Journey to the West

Alright. It's finally time to share with you my incredible expedition to the northwest. The theme of the trip was the legendary Silk Road so all of the stops that we made were at major points along this ancient pathway to the East.
Without further ado...

Day One

(Sunday, November 1st)

As many great adventures do, this one started out by taking a bus to the airport at the crack of dawn. The excitement was palpable. And that's only half sarcasm, because while we were sleeping on that bus, it was an optimistic, "Hey, we're gonna wake up in a cool place" kind of sleep.

It was about a two hour flight from Nanjing to our first destination: Xi'an. Located right in the center of China, Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi Province and is one of the four major historical capitals in Chinese history, the others being Beijing, Nanjing, and Luoyong. Like Nanjing, Xi'an is now a bustling metropolis, serving as a bridge between the East and the West of the country. The air pollution isn't great because about two thirds of the city's energy comes from coal, but our tour guide informed us that the government is actively trying to convert the city's economy to focus more on tourism and the service industry rather than mining.

The Great Mosque

Upon arrival, the first thing we did was go to a traditional Xi'an restaurant where we ate our weight in a variety of delicious dumplings. After that, we checked into one of a number of very nice hotels that we stayed at courtesy of the program during our travels; no, we were not roughing it on this trip - tourism at its finest. After the hotel, we visited the first site of real historical significance on the trip, The Great Mosque of Xi'an.

Originally built in the year 742, The Great Mosque is one of the largest in China and is still actively used as a site of worship for Chinese Muslims. The construction and architectural style is entirely Chinese aside from the Arabic lettering and some decorations. After perusing the mosque, we ate dinner in the surrounding "Muslim Quarter." I ate "biangbiang" noodles which are a type of wide, flat noodles infamous for their extremely complicated (56-stroke) character in Chinese.

"biangbiang mian"

 It was fascinating to see walk around in the Muslim Quarter because there were so many people speaking Arabic. We were far from the only tourists in the area so it was interesting to see some native Chinese people struggle with a language barrier in their own country. This was one of the most enlightening parts of the trip for me, and it helped me grasp China's vast diversity within its borders.

After the noodles, we capped our night off in traditional Chinese style: with Haagen-Dazs ice cream.

Day Two

The exterior side of the wall

We started the second day of the trip by visiting Xi'an's most obvious cultural landmark: the city wall. Enclosing about fourteen square miles of the city, the Xi'an City Wall is one of the oldest, largest and best preserved city walls in China. After being constructed in the 14th century, the wall has undergone a number of renovations, but the original image has been maintained. There are strict building height regulations within the wall so the view from the top of the fortification is quite impressive.

Ol' Reliable

Additionally, the top of the wall is wide and generally very flat so we were able to rent bikes and ride around the entirety of the structure. This took a couple of hours because the wall is over eight miles long and when you're an American tourist biking on ancient Chinese architecture, you're going to stop at least a few times to take pictures. Not only was the wall astounding from an architectural and historical standpoint, but it was also just a lot of fun.

After spending a couple of hours on the wall, we ate lunch in a big concert hall clearly used to entertain westerners. For the first time in months we were suddenly surrounded by mostly English-speaking people which was bizarre. Then it was back on the bus for another couple of hours until we reached the final, and undoubtedly most famous tourist attraction in the Xi'an area...

The Terracotta Army

The tour guides like to throw around the term "8th Wonder of the World" which is a lot to live up to, but the Terracotta Warriors and Horses did not disappoint. Pictured above is Pit #1, the largest of the four excavated chambers which were constructed in the late third century BCE (246-209) as part of a massive tomb for Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China. 

The first thing that you might notice is that most of the figures are completely shattered and scattered about with all of the others. After thousands of years, the walls and support pillars of the chambers began to collapse, crushing most of the soldiers and horses and burying them under layers of earth. The chambers were only discovered about 40 years ago by local farmers so excavations and efforts to reconstruct the army are ongoing. The enormity of this ancient memorial project - which involved over 700,000 workers - only became more awe-inspiring when we learned that each warrior was originally painted to go along with his entirely unique facial features. Due to chemical reactions with the Xi'an air, the paint has faded over the centuries; however, archaeologists are working to uncover the thousands of still-buried soldiers in ways that better preserve their pigments when unearthed.

Looks like somebody's got a case of the Mondays.

