Our Family Trip to China, Part Five
Thank you for all the wonderful comments you’ve shared - I’m glad you’re enjoying these photos from my family’s holiday trip to China.
During our travels, we always try to do as much as possible, so the trips are productive, informative and fun. On New Year’s Day, we went to the Ma Chao Martial Arts, Film, and Television Stunt Center and school for a lesson in Chinese Kung Fu, also known as Gong Fu or Wushu. We visited the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, a Buddhist pagoda located in southern Xi'an, and then toured the fascinating Han Yang Ling Museum.
Enjoy more of my photos.
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- The founder of the Ma Chao academy is Master Ma Chao, a multi-year champion in Chinese martial arts. He began training at the age of six, competed in Beijing and then coached in both the United States and in Europe. He was also part of the Cirque du Soleil team in Las Vegas before returning to Xi’an to open the school with his wife.
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- Master Ma Chao teaches a wide variety of martial arts and has students of all ages and skills.
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- This is Master Ma Chao’s young daughter. We were delighted to see her practice. It was a fun hour. Alexis took a Chinese boxing lesson while Truman enjoyed practicing his moves with Master Ma Chao.
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- Here is another photo of me with Master Ma Chao and his children.
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- After our lesson, we went to the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda or Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Standing in the foreground is the statue of the Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator, Xuanzang.
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- The original pagoda was built during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang in 652, then standing at 177 feet tall. The rammed earth construction with a stone exterior facade collapsed five decades later. The ruling Empress Wu Zetian had the pagoda rebuilt and added five new stories by the year 704. A massive earthquake in 1556 heavily damaged the pagoda and reduced it by three stories, to its current height of seven stories.
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- Here is a closeup view of the eaves and exterior bricks from the base of the Pagoda.
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- Inside the Pagoda, stairs twist up so that visitors can climb and take in views of the city from the arch-shaped doors on four sides of each story.
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- Here are the main steps leading up to the Pagoda.
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- Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is still a place where modern-day Buddhists visit and practice their faith. On the second floor is this bronze gilding Sakyamuni Buddha figure, which was the treasure of the early Ming Dynasty.
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- The tower sits inside the Daci’en Temple complex. Millions of tourists visit each year.
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- Here is another Fu Dog. I took many photos of the Fu Dogs all around China. Feng shui Fu Dogs were traditionally placed in front of imperial palaces, temples, and government offices as symbols of protection.
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- Typically made of stone, these figures are usually displayed as a couple. The male Fu Dog is holding a globe under his right paw, which signifies control over his domain and protection of his home. The female Fu Dog is holding a cub under her left paw, signifying strong maternal protective instincts. Interestingly, the lion is not an animal indigenous to China. It is believed that travelers to China brought stories about lions as Buddhist protectors of Dharma. Statues of lions were based on travelers’ descriptions and inspirations from native dogs.
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- The Han Yang Ling Museum was next on our itinerary. The complex is located in the Weicheng district of the City of Xianyang, Shaanxi Province, on the northern bank of the Wei River and about 12-miles north of Xi’an. We toured Protection Hall, which covers the excavated burial pits and is the first underground museum in China.
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- The Han Yang Ling is composed of two large burial mounds, 86 smaller burial pits, a criminals’ graveyard, and the museum.
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- The pits display more than 50,000 miniature terracotta figures reflecting the daily life of the Han emperor’s court, including eunuchs, servants, tools and domesticated animals. The human figurines are naked but were originally made with wooden arms and clothed with exquisite silk fabrics.
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- The lighting is dimmed to protect the artifacts. Here are the remains of a wooden chariot and its horses.
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- Nearby, the remains of an animal.
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- There were thousands of pottery figurines including these horses and piglets. Other animals included sheep, dogs, and chickens.
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- The tombs were built at the beginning of the Han Dynasty. Resources were less, so the terracotta warriors are smaller in size than the ones seen in my last blog at the Terra-Cotta Museum displaying figures from the Qin Dynasty.
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- Many of the displays were behind glass to preserve the excavation sites. Compared with the solemn and respectful Qin terracotta figures, the Han figures seem to be more gentle, which is a reflection of the peaceful social atmosphere in “Rule of Wen and Jing” of the Han Dynasty.
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- Some of the animals also had vivid expressions.
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- There were originally three sets of chariots and horses, but they have since deteriorated. These horses are in excellent condition. There were various types of vehicles in the Western Han Dynasty. Those used for royal family members were much more comfortable than those used for junior officials.
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- Most of the ones found had a single slanting thill, or shaft, two large wooden wheels with an elliptical, umbrella-like canopy – common vehicles for central government officials. It was another informative tour. In my next blog, photos of what we did on our last day in China – definitely one of the highlights of our trip.
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