Date with history
Cave inscriptions outside Henan and archaeological digs in Xian stake claim to the exclusive 'Seven Wonders of the World' club
- Published: 25/03/2010 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: Horizons
It seemed like a date with destiny, finding myself standing in front of this gigantic Buddha statue revered by his followers all over the world. Carved into a cliff, the statue was one among thousands of inscriptions and other statues found in the Longmen Grottoes about 12 kilometres south of Luoyang, a city in China's Henan Province.
The Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses in Xian is one of the most significant excavations of the 20th century. The excavated site, straddling 16,300 square metres, was opened to the public in 1975. It was declared a World Cultural Heritage by Unesco in 1987.
Declared a World Heritage site by Unesco in November 2000, the statue and the labyrinthine network of grottoes it towers over have long been foremost on the minds of Buddhists, especially those of Chinese ancestry. The caves spread across two mountains: Xiangshan to the east and Longmenshan to the west, and between them flows the Yi River by whose banks tourists sit waiting for cruise boats watching flocks of birds in flight.
And if you hang around until evening, you will be rewarded with the most romantic sunset you will ever see, as the rays of the setting sun reflect off the river casting an eerie glow so impressive that to me, for a long while, seemed the best part of my tour.
The giant Buddha statue overlooking Longmen Grottoes up in the mountains of Luoyang. For more than a thousand years Buddhism has wielded considerable influence in China, shaping in more ways than one the way of life of its people and its culture.
Luoyang is also home to the fabled Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of Chinese martial art kung fu. Tourists can admire kung fu exponents in action at the temple and elsewhere in the city, and should they want to learn the martial art they can enrol at the temple, because Luoyang now markets itself as the kung fu hub of the world.
Apart from Luoyang, China offers a multitude of other historical sites to explore.
Our tour _ courtesy China's Xinhua news agency and Thailand's Foreign Ministry to promote bilateral relations _ began at Xian, once China's capital city but today of Shaanxi Province, located in the southern part of the Guanzhong Plains.
Culturally and historically the ancient city holds a special place because several dynasties ruling China in the last 3,000 years made Xian their capital and seat of power. The Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses, and the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang _ famous archaeological digs acclaimed as the eighth wonder of the world _ sit there.
Next stop was the 13-km-long City Wall dating to the Ming Dynasty and a castle built at the time, where we saw local and foreign tourists riding bikes and posing for pictures.
The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda Temple, a symbol of the ancient city and a renowned repository of Buddhist scriptures brought back from India, is also a must see. Tourists can climb the seven-floor pagoda for a panoramic view of the city. Cultural and historical sites aside, Xian is also famous for its Chinese dumplings, that most restaurants serve up to the accompaniment of dance and music to tourists visiting the city.
n front of me is the gigantic Buddha statue widely known among international tourists. The Buddha statue, carved into a cliff, was one of thousands of thousands inscriptions and statues found in the Longmen Grottoes, about 12 km south of Luoyang, a city in the West of Henan province, China.
These two giant marionettes at the Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses in Xian are symbols of Chinese achievement in the field of science and technology. The warrior is 7.2 metres tall and weighs 654kg, while the little girl is 4.5 metres tall and weighs 208kg. The marionettes were lead performers during a ceremony held marking the opening of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
The Longmen Grottoes, the Unesco's World Heritage Site registered in November 2000, is home to Buddhist subjects and caves and densely dotted along the two mountains : Xiangshan to the East and Longmenshan to the West. Between the two mountains is the Yi River where the tourists like to sit along the river bank to see flocks of flying birds and to wait for cruising boats.
However, if you stay there until the evening, the tourist attraction is about as romantic a place as you will find anywhere in the world. The sunset reflected in the waters of the Yi River where will be impressing you most in the tour so far.
Luoyang is also the city of Shaolin, the Chinese temple where most Thais known it as a Kangfu Chinese training centre. Now the Chinese government has promoted it as the country's Chinese Kangfu training centre to attract tourists around the world to visit and to see their Kangfu shows.
Apart from Luoyang city, China, the largest country in Asia, still offers a multitude of sites and things for tourists to explore. Organised by China's Xinhua News Agency and Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote relations between the two countries, the tour started from Xi'an, the centuries-old capital of Shaanxi province and former capital of China, located in the southern part of the Guanzhong Plain.
