside down hotel in that the lobby was on floor 11.

Jackfruit

Inside the access to the rooms was not much better as the lifts were small and so could only carry a few members of our party at a time to their rooms. However once there the rooms were of a good size and good standard.

More skyscrapers in Xi'an

The lights across the waters encouraged both of us out of the hotel (even though it was late and had been a hectic day) to explore the waterfront further so we headed out into the bustle of Chinese evening life.  It was very noisy with music blaring from all the bars.  We eventually met up with two more couples from our group who had also gone exploring and had a very enjoyable beer.  Shortly after midnight we headed back knowing that we had yet another early start the following day.

Xi'an and the Terracotta Warriors

Day 6 Xi’an

Backdrop in foyer

We arrived at our Hotel in Xi'an about 10.30pm last night.  It was a beautiful hotel with a most amazing foyer. Despite our late travels the previous night we were off again at 9am to probably our next most important destination after the Great Wall – the Terracotta Warriors. 

Xi'an skyscrapers

Xian is a completely different city to Beijing in appearance. There was much colour in the form of flowers, trees, and lighting.  There have been some massive changes in recent years and the number of high rise buildings here is incredible.  Where in England we may have rows of terraced houses here there are rows of 40-50 floor skyscrapers.  

The population is currently much lower than Beijing at 8.8 million but must obviously cover a much smaller area too.  Xi’an is in the Shaanxi province. It marks the beginning and the end of the famous Silk Road.  It is known as the cradle of Chinese civilisation and the heart of China and was a buzzing capital before everything moved northwards to Beijing.

Locals waiting to see the terracotta army

piecing together the warriors

and the horses

So to the Terracotta Army.  By now we have realised that you do not travel anywhere fast in China or that you can get away from crowds of people.  The centre created for the display of the Terracotta warriors was no exception.  However this did not detract at all from the sights that were to unfold.  Most people will have seen pictures of this army but until you are actually here and see the sheer scale of the army that Qin Shi Huang created to protect him in the afterlife you cannot really appreciate it.  The whole area and its treasures remained undiscovered until 1974 when some peasants drilling for a well uncovered an underground vault that eventually led to the discovery of thousands of terracotta soldiers and horses in battle formation.  Or should I say millions of pieces as the whole army was destroyed shortly after the death of Qin Shi Huang and has painstakingly been put back together by Chinese archaeologists.  This job continues today.

Leaving this sight we could see the hill where the mausoleum of the same emperor is located.  This mausoleum has still to be excavated. From historical records it is believed that this tomb is filled with precious stones, rivers of mercury and ‘tomb raider’ like defences against intruders. Whilst it has not be excavated probes have tested mercury levels which are about 100 time’s normal concentrations making it a poisonous and dangerous area to enter.

 We continued our drive through Xi’an where we noticed lots of lovely parks and some old style Chinese buildings as well as the aforementioned skyscrapers. Our next stop was the Shaanxi History Museum.  Whilst this is down in the guide books as a place to see Mike and I found it disappointing.  Perhaps it was because the main building was under renovation but there were only a few exhibits on display with little information for the British tourist.  So back to the Hotel for an hour to get changed ready for a night’s entertainment as tonight we were going to witness a Chinese show called the Tang Dynasty Show.  This was an evening of dance, song, and music that told the story of a concubine who worked her way into the emperor’s favour and eventually became the Empress herself.  It was a very colourful event and very different to British musicals – we all had a good time.