In Changan, the ancient capital of China
Tuesday, September 16, 2003 at 5:11PM I got a bargain ticket to Xian from Chengdu so I flew up here. It rained a lot. Some images from Xian or Changan as it used to be known then. I had a strange sense of deja vu here, as if I have been here before.
The Street near the Muslim quarters 
Another view of the same street. Nice food here. The best is yangrou paomo - mutton soup in which you dip your bread and eat. 
Inside the Muslim quarter, you walk past the narrow lanes and friendly (and some really cute) Hui (Han Muslim) souvenir shop owners to reach the grand mosque. 
It rained and rained. 
The mosque is a mix of Islamic and Chinese design. 
Out in the public square, kids learn to fly kites.
And some learn to walk. 
The kite flies after a few tries. 
The entrance to the Forest of Steles Museum. It has a large collection of historical stone tablets. met a man who sang a song from an1960s Indian movie. I often met people in China who love that song. 
This tablet in an early Tibetan script
This is probably the most famous tablet here. This tablet celebrates the opening of a Nestorian Church in Changan in AD 781. 
More steles 
A rather angry stele
Just outside the forest of Steles Museum, below this tower, I met a man who was trying to sell me a Chairman Mao badge. I spotted a Zhou En Lai badge. I asked the man for it. He said it was 20 RMB. I asked for 10 RMB. He refused. He said I could have Mao for 10 RMB. I said "Wo hen xi huan Zhou En Lai (I like Zhou En Lai very much)". He gave me the badge for 10 RMB and a smile. He must be an Zhou En Lai fan. 
Xian still has the old rectangular city walls
A flag hiding the already shy sun
Looking down from the wall
Reader Comments (1)
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