Xi'an

. . . and there were trains. Before I divulge the past weekend spent in the hometown of Timmy Wangy’s mother and Jimbo, I must share what it is like to travel on a train in China – simply marvelous. At least for me. For those of us Yalies who live in D.C. metropolitan area, the best way to travel is by train, especially since New Haven has only one small airport. Needless to say, I often ride the train in America, and more often than my mother would like, I travel during the night desperately fighting off sleep. When I heard the overnight train ride to Xi’an from Beijing will be approximately twelve hours long, I could not help but panic a little (D.C. to New Haven takes about five and a half hours). Of course, the expected mass of people crowding about the biggest (surprisingly modern like an airport) train station I have been to did not help quell my concerns. But, when I laid my eyes on the “soft bunks” that the school has booked for us, my doubts about “beds” on train melted away. They are indeed beds on train in a cozy and pleasant “room.” The beds are bunk beds, and there are four of them in each “room” complete with curtains and a flower! The beds were so comfortable that I vastly prefer to take these trains than planes when traveling. No wonder why train is the main mode of long distance transportation in China! Even though the trains do not provide a complimentary so-so meal, they make up what they lack with their level of comfort.

In Xi’an, the city of 3100 years of history, I had the opportunity to see the eighth Wonder of the World – Terracotta Warriors – as well as the Mausoleum of Han Yang Ling princess and Wild Goose Pagoda. From these alone, a foreigner without much knowledge of Chinese history like me can get a grasp of how long and dense the history must be. Upon reflection, America surely seems like an infant who has yet to learn how to stand in comparison to China.

I have also the chance to visit the Great Mosque of Xi’an, which has long been a symbol of rich diversity of population inhabiting within the country. It was definitely interesting to see this mosque, especially since I was in Turkey right before coming to China. Therefore, it would not come as a surprise to the reader when I sighed, “Not another mosque!” But, I found myself very intrigued for this mosque was peculiar in that much of Arabic was written in Chinese style, and has kept much of Chinese royal building architecture.

The highlight of my stay in Xi’an? Riding bicycle on the City Wall (reconstructed in 1370)! Too long have I stayed in China without riding a bicycle – for many of Chinese still, a symbol of individual freedom! My only regret: I will have neither the resources nor the guts to ride a bicycle on the hazardous streets of Beijing like a native.