Carole Terwilliger Meyers's Blog, page 44
June 17, 2015
Great Sleeps: Golden Flower Hotel, Xi'an, China
Golden Flower Hotel 8 Chang Le Road West, 40-min. from airport, (86 29) 8323 2981-4380. Fitness center. Restaurant. Situated in the city center, rooms at this newly renovated 5-star hotel are spacious and attractively appointed.
Some classical Chinese furnishings are used, and original woodcuts by local artist Ding Ji Tang adorn the walls.
Quiet one morning, the spacious breakfast was packed the next. The extensive buffet included exotic fresh fruits, really good French-style pastries, and both dim sum and American bacon and eggs.
More things to do in Xi'an.
More things to do in China.
Taking an organized tour to China.
More China items.
Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.
images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
June 15, 2015
Sights to See: Terracotta Warriors, Xi'an, China
Terracotta Warriors This UNESCO World Heritage Site displays three pits of archeological excavations. Pit 1 features an unearthed life-size clay army of men and horses arranged in battle formations. The army was meant to guard the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who built the Great Wall and also conquered most of China before dying in 210 A.D. It is astounding that each of the more than 6,000 full-size soldier replicas has a unique hairstyle and facial features. The tomb itself has not yet been opened, and excavation continues. The site was discovered in 1974 by local farmers who found pottery pieces while digging a well; the museum opened in 1979. This immense complex has a popular light-filled, airy restaurant that caters to tour groups.
Nearby, Xi’an Han De Art Work Factory (No. 6 RuiLin St., LinTong, 0086-029-83891270) provides the opportunity to take your picture posed with your head atop the body of a terracotta warrior. Who dreamed that at this factory you can actually purchase a full size replica warrior and have the head carved to look like you! I did consider it. After all, arrangements can be made to ship any items home. When you first arrive, you will observe workers making reproductions in many different sizes, then you visit the gift shop and are amazed by the array of reproductions that are ready to go. A vast array of other China souvenirs is also displayed. Upstairs, you’ll see how lacquer furniture is finished, and observe someone hand-painting it. New as well as historic pieces are displayed, and most are for sale.
More things to do in Xi'an.
More things to do in China.
Taking an organized tour to China.
More China items.
Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.
images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
June 12, 2015
Sights to See: Muslim Quarter, Xi'an, China
Muslim Quarter More than 80 million Muslims live in China. I don’t think they all live here, but it sort of feels like it as you wander through the tight, mostly pedestrian-only streets and lanes. (Actually, I checked, and Xi'an was the first city in China to be introduced to Islam, and only 50,000 Muslims live here.)
As you explore this atmospheric area, you can visit the Great Mosque of Xi’an (entry fee), shop in an exotic covered bazaar for colorful items from both China and the Middle East,
and indulge in kabobs grilled on fresh tree branches as well as other enticing street food (we were advised to stay away from the squid and crabs on a stick).
squid and crab kabobs in Muslim Quarter
flours and spices
plump dried plums
pulling sesame candy
rice cake dessert on a stick You can also meet woodcut artist Ding Ji Tang, who works daily in his stall in the bazaar and sells his own colorful works as well as those of his students. The Golden Flower Hotel, where I stayed, displays his art on guest room walls, so I noticed and liked his simple style even before this serendipitous opportunity to see him at work. My only regret is that I couldn’t decide which piece to buy and so left empty-handed.
More things to do in Xi'an.
More things to do in China.
Taking an organized tour to China.
More China items.
Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.
images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
June 10, 2015
Sights to See: Big Wild Goose Pagoda/Dayan Pagoda, Xi'an, China
Big Wild Goose Pagoda/Dayan Pagoda 2½ mi. S of downtown. Built in 652 during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and located in the Da Ci'en Temple complex, this well-preserved ancient pagoda has seven tiers. The complex is a holy place for Buddhists and holds a museum of Buddhist materials from India plus a lovely peony garden that blooms in late spring.
More things to do in Xi'an.
More things to do in China.
Taking an organized tour to China.
More China items.
Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.
images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
June 8, 2015
Sights to See: Xi'an, China + City Wall
The ancient capital of Xi’an is at the starting point of the Silk Road, the road’s eastern end. Buildings are lower and sparser than in China’s big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, and building restrictions for height and style are in place within the inner wall area of downtown. The most populous city in northwest China, Xi’an is located in the center of the Guanzhong Plain and is one of the oldest cities in China.
City Wall South Gate This defensive wall was built around the city during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) but has been maintained and upgraded through the ages. It's the most complete city wall in China and is surrounded by a deep moat.
I think anyone who is disappointed by the Great Wall is going to be quite pleased here. Located near the Bell Tower in city center, the South Gate—Yongning--is the most beautifully decorated gate and the most popular one with visitors. The path atop the wall features piped-in Chinese music—annoying at first, but it grows on you--and runs in a flat 8.5-mile square with no climbing.
Ramparts—98 of them--offer open “windows” out into a manicured city garden, and the wall’s other side opens onto a view of the inner city, which is poor in this area and also smelly. I enjoyed looking through the various rampart cut-outs at the groomed park below. Each rampart provided a new view, and when I leaned in to look, a nice breeze broke the heat.
Bicycles can be rented at this gate—it takes about 2 hours to “conquer” the wall, as our guide put it—and riders move along in happy squads and provide gaiety to walkers and sitters.
An electric tram also runs the route. A cheap thrill is to sit here with a cold beer or ice cream and just relax and take in the scene. Two free museums operate inside the barbican and the archery tower of the South Gate.
