Local Culture
| Shaanxi Introduction |
Shaanxi Province, in the very heart of China, receives its name because it lies to the west
(Xi) of Shaan (Henan Province's old name). Encompassing most of the middle stretch of the Yellow River, the 200,000-sq. meter province boasts a population of 35 million, a relatively large concentration for its size and backwater location. The province has long been a strange mix of harsh living, with its barren and dusty northern plains, and luxurious
civilization, centered upon its ancient capital Xi'an. In such varied circumstances the province has a rich historical legacy, both ancient and modern.
Settlement in the province spans back to the Neolithic age, and some of China's oldest inhabitant remains were found here, spread along the life-sustaining Yellow River. It was in the Shang Dynasty (1600-1100 BC), however, that settlement became more widespread, and it was from this time that written records have been recovered. It was after this reign, beginning with the Zhou Dynasty (1100-221 BC), that the province's most famous city, Xi'an, was to take the stage, as dynasties took either the city or "cities" in its locale, as their capital. Xi'an has served as the capital for altogether 13 kingdoms and empires, spanning some 1,100 years. The Han Dynasty (206 BC-220AD) took their capital near Xi'an, and brought a period of prosperity to the province that has rarely been seen since. The Silk Road, that came to prominence then, was to bring not only monetary wealth, but also a range of cultural treasures, from western settlers to Buddhism. This second treasure was to become most significant in Shaanxi, both in its capital Xi'an and in a pretty nearby mountain, Huashan. Xi'an was to be, fairly consistently, China's main political center up until the end of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD).
From the Tang things went downhill for Shaanxi. Being so close to the hard to control north, the province had long been fairly unstable, and as the less volatile eastern coast became
favored by successive emperors, Shaanxi was left behind. Poverty stricken peasants were again to become the norm here, and so it remained for many years. Rebellion and famine left many dead, and it was in such a condition that the communists, harassed into a Long March by a carefully Machiavellian Nationalist Government (Guomindang), were to find the province in late 1936. The "Red Army", under the overall command of a Mr. Mao Zedong, were to set up base in a little known town called Yan'an. From this area, and from a fame derived from practical "Policies for the People" (land redistribution, arming the peasants, protection etc.), the Communist Party
of China (CPC) were to start their attempts to overcome both the devilish foreign menace, the Japanese, and the betrayers of patriarchy, the Guomindang.
After the CPC was officially established in Beijing on the first of October 1950, and the weary leaders of the revolution settled themselves comfortably into Zhongnanhai, the new Forbidden City, Yan'an quickly became a Mecca for millions of communist believers. As the years passed, however, this journey of moral obligation for all has become one of interest for only the very motivated. The province looked again to be heading towards obscurity and poverty, until a group of peasants, digging a well in a field near to Xi'an, dropped into what is now considered to be one of China's most important tourist destinations, the terracotta guards of the dead tyrant-emperor Qin Shihuang (Qin Dynasty, 221-206 BC). |
| Xi'an Introduction |
The city of Xi'an (population 6 million) was the first Chinese city to open up its doors to the
ancient world, not in 1980 under the "Open Door" policy, but in fact during the Tang dynasty when Xi'an blossomed as the first stop on the Silk Road. Over a period of more than 2000 years, Xi'an was the capital for eleven dynasties. Along with Rome and Constantinople, this city was a world leader in culture and trade and played a vital role in bridging the gap between east and west.
Among the many dynasties Xi'an was capital to, Qin, the first empire of China, and Tang, the peak of China's ancient history, have left the city with the most abundant legacy. The Terracotta Warriors of the Qin Dynasty, an attached defending army to the first emperor of China, is regarded as "the eighth wonder of the world". The Tang Dynasty has endowed Xi'an even more
relics, including the Tomb of Concubine Yang, Huaqing Pool and Dufu Memorial Temple all date back to that period.
Xi'an was the first stop of Indian Buddhism preached in China; The sophisticated system of philosophy first coming to Xi'an 2000 years ago and later being developed into the dominant religion here. The Famen Temple in Xi'an is the only temple in mainland China to have true relics of Buddha Sykyamuni.
Aside from being a major tourist destination and historical city, today Xi'an is an important industrial and manufacturing center. Despite the incredible history that Xi'an carries, it is a modern and prosperous area. The nightlife here is pretty up to date and Xi'an's University is considered to be one of the best in China. As a result, the city has a large student population who contribute to the cultural life of the city, making Xi'an one of the most pleasant cities in China and an ideal place to break the journey between Beijing and Shanghai.
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| Yan'an Introduction |
Yan'an is a small, sleepy town in the far northern border region of Shaanxi province, in the heart of this region's
Loess Plateau. If the biggest notables in recent Chinese history had not intervened, this area would almost certainly have remained in obscurity. In 1936, however, a troop of hardened and weary soldiers, part of a once fairly powerful faction of a United Front government, arrived and then settled in the town.
These were the Red Army, a group of socialist thinkers and working men that had originally grouped together (in 1921) in defiance of a fairly repressive internal government and in disgust at the growing influence that their neighbor, Japan, was extending in the northern regions. After an initial cycle of embracement and then betrayal by the Nationalist Government (Guomindang), the Communists were finally attacked on full scale. They fled for their lives through some of China's least hospitable countryside on a devastating Long March. From their original commune in the Jianxi Soviet, deep south east, for over a year these hardy soldiers meandered, beset on all sides, until finally coming to a respite in Yan'an, in China's far north. The town was poor and with relatively unprofitable soil, making it ripe for the communists to disseminate their doctrines and provide welcomed help and redistribution in the fields.
By 1950, after the successful removal of China's "internal and external cancers" (the Guomindang and the Japanese Manchukuo states), the town became one of China's Meccas, along with the hometown of Chairman Mao in Shaoshan. The tourism industry in Yan'an
boomed, as any self-respecting communist made the trek to pay their homage to the greats of the revolution.
Today the town has returned to its relatively quiet roots, and tourists here are mainly PLA soldiers on induction trips, truly hardcore Communists, or interested foreign tourists. Most of the sights in town are related to the period of the 1930s and 1940s when the Chinese Communist Party were in charge here and thankfully much of the tourism that passed through town in the second half of this century, perhaps in awe of the solemnity of this holy region, have little disturbed the original style of the town. It is the older sections of town, the scenery around and the strangely enticing, cold socialist architecture that is interesting as a one day tour.
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