Sounds like fun, but yes, unfortunately, you have passed the national fat line, something that will become very obvious when you make it to Beijing, which, according to at least one report I’ve read, is the fattest city in China.
As for the beer, I guess Shanghai must be different. Every Chinese person I’ve ever met who mentioned any kind of jiu in the conversation asked me how much I can drink. I found an answer that seems to almost satisfy people: I stop counting after the third bottle.
just back home from GuiLin, and nice to read the story of Xi An. It’s the second ancient wall where you’ve been, but different,ahh. I’ve been waiting for a chance to Xi An, the starting point of The Silk Road, a city which is be surrounded by the ancient wall. it makes me remembered a famous Chinese fiction “Wei Cheng”(A city which is be surrounded), I will must be get the feeling of “be surrounded” when I get there.
Hey, you met a lot and learned a lot and adapted to something step by step on your trip, just like drink beer(the hateful business way,but very useful). o, yea, you are right, you acrossed the fat line in China. northern China, flour food,fat and tall people, so different food with southern China.
I think the trip in north east China should be wonderful, enjoy it with Johson!
You know what, Dan? I got most excited that my parents, who can hardly read English, have grown up to be Shanghaidiaries’ readers. They seem to relish your blog and hang on every photos in your gallery, amazing at the places you dropped by.
Well…by the way, look like your posts have fallen far behind off your current spot, huh?
Yes, Arthur, I have fallen a bit behind. Thanks for noticing. My two most recent locations proved to be very difficult locations to get much writing done. Technology-wise, some things aren’t working as I had hoped, either.
Not to fear, however. I am in Beijing now. And I will be here for about a week. I hope to get pretty much caught up during that time. (If I don’t, Arthur, you can give me hell.)
On Aug 21, 2004 1:41 PM, Elisha said:
Hi, Dan
I wandered into your website just now and was delighted to read the journals you wrote on your trips to Xi’an. I’ve been planning a trip to Xi’an, the ancient city, for a looooooooooooong time but have failed to carry it out for one reason or another. =( How I envy you!
I’ve just come back from a trip to Yunnan—a province in south-western China famous for its magnificent natural scenery and diverse culture of minority groups. I enjoyed the trip so much that I can strongly recommend Yunnan to you! My favorite sites are the old town of Lijiang and Lugu Lake around which the last matriarchal minority lives. I’m a Chinese college student, and I love visiting and communicating with the locals when I travel. I think visiting a place without getting to know the locals and their life style is really a shame, so I wish you will have Chinese friends on your trips to help you. =) Hope you enjoy your trips in China!
On Aug 21, 2004 9:42 PM, Guoqiang Shi said:
Hi, Dan!
The article is well written. You are a bit sarcastic. I like it. I will try to make you conformtable when you are here in Shenyang. Call me when you have your train tickets. Make sure which station you are going to get off, Nan Zhan (South Station)or Bei Zhan(North Station. I will go there to pick you up.
On Aug 23, 2004 12:16 AM, Stewart Saint-David said:
Dear Dan,
My girlfriend and I were very pleased to stumble onto your site during the course of a search for info on Kugua beer, which seems to have made Heather rather ill. We thought that this might be due to MSG in this fine beverage, but honestly don’t know for sure.
All of that having been said, as new residents of Xi’an (and “foreign experts” at that!), your recent piece on this fine city has struck a rather resonant chord with us. We, too, have witnessed the exposed bellies, seen the completely egregious examples of public spitting, and have learned to be quite careful as to where we look when out in town. The industrial haze that hangs over this once-famed city has also greatly diminished our enjoyment of the local scene, and has been a continual source of depression for us.
On the other hand, we have found the people of this nouveau riche metropolis to be generally quite friendly and accommodating, despite the fact (or perhaps because) we have no Chinese whatsoever. Our contact with the locals has largely been pleasant in nature, though we are finding that our money isn’t going nearly as far as one might expect, notwithstanding the info that we received about the low cost of living here. Ah, well, we keep reminding ourselves that we are in China, after all, though at this rate we might never be able to afford actually leaving the Land of the Dragon.
