PLEASANT EVENING TOUR TO GIANT WILD GOOSE PAGODA, CHINA JOURNEY

 After lunch we were taken to grand Dynasty Culture Hotel in Xian, it was one of the best hotels that we stayed in our China tour and we were going to stay there for 2 days.

It was a very large hotel with a grand lobby, there was a huge and gigantic stone relief mural outside the lobby and a large pond with fishes.

There were huge colorful murals with floral displays, an exquisite marble staircase leading to a mezzanine floor and a dining room in second floor.

There was a large indoor swimming pool which unfortunately we didn’t use

A nice feature in our room was the writing desk lamp with a replica Terracotta horse at its base and this terracotta theme reflected in the room decor too. 

A small convenience store was located across the street which we visited just to get a feel of the things sold in a local Chinese market

We checked into our room, freshened and got ready for our evening tour to the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. 

Our guide first took us to see the pagoda, it was good to watch the ancient structure, we were told that there is a very interesting Buddhist anecdote behind the pagoda.

In ancient times, Buddhist monks lived at the location where the pagoda would one day be constructed. They had fallen on hard times and food was hard to find, some monks began to question their Buddhist faith and their leader prayed to Bodhisattva for a miracle.

Just then a flock of wild geese flew over the monks’ community and leader of the flock of geese fell to the earth with 2 broken wings.

Seeing this, monks realized that they should not question their beliefs despite any hardship or adversity.

Construction of the original Wild Goose Pagoda was completed in 652 A.D during the reign of the Tang Dynasty Emperor Gaozong

Originally constructed of rammed earth and a stone exterior facade, it stood 53 meters in height and had 5 stories

In 652 A.D, Xuan Zang brought precious sutra and other relics from India along the Silk Road to ancient China and translated the valuable Buddhist text here, since then the Giant Goose Pagoda has been one of three largest Buddhist text translating places in ancient China.

Unfortunately, the original Giant Wild Goose Pagoda collapsed after 5 decades

Subsequently, the pagoda has been built and rebuilt and structure now remains at 7 stories,64 meters tall and has a perceptible lean to the west.

The Sarira is the holy object for worshipping in Buddhist culture. There are 2 precious Sariras preserved in this pagoda, presented by the Shiwuqian Master from India and it is believed they are kept in the underground palace.

 Xuan Zang had also brought 657 pattra-leaf manuscripts back from India

I was very thrilled to note the two words Sarira and Pattra which are of Sanskrit origin and used by us in our local language

It is believed that an Underground Palace exists under the pagoda and contains many more treasures

The Pagoda was inside the Xian Da Cien Temple, there were a number of squares and gardens built to present the grandness of the pagoda and the cultural spirit of the Tang dynasty.

General topography was that, to the north was the famous North Square with a spectacular musical fountain, to the east are the Tang Ci'en Temple Site Park and East Garden, to the west lies the West Garden and to the south, the South Square sits in front of the main gate of the Da Ci'en Temple and the Great Tang All Day Mall extends further southwards. 

We proceeded to the North Square where the whole action was centered

The square was bustling with activity, there were umbrella dances, individual performances and classical music mini concerts.

There were walkways winding all through the park and I noticed that sanitation workers were stoically tending to the lovely gardens and waterfalls.

There were 656-foot-long sculpture groups and many sculpted figures and 40 ground relievos

The T-shape musical fountain said to be the largest in Asia covered an area of about 17,940 sq yd. Possessing 1,024 burner caps, this fountain was divided into three areas, Hundred-meter Waterfall Pool, Eight-level Plunge Pool and Prelude Music Pool. 

When the music started, the central area of the square was full of different shapes of fountain sprays showing 22 matrix patterns, designed with advanced laser technology.

The effect of the fountain performance was perfectly designed by combining the music, lights, water and colors, and thus the fountain at night is more attractive than that in the daytime.

We could see statues of the elite of the Tang Dynasty. Besides, the delicate ground relievos showed the excellent calligraphy work and the auspicious patterns of the Tang. Even the streetlamp chimneys and the stone railings around were covered with well-known Chinese poems though we couldn’t read any unfortunately

There were multiple stalls selling food, amusement games held the attention of the tourists and the locals 

On the two sides of the Da Ci'en Temple, two pedestrian streets linked the North and the South Squares. Here we were engrossed by the statues describing the locals’ life in the Tang Dynasty which were set along the streets, they included the scenes of the birthday, the shadow play, the clinic and doctor, the music show on the streets, the wrestling competition, etc. 

There were also many stalls by the side, selling tourist souvenirs which were reasonably priced too. 