More things to do in Xi'an.
More things to do in China.
Taking an organized tour to China.
More China items.
Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.
images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
June 5, 2015
Good Eats: Peking Duck, Beijing, China
Once served only to the royal court, Peking Duck is a Beijing area specialty.
Here the duck is hung above an open fire to cook, unlike the more common Cantonese crispy-skin duck which is baked or roasted in an oven. The skin is crispy with little fat and the meat is lean and tender.
Quanjude RoastDuck Restaurant No. 18 Putang Rd., Fangzhuang, 010-67602008. My tour group ate here. We were able to watch the chef carve our duck.It was served with plum sauce and scallions and the traditional pancakes. It was the star, but only part of the extensive feast we enjoyed.
More things to do in Beijing.
More things to do in China.
Taking an organized tour to China.
More China items.
Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.
images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
June 3, 2015
Great Sleeps: Marriott Beijing City Wall, Beijing, China
Marriott Beijing City Wall (also known as Beijing Marriott Hotel City Wall and Marriott Beijing) 7 Jian Guo Men South Ave., city center, Dong Cheng District, +86-10-58118888. 5 stars. 420 (or 649?) rooms. Restaurant. Pool, hot tub, fitness center. The largest Marriott hotel located outside the U.S., this branch has spacious rooms equipped with deliciously smooth starched and ironed cotton sheets, a white cotton duvet, a marble bathroom with deep tub and forceful water fill (but the drain cover didn’t work in my tub and the water drained almost as fast as it filled until I stuffed it with the edge of a wash cloth). The restaurant serves a splendid breakfast buffet with excellent breads, a few dim sum choices, and American made-to-order omelettes and bacon and eggs. The portion of the city wall outside the hotel’s entrance dates to the Ming Dynasty—600 years ago—and is all that is left of that wall, though it does extend a bit farther than the hotel in either direction. On the other side of the wall from the hotel, a narrow park hugs the wall. Across the street are alleys where you can get a quick, inexpensive meal, and a massage parlor is in the alley behind the hotel (it looked interesting, but I have no information on it).
More things to do in Beijing.
More things to do in China.
Taking an organized tour to China.
More China items.
Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.
images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
June 1, 2015
Sights to See: Temple of Heaven, Beijing, China
Temple of Heaven Four times bigger than the Forbidden City, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is the largest ancient religious complex in China.
Additionally, this park-like complex of Taoist buildings is popular with senior citizens, who hang here playing card games, and thus offers a small window into the local lifestyle.
Chinese people believe they receive power by touching the gnarly juniper trees and so a lot of that goes on, too.
Long ago the emperor visited here just one day each year, in winter, to pray for a good harvest. During that visit, Ming and Qing emperors also made sacrifices (originally humans, then ox, now nothing) at the triple-gabled circular Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests dating to the 15th-century. The original building was destroyed by a lightning fire in 1889, but was rebuilt completely of wood on a marble base and without using any nails.
The small, single-gabled circular Imperial Vault of Heaven is surrounded by a smooth circular Echo Wall that transmits sound over large distances and was designed to help prayers reach heaven. The Circular Mound Altar, located south of the Imperial Vault of Heaven, is an empty circular platform atop three levels of marble stones, each decorated by lavishly carved dragons. The numbers of elements of the altar, including its balusters and steps, are either the sacred number nine or its multiples. The altar’s raised center stone is a round slate called the Heart of Heaven/Supreme Yang. It was designed to lift the emperor’s voice directly to heaven and is where the emperor prayed for good weather.
neon ticket kiosk at Temple of Heaven in Beijing, ChinaMore things to do in Beijing.
More things to do in China.
Taking an organized tour to China.
More China items.
Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.
images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
May 29, 2015
Sights to See: Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China
Tiananmen Square/Tian An Men Square Across from Forbidden City. Known as the Eye of China, this is the fourth-largest public square in the world and dates from 1415. It can accommodate 1 million people. The world focused on this square during the bloody demonstrations of June 4, 1989.
Today it also holds some buildings, including the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall/Mao Mausoleum , which attracts long lines of people every day to see the chairman’s remains.
Everyone who visits the area must go through a security screening. During my group visit, I witnessed police in a loud altercation with a Chinese citizen who didn’t want his items to be checked. I don’t recommend attracting this kind of attention here.
More things to do in Beijing.
More things to do in China.
Taking an organized tour to China.
More China items.
Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.
images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
May 27, 2015
Sights to See: Summer Palace, Beijing, China
Summer Palace Located on the banks of manmade Kunming Lake, this hilly 670-acre UNESCO World Heritage Site is China’s last imperial garden. It is a vast area filled with lakes, gardens, and palaces. Originally constructed as a royal summer home, it is visited now for its classical Chinese gardens and elaborate covered ½-mile Long Corridor. After walking beside and through the hallway, view the marble boat at the end and then take a refreshing boat ride back to the entrance.
The Aman Summer Palace is set within the palace grounds.
entrance to Summer PalaceMore things to do in Beijing.More things to do in China.
Taking an organized tour to China.
More China items.
Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.
images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
view of palaces in Summer Palace
artist vendor at Summer Palace
Long Corridor at Summer Palace
Long Corridor at Summer Palace 
Long Corridor at Summer Palace 
marble boat at Summer Palace 
boat ride at Summer Palace 
dragon at helm of boat ride at Summer PalaceCarole Terwilliger Meyers's Blog
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