Over the weekend our group traveled to two tombs and got to walk the spirit roads and see firsthand the places where Tang emperors were laid to rest. It is interesting to learn how fengshui and geomantic techniques played strongly into laying out ancient cities as well as burial sites. We are finding these stories of emperors and their consorts play out like modern day soap operas but with much more violence. Saturday night we were guests at a Tang-style dinner show. The food was very good and very cute. All dumplings looked like what they were stuffed with - pigs, ducks, fish, walnuts, etc. It made me think of Mike's watermelon carving talents.
Monday night we were treated to a banquet. The president of China Institute was in Xi'an and so we got to meet with her during the day and enjoy dinner with her at night. It was a fun time as many of us wore our Chinese silk outfits.
Today we went to Huaqing Hotsprings. It was a beautiful retreat for the emperor. This is the place where he was hanging out with his consort when he heard of An Lushan Rebellion which was a terrible blow for the Chinese Tong Dynasty. It is also where we saw bullet holes from the late 1930s - do you know what that's about?
Tonight was a quick dinner and then homework for language class. I made a poster introducing my family:
Ta shi wo zhangfu, Tim.
Ta shi wo nu er, Megan.
Ta shi wo wai sun, Thomas.
Ta shi du sheng zi, Ian.
Ta shi wo nu er, Caitlin.
No, I didn't forget Mike and Kelly - we haven't learned the words for you yet. I was able to look up Ta shi wo yi ge chongwu, Gatsby/Walden.
Tomorrow it's tai chi, language, lecture, lunch, and then the markets and biking the city wall!
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I can't believe all the cool stuff you are doing. It is fun to hear about all of it. I can't wait to see your silk dress. You are going to need a vacation when you get back.
ReplyDeleteKari