After thoroughly examining The Terracotta Army, we got back on the bus to Xi'an where we boarded a night train to Lanzhou. We took two night trains over the course of the trip and they were quite the experiences within themselves. The sleeper cars are made up of four person cabins with two sets of bunk beds and about three feet of space in between them. On the first one, Amy, Sophie, and I roomed with a random Chinese man who spoke no English at all. I'd like to say that we chatted with him, played cards together, and made an everlasting bond worthy of a Disney short; but, in reality, he didn't seem all that interested in us and rebuffed our few attempts to talk with him, so we barely interacted at all.

Day Three

Waking up on a train was a bit disorienting, but I actually slept very well; the gentle rocking throughout the night was surprisingly calming. After regrouping at a Lanzhou hotel for breakfast and showers, we set off on the bus headed to Bingling Temple. None of us had any idea what this place was going to be like, but we were told that it was pretty isolated and we were going to have to take a boat to reach our final destination.

After about three hours on the bus passing little besides mountains and wheat fields - it's too cold for rice up there - we reached a huge reservoir in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. Our tour guide led us down a long jetty to the water where we boarded relatively small speedboats that then began to take us out towards the center of the reservoir. The air pollution combined with the mist from the lake created a thin fog so we couldn't really see where we were headed until suddenly the outline of a dramatic, jagged mountain range began to emerge in the distance. After twenty minutes or so, the boat entered a small channel and began weaving through the tall peaks.

Finally, we turned a corner and docked up against a wide staircase built into the rocks. We disembarked and turned around to this view:

The natural beauty of China

Now this view absolutely floored me. Before we even went into the temple, this place had already become my favorite spot of the week. It was simply beautiful and the weather was just about as nice as it gets. I was beginning to understand why someone would want to build a Buddhist temple out in such a desolate area. And the scene "inside" of the temple was just as magnificent.

Now, I put "inside" in quotes because we didn't really go inside at all. I hadn't really understood just what kind of temple this was. In fact, the real attraction was not a temple but a massive array of grottoes. For those who are unaware, grottoes are simply caves - in this case artificial - that often contain paintings and/or sculpture. Thus, we are greeted by more epic sites as we rounded the corner and ventured deeper into the mountains.

In ancient times, this path between the mountains was used by merchants traveling along the Silk Road. The first grottoes in Bingling Temple date back to around 420 CE. Over the next thousand years, as Buddhism in China continued to grow in popularity, rich donors commissioned the construction of new grottoes along the cliff-side. They did this, in part, as an attempt to convert the passing merchants and spread Buddhism throughout the world; however, some argue that the biggest motivation was more self-centered. The grottoes also signified the benefactors' own religious devotion; essentially, if they built a bunch of expensive shrines, they believed they would be divinely rewarded. In addition, the caves and their artwork became a source of immense pride for the locals who constructed them.

And, as you probably already noticed, there is a gigantic Maitreya Buddha ("future Buddha") carved alongside the hundreds of grottoes. It's 88 feet tall, was built sometime during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and really punctuates an already stunning visual display. According to our tour guide, he's had some serious work done in the last few years which is why he still looks so silky smooth after a millennium and a half.

Oh, hello.

Bingling Temple was probably my favorite locale of the week, but the adventure was far from over. After spending a few hours among the grottoes, we once again boarded the boats, crossed the reservoir back to our buses, and spent another couple of hours driving to Xiahe.

Xiahe County, located on the edge of Gansu Province, is a large town populated by mostly ethnic Tibetans, so the style of living is vastly different from your typical Chinese city. The people dress in traditional Tibetan clothes, schoolchildren learn both Tibetan and Chinese (and some English), and yaks are the most important part of the economy. Upon arrival in Xiahe, our tour guide brought us to the home of a traditional Tibetan family who welcomed us with some tasty yak milk and a crumbly snack made from grains that kind of tasted like a mixture of dog food and brown sugar, but somehow I mean that in a good way because I thought it was quite good.

We were able to ask the daughter in the family a few questions and we learned some interesting things about her home and the way they lived. Some interesting things to note:

• Tibetan style houses often don't have specific bedrooms, but have beds scattered among the kitchen, dining, and sitting rooms where the family sleeps.
• Despite living in a very rural area, they had a television and smartphones.
• The daughter even reported that online dating is a common way for young people in Xiahe to meet significant others. #TheDigitalAge

During a break in our interview with the daughter, the trip took a darker turn and our tour guide informed us that we were not allowed to ask any questions about riots or demonstrations against the government so as not to upset the family. She went on to inform us that Xiahe - which, on the surface, appears to be a sleepy little town filled with yaks and Buddhist monks - was home to violent political protests in 2008, the likes of which you may have heard about as China prepared to host the Beijing Olympic Games.

