Beijing & Xi'an

Part II of a 2002 trip to China. In Beijing , we look at the Tien An Men area at night, and then the next day head out to climb the Great Wall at Si Ma Tai. From the top, you can see the hills of Inner Mongolia. At Xi'an, we go to the Drum and Bell towers, and to the old Muslim Quarter around the Great Mosque (Da Qingzhen Si) -- where we intrude upon a funeral. We visit the Great Goose Pagoda associated with Huen Tsang (Xuan Zang), local silk-carpet-weaving and jade-carving operations, and also the Banpo Neolithic Village. Next, we trek to the Hua Qing Ming Dynasty Winter Palace, the hills behind which were the backdrop for the notorious Xi'an Incident involving Chiang Kai Shek. Thereafter, we visit the famous Terracotta Army of Warriors, returning to Xi'an to watch street life, visit a mall and dine with some Communist Party officials at the famous Da Fa Cheng restaurant. Running time 58 minutes.