As to your observation that certain areas and establishments are blocked to foreigners, just try going up to Taibai Mountain, easily one of the most beautiful places in Shaanxi Province. The summit is closed entirely to foreigners, for reasons never made entirely clear to us, although we suspect that the authorities may fear the possibility of our escaping this sacred mount with a panda cub tucked greedily under each imperialist American arm. This is quite cunning thinking on their part, for long as the pandas didn’t spit or scratch their exposed bellies while consuming their bamboo lunch, we would be quite delightfully happy to indulge their cute and furry desire to defect!
Thank you for your keen and wonderfully accurate insights on Xi’an and its environs. We plan to become regular readers of your column, and look forward to hearing more about your journeys throughout the industrial splendor that is the New China.
Best regards,
Heather and Stewart
On Mar 1, 2005 9:45 PM, Piers said:
hi, nice article.
i’ve still to live a summer in Xi’An, but T shirts pulled up over the belly reminds me of Beijing. despite all that meat, i don’t see Xi’An as a fat city. also not that much kebab eating in the winter.
glad to read about the biangbiang mian, i’ll look into that. overall Xi’An is not a real culinary capital. but tourist can also try the PaoMoYangRou, a speciality.
you never mentionned ShuYuanMen, a little road that gives out onto the South Gate. touristy of course, but lot’s of quality caligraphy and paintings for cheap. last time i went a man was selling his work (RMB 40 for a single character) on a rainy sunday, and boasting he had been recognised as among the top 50 caligraphers. my chinese friend assured me it was true, or at least highly possible!
anyway, cheap and interesting, and the street gives an old feeling. you must now that most of chinese architecture being wood based, old only means so much! even the forbiden city has been entirely rebuilt numerous times!
i’ll keep on reading :)
Piers
On Mar 17, 2005 2:56 PM, ding said:
I didn’t realize they are both eighth wonders. Now I just can’t stop thinking about it, you’re hilarious.
On May 2, 2005 4:42 PM, Peter Sun said:
Wow! This was a great piece. You have a story telling ability. Please write your upcoming novel in this style.
On Aug 30, 2005 4:32 AM, Sam Wilson said:
so interesting story. the guy Roboo is funny. i wish I could visit Xi’an too.
14 Comments
Sounds like fun, but yes, unfortunately, you have passed the national fat line, something that will become very obvious when you make it to Beijing, which, according to at least one report I’ve read, is the fattest city in China.
As for the beer, I guess Shanghai must be different. Every Chinese person I’ve ever met who mentioned any kind of jiu in the conversation asked me how much I can drink. I found an answer that seems to almost satisfy people: I stop counting after the third bottle.
just back home from GuiLin, and nice to read the story of Xi An. It’s the second ancient wall where you’ve been, but different,ahh. I’ve been waiting for a chance to Xi An, the starting point of The Silk Road, a city which is be surrounded by the ancient wall. it makes me remembered a famous Chinese fiction “Wei Cheng”(A city which is be surrounded), I will must be get the feeling of “be surrounded” when I get there.
Hey, you met a lot and learned a lot and adapted to something step by step on your trip, just like drink beer(the hateful business way,but very useful). o, yea, you are right, you acrossed the fat line in China. northern China, flour food,fat and tall people, so different food with southern China.
I think the trip in north east China should be wonderful, enjoy it with Johson!
You know what, Dan? I got most excited that my parents, who can hardly read English, have grown up to be Shanghaidiaries’ readers. They seem to relish your blog and hang on every photos in your gallery, amazing at the places you dropped by.
Well…by the way, look like your posts have fallen far behind off your current spot, huh?
Yes, Arthur, I have fallen a bit behind. Thanks for noticing. My two most recent locations proved to be very difficult locations to get much writing done. Technology-wise, some things aren’t working as I had hoped, either.
Not to fear, however. I am in Beijing now. And I will be here for about a week. I hope to get pretty much caught up during that time. (If I don’t, Arthur, you can give me hell.)
Hi, Dan
I wandered into your website just now and was delighted to read the journals you wrote on your trips to Xi’an. I’ve been planning a trip to Xi’an, the ancient city, for a looooooooooooong time but have failed to carry it out for one reason or another. =( How I envy you!