The conflicts in the Tibetan Autonomous regions have generally emerged from accusations against the Chinese government - accusations backed by a great deal of hard evidence, mind you - claiming that the government has been actively diluting the population of native Tibetan people by moving Han Chinese into the area, gentrifying their native lands. The Tibetans have routinely reported that a racist environment has begun to develop where it is more and more difficult for local Tibetans to get paying jobs and afford food for their families. According to the now-exiled Tibetan government, on March 15th, 2008 a group of political demonstrators - made up mostly of monks from the nearby Labrang Monastery (more on that in a bit) - marched on the Chinese government offices in Xiahe to protest the government's involvement in the "autonomous" region. According to the Chinese government, the protesters caused millions of dollars in damage and had to be subdued with tear gas.

According to the Tibetan government-in-exile, three days later, nineteen Tibetan demonstrators were shot and killed in response to the protests. In addition, our tour guide explained that the Chinese military retaliated by destroying the center of the town with tanks and explosives as to deter future uprisings. This is why so much of the town looks brand new despite being it being hundreds of years old; everything had to be rebuilt seven years ago.

Downtown Xiahe

The Chinese government does a great job of downplaying these types of actions domestically as political protesters continue to be dealt with brutally and without remorse. I fear for beautiful little places like Xiahe and hope that the increasing spread of information about these actions will soon place too much pressure on the Chinese government to continue oppressing the people of Xiahe and others like them.

While this leg of the trip was obviously more solemn than the others, it was arguably the most important because I got to truly break out of my Nanjing bubble and see the everyday struggles that these people must endure. It was humbling and enlightening, especially in how it helped paint a more complete picture of the political climate in China, something that is a hot topic around the world.

Day Four

On Wednesday morning, we checked out of our hotel and headed just up the road to the famous Labrang Monastery. Strategically situated between Tibet and Mongolia, the Labrang Monastery - founded in 1709 - is one of the most famous monasteries in the area and one of the largest Buddhist monastic universities.

The Main Hall

With one of the monks as our tour guide, we were able to browse a number of the enchanting halls which are filled with ancient tapestries, towering sculptures, and nearly 60,000 sutras (hand-written scriptures recording the oral teachings of the original Buddha). At times, it was an intensely solemn experience, witnessing the intense devotion of the monks going about their daily business in dimly lit halls that smelled thickly of incense; at a minute later, I'd see a group of young monks - sometimes boys enter the monastery as early as eight or nine - running through the courtyard in their robes, kicking a makeshift soccer ball back and forth, laughing with each other. So not too serious.

Made entirely out of yak butter

And even the monastery was not without signs of technological development. While they did their best to be discrete, we spotted a number of monks glancing at cell phones which they tucked back in their robes as soon as they noticed outsiders nearby. But hey, the Dalai Lama's been on Twitter since 2009; there really are no limits to the ways in which we can utilize the internet.

Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take any pictures in the halls besides one which contained the monastery's yearly Yak Butter Statue Contest entries. Yes, the smell was difficult to bear, but the craftsmanship was udderly remarkable...Anyone? No? Alright, moving on.

After touring the monastery and connecting with my inner Buddhist, we got back on the bus, drove four hours back to Lanzhou, then boarded another night train - this one for twelve hours - that took us to the farthest northwest point of our excursion. This time around, Amy, Sophie, and I were joined by one of our classmates so there was no chance for redemption after our failure to connect with our last cabin-mate. Next time, for sure.

Day Five

Good morning, Dunhuang

After another cozy night on the train, we woke up and disembarked into a very cold, dark morning in Dunhuang. As I touched on in my last blog post, after the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the Chinese government abolished the five time zone system that it had previously operated under and established one time zone, China Standard Time, for the entire country. This means that, despite being about two hours behind in terms of sunlight, daily life in Dunhuang starts at the same time as it does on the east coast; it's just a lot darker.

Dunhuang, like many other cities in China, has undergone rapid development in the last decade thanks to a burgeoning middle class, which has, in turn, created an influx of tourists from around the country. Located at the crossroads of the Silk Road and the main corridor leading from India to Mongolia and Southern Siberia, Dunhuang was once a critical military and economic outpost; but, with the invention of faster forms of transportation, the city has been relegated to more of a historical landmark and is one of the most recognized tourist locations among the Chinese people.