Tang Ci'en Temple Site Park was to the east of the present temple. It was an exquisite and calm park and various statues stood among the well-arranged vegetation, vividly showing stories of the temple and the pagoda, including the emperor Gaozong guiding the construction of the temple, the Monk Xuanzang designing and leading the construction of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, and the Monk Jianzhen Sailing to Japan to promote Buddhism. 

East Garden was set as the Shaanxi Opera Garden. It had colored painted statues, various facial paintings and vivid scenes of some classical Shaanxi opera plays. 

To the west of the pagoda was the West Garden - Shaanxi Folk Customs Garden. The highlights of this garden are the lively bronze statues showing the diversified folk customs of Shaanxi and the real-life scenes like half-built houses, the handkerchief on head, the huge bowls, the roaring local opera, the large round baked wheat cake, etc

The focus of the South Square was the standing statue of Monk Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty. Tired after going around we rested on the green lawns and as I observed the statue, I felt that Xuanzang seemed to be delivering solemnly the Buddhist doctrines which he had been doing tirelessly since ages

We were told that from morning many activities like t'ai chi to group exercises take place at this spot.

I also incidentally came across one more bridal pair in their traditional bridal attire. I always feel that in a customized tour like ours such choice encounters are like icing on a cake!

FLIGHT INTO XIAN, CHINA JOURNEY

That morning we got up early and freshened as we had to leave Shanghai for Xian by Air China

 As we were starting early, the hotel gave us breakfast, neatly packed and we traveled to the airport in our van

The main problem faced by everyone while travelling by air is that we cannot carry fluids more than 30 ml, water bottles specially are not allowed if they contain water, so each time we have to throw them away after drinking the remaining water 

Other option is to keep the empty one and fill it later at the airport which is more sensible rather than spending money on the exorbitantly priced water bottles in the airports for it is important to keep our selves hydrated during flight journeys

We went to check in our white elephants as we fondly call our check in suitcases

The luggage allowed per person for our China trip was one suitcase not weighing more than 30 kg and one hand luggage plus a handbag for a lady. As most of us are used to wash our clothes regularly after wearing them in India, we generally feel quite uneasy to wear them again and again without washing

Very few hotels provide laundry in the room, I remember having one in our Auckland hotel. Laundry though is provided in most hotels on paying we generally don’t use it, so as a result we are forced to carry as many clothes as we can and struggle with the overweight luggage, so each time we check in our suitcases we are relieved and feel free, but anyway we have to collect them again after the flight ,so only a temporary relief

On our trip to Europe we came across one gentleman who always used to be smartly dressed but still have a small suitcase which he would happily check in, we used to wonder how on earth he was managing to wear fresh clothes every day, finally one day the mystery was solved, he got a room next to us and we saw him calling room service and giving all his clothes for laundry immediately after our trip that day

The airport was very modern with a lot of shops and smart décor

I was able to observe the local Chinese travelers, most of them were friendly and chatted about India and said they wanted to visit our country

Air China flight was comfortable if not luxurious, we were given breakfast again though we had also partaken the packed breakfast from the hotel in Shanghai

We arrived in Xian Xianyang airport, took our luggage and came out to find rain and chilly winds welcoming us

Our van was waiting and we were taken for our lunch in a beautiful theatre restaurant - the Tang Dynasty which is the only one of its kind in modern China, it was started in 1988 and is still running successfully

We were spell bound on entering inside, the foyer was massive with beautiful murals and plaques, its ceiling had magnificent crystal chandeliers hanging

We entered the main hall which was actually a theatre, it covered an area of approximately 2000 Square metres and had buffet tables arranged along with tables and chairs around them, we were told that it could comfortably seat over 500 diners at any one time.

We had gone for buffet lunch in the afternoon as a part of our tour however, there was also a provision for a dinner followed by theatre shows too in the evening

The buffet was lavish and sumptuous and blended the best of the cuisine of West and the East 

 

What I liked most about the lunch was the beautiful setting of the theater itself, I liked the whole concept so much that I was busy photographing everything,

The walls had maroon silk drapes and walls contained beautiful and intricate murals 

The buffet was elaborate with dragon formations and there were live counters for noodles. 

There were various varieties of teas especially exotic ones like jasmine tea , I liked the coffee better

As usual we were scanning and screening for beef, pork and ham as we don’t eat them

I particularly liked the soups and freshly prepared noodles and dumplings

The dishes had exotic names like Pearls of Cathay, The Royal Marriage, Heart of the Dragon, The Princess's Pin, Willow's Melody, After Dinner Delight, Ecstasy Herbal 

As we were leaving I found beautifully wrapped take home gift bags kept on a table, on enquiring we came to know they were meant for guests of another party, Alas ! I thought it was not meant for me