Xi'an is the ancient city famous for its rich culture and history because several dynasties of China during 3,000-year development had ruled and placed their capital there. The renowned Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses and Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang , praised as the eight major miracle of the world, are located there. Most tourists were stunned when they see such a discovery which made the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world.
A symbol of Xian, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is a well-preserved ancient holy Buddhist site. Standing 64.5 metres, the pagoda is a national cultural relic located in the Da Cien Temple complex in the southern part of Xian about four kilometres from downtown.
After these sites, the 13- km City Wall of the Ming Dynasty, the largest and most intact Ming Dynasty castle in the world is the next stop. There a lot of Chinese locals and tourists are seen riding bicycles and taking photos one another of the city view they like.
The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda Temple, considered a symbol of the ancient city and renowned for storing the Buddhist scriptures brought back from India, is also a must to go. Tourists can go up to the seven-floor pagoda to see the panoramic view of the city centre.
Xi'an is not only famous for its rich cultural and historical sites, but also various kinds of Chinese dumplings. Most restaurants in the city sell the dumplings and simultaneously organise dance and music shows to reflect the graceful and magnificent time of China to attract tourists around the world.
Zhengzhou, the ancient capital of the central Henan Province, was our next destination. A study in contrast, Zhengzhou boasts ancient civilisation and modern developments, one of them being a new housing project for 800,000 local residents and businessmen, about 20-30 minutes drive from the inner city area.
Beijing was the last leg of our trip. Apart from the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, the Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall is another interesting attraction that most tourists miss out because it is not on most tour itineraries. Here you can learn how big the city is, its past and what the future holds for the capital city as China's influence and clout grows in the years to come.
Flight time from Beijing to Xian is about an hour and 50 minutes. By train it takes 12 hours.
Zhengzhou is connected by trains daily plying the Xian-Guangzhou route. Board the train at the Xian railway station, which is generally crowded because Xian is the hub of trains connecting the southern provinces of China.
For useful tips, visit these websites:
- China National Tourism Office: http://www.cnto.org
- TravelChinaGuide.com
- Henan Provincial Tourism Administration: en.hnta.cn
- Air China: http://www.airchina.co.th
This man is one of many vendors selling kites in front of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda Temple.
Many locals in Xian ride bicycles around the City Wall for exercise. Bicycle rent per one hour is only at 20-30 yuan (95-142 baht). The 13-km-long wall was built some 600 years ago during the times of the Ming Dynasty.
Passengers queue up at the entrance to the platform of the railway station in Xian, the hub of trains connecting central China to other parts of the country. The station is notoriously busy and crowded most of times, and to be on safe side passengers are advised to arrive two hours before departure time.
I saw this Chinese lady walking around the park in Zhengzhou’s new district selling colourful balloons, but after spending 30 minutes watching her she still had no buyers.
Travelling from Xian to Zhengzhou, I was feeling hungry. For breakfast I had these steamed buns, congee and fried vegetable; they were not yummy, though.
From the top of the tower of Central China Television ( CCTV) in Beijing, you can get a good view of the Chinese capital.
Built like a bird’s nest the National Stadium in Beijing, venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics the city hosted, is the pride of China. This architectural masterpiece is now a popular tourist attraction.
A woman performing a dance that gives visitors a glimpse into the ways of the ancient Tang Dynasty that once ruled from Xian. Shows such as this are typical of most local restaurants, and tend to highlight the glories of former Chinese dynasties.
A novice in kung fu pose at the Shaolin Temple, which is open to tourists and part of the tour itinerary of most travel agents in China. Located in Luoyang city, Henan Province, it has some 30,000 pupils from all parts of the country. The government is promoting Shaolin as the hub of Chinese martial art.
The Great Wall of China, built more than 2,000 years ago, is one of the Seven Wonders of the world. I rode a cable car to reach this point outside Beijing and on the return leg switched to a toboggan, sliding down the wall to the ground. I enjoyed it a lot.
About the author
- Writer: Anucha Charoenpo
- Position: Reporter
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