A Week in China

There was certainly more to my week in China than Xi'an. After two days in Xi'an visiting the terracotta warriors and the Wild Goose Pagoda (built in 652 A.D.), we headed back to Chengdu were we had landed briefly on our way to Xi'an two days earlier. Chengdu, the capital city of the Sichuan province, and home to some of the spiciest food in the world.

A short bus trip out of Chengdu took us to the largest Buddha statue in the world, since the one in Afghanistan having been recently destroyed.  Carved into a mountain side over looking a river, the surrounding monastery and park was quite beautiful with traditional gardens, bonsai, and ponds. The next day was quite and adventure due to flight delays we only had 2 hours to spend at a beautiful park in Juizhaigou, called The 5 Color Lakes. Due to the content of the soil. the water has a different colors at different depths. Then back in a taxi for a 2 hr ride to the airport, good night's rest in Chengdu, the next day Shanghai.

By this time I was a bit tired of traveling and spending so much time in big cities, but just the same Shanghai was quite amazing. We visited the 3rd tallest building int the world, and the next day, after a late night at the hostel in deep intellectual discussion with an Irishman and Frenchman, we went to the Shanghai museum. Which along with the Terracotta army was probably the most significant part of the trip. With over 8,000 years of Chinese history, it effortlessly conveys the truth that Chinese culture has exceeded others throughout history.