After resting for a few hours at our hotel, we boarded a new bus and headed out of the city toward Mingsha Shan, "The Singing Sand Mountain." In fact, the city is in the middle of the Gobi Desert, so no matter which way you're headed in Dunhuang, you're going toward sand. This was the first time that I had ever been in a desert so I was eager to get out to the dunes.

The "entrance" to the desert

When we arrived, the beauty of the rolling dunes really struck me. Mountains of sand as far as the eye could see, and with no pollution out there in the desert, that was a lot farther in Dunhuang than in Nanjing. The Singing Sand Mountain, which towers over the Crescent Moon Oasis, is named such because of the whistling phenomenon that occurs as the wind whips over the sand. Had it not been absolutely freezing - that desert wind will get to you - I could have stayed out there all day, soaking in the scenic vistas and listening to the subtle sounds of the desert.

The Crescent Moon Oasis

The Crescent Moon Oasis was one of the major reasons that the city was settled in the first place as it provided merchants with an ideal resting point after spending months traveling in caravans across the desert. Apparently the water level has been consistently dropping thanks to global climate change, but no doubt the Chinese government will keep it filled artificially to maintain the tourist attraction. Continuing with the theme of technology being everywhere, that tall building in the center of the oasis? It had free Wi-Fi.

And no outing to the desert would be complete without...

Camels!

Yes, we all got to ride camels up into the dunes and back down. Important details to note:

• Camels are much bigger than I anticipated,
• I named my camel "Flannel the Camel", and 
• I thoroughly enjoyed the experience despite being nearly incapacitated by the cold.

Night market life

After we returned from frolicking in the desert, I took a brief break to get warm at the hotel and then bundled back up again to explore the local night market. The night market is a relatively common feature of Chinese cities where you can frequently find souvenirs and specialty local food items. In fact, I got dinner at a small restaurant in the market and tried a local specialty: lǘròu huǒshāo. For those of you keeping score at home, that's basically a donkey meat burger. Say what you want; I thought it was the most delicious food I've had in a long time. They even have a saying up in the northwestern provinces relating to the delicacy:

天上龙肉，地上驴肉

In Heaven there is dragon meat, on Earth there is donkey meat

Day Six

The final day of our adventure was mostly spent taking a pair of planes back to Nanjing, but first we visited the most famous landmark in Dunhuang: The Mogao Grottoes. World famous for their age, scale, and preservation, the Mogao Grottoes were first dug out in the year 366 as places of Buddhist meditation and worship. They contain some of the best examples of ancient Buddhist art in the world.

Just like the ones at Bingling Temple, the caves were carved into the side of a cliff bordering a popular path on the Silk Road. The site contains hundreds of ornately decorated caves - stunning Buddhist sculptures surrounded by incredibly detailed murals that cover every inch of each wall. No cameras are allowed inside so I have no photos that do the site justice, but the Mogao Caves Wikipedia page will provide a better idea of what I'm talking about.

A secret sealed cave, nicknamed "The Library Cave", was discovered in 1900 and contained what came to be known as "The Dunhuang Manuscripts": one of the greatest treasure troves of historical documents ever discovered. The cave not only contained manuscripts that dated back to the fifth century, but also the oldest dated printed book, The Diamond Sutra.

The site also contains another gigantic Buddha statue, this one even taller than the one at Bingling Temple at 116 feet tall. Unfortunately, it is enclosed in the nine-story wooden structure seen below so the picture is underwhelming compared to the massive sculpture itself. Interestingly enough, this Maitreya Buddha is unique in that it has female features. This is because Empress Wu Zetian - China's only female emperor and a fascinatingly deceitful woman - commissioned its construction in the year 695 to promote the idea of a divinely chosen female ruler.

There's a huge Buddha in there, I promise.

Finally, we departed the caves, headed to the comically small Dunhuang Airport (2 terminals), and spent the rest of the day flying back to Nanjing. Thus ended our Silk Road expedition.

It truly was an adventure of epic proportions and one that I will not soon forget. I learned a litany of new things about Chinese history, crossed a great number of items off my bucket list (most of which I didn't know were on my bucket list until I'd already done them), and gained a much more in-depth perspective on China than I ever would have gotten had I stayed here in Nanjing for the entirety of my time here.

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading, let me know if you have any questions, and I hope you enjoyed the summary of my journey to the west.