I’ve just come back from a trip to Yunnan—a province in south-western China famous for its magnificent natural scenery and diverse culture of minority groups. I enjoyed the trip so much that I can strongly recommend Yunnan to you! My favorite sites are the old town of Lijiang and Lugu Lake around which the last matriarchal minority lives. I’m a Chinese college student, and I love visiting and communicating with the locals when I travel. I think visiting a place without getting to know the locals and their life style is really a shame, so I wish you will have Chinese friends on your trips to help you. =) Hope you enjoy your trips in China!
Hi, Dan!
The article is well written. You are a bit sarcastic. I like it. I will try to make you conformtable when you are here in Shenyang. Call me when you have your train tickets. Make sure which station you are going to get off, Nan Zhan (South Station)or Bei Zhan(North Station. I will go there to pick you up.
Dear Dan,
My girlfriend and I were very pleased to stumble onto your site during the course of a search for info on Kugua beer, which seems to have made Heather rather ill. We thought that this might be due to MSG in this fine beverage, but honestly don’t know for sure.
All of that having been said, as new residents of Xi’an (and “foreign experts” at that!), your recent piece on this fine city has struck a rather resonant chord with us. We, too, have witnessed the exposed bellies, seen the completely egregious examples of public spitting, and have learned to be quite careful as to where we look when out in town. The industrial haze that hangs over this once-famed city has also greatly diminished our enjoyment of the local scene, and has been a continual source of depression for us.
On the other hand, we have found the people of this nouveau riche metropolis to be generally quite friendly and accommodating, despite the fact (or perhaps because) we have no Chinese whatsoever. Our contact with the locals has largely been pleasant in nature, though we are finding that our money isn’t going nearly as far as one might expect, notwithstanding the info that we received about the low cost of living here. Ah, well, we keep reminding ourselves that we are in China, after all, though at this rate we might never be able to afford actually leaving the Land of the Dragon.
As to your observation that certain areas and establishments are blocked to foreigners, just try going up to Taibai Mountain, easily one of the most beautiful places in Shaanxi Province. The summit is closed entirely to foreigners, for reasons never made entirely clear to us, although we suspect that the authorities may fear the possibility of our escaping this sacred mount with a panda cub tucked greedily under each imperialist American arm. This is quite cunning thinking on their part, for long as the pandas didn’t spit or scratch their exposed bellies while consuming their bamboo lunch, we would be quite delightfully happy to indulge their cute and furry desire to defect!
Thank you for your keen and wonderfully accurate insights on Xi’an and its environs. We plan to become regular readers of your column, and look forward to hearing more about your journeys throughout the industrial splendor that is the New China.
Best regards,
Heather and Stewart
hi, nice article.
i’ve still to live a summer in Xi’An, but T shirts pulled up over the belly reminds me of Beijing. despite all that meat, i don’t see Xi’An as a fat city. also not that much kebab eating in the winter.
glad to read about the biangbiang mian, i’ll look into that. overall Xi’An is not a real culinary capital. but tourist can also try the PaoMoYangRou, a speciality.
you never mentionned ShuYuanMen, a little road that gives out onto the South Gate. touristy of course, but lot’s of quality caligraphy and paintings for cheap. last time i went a man was selling his work (RMB 40 for a single character) on a rainy sunday, and boasting he had been recognised as among the top 50 caligraphers. my chinese friend assured me it was true, or at least highly possible!
anyway, cheap and interesting, and the street gives an old feeling. you must now that most of chinese architecture being wood based, old only means so much! even the forbiden city has been entirely rebuilt numerous times!
i’ll keep on reading :)
Piers
I didn’t realize they are both eighth wonders. Now I just can’t stop thinking about it, you’re hilarious.
Wow! This was a great piece. You have a story telling ability. Please write your upcoming novel in this style.
so interesting story. the guy Roboo is funny. i wish I could visit Xi’an too.
Intriguing story about Xi’an and Roboo. I wish I could pay a visit to Xi’an someday. I am a reporter in New York.
The guy Roboo is funny. Xi’an has a lot of cultural sites worth seeing.
Roboo is helpful, when you are in a new city without friends.