Ancient City of Pingyao - Part 1: Practical Info

This series of 6 articles is dedicated to Pingyao, where we passed through the ancient city gate in the summer of 2011 and spent four memorable nights within. I hope this will help non-Chinese-speaking readers navigate this spectacular and underrated corner of Northern China.







As a Chinese-speaking foreigner and food enthusiast, I feel that current English resources on the Internet hardly scratches the surface of this fascinating destination. Yes the Ming Dynasty streets are romantic by night and the city walls are impressive, but there is so much more depth to the city.







For instance the deliciously rustic Shanxi cuisine is rarely mentioned in English reviews of Pingyao. If you're remotely passionate about Chinese food, the whole Province of Shanxi is an immensely underrated region. We just had an amazingly executed meal of Shanxi cuisine at one of the city's top restaurants, inside our own private room with a dedicated private waitress, for merely RMB 88 (CAD$13) for two persons. To this date Pingyao remains one of my favorite memories of China, and I wish to make it equally enjoyable for the next guy.







INTRODUCTION TO PINGYAO



The ancient city of Pingyao, with its well-preserved Ming and Qing Dynasty streets nestled within mighty fortress-like walls, needs little introduction as a tourist destination. Internationally it has become famous as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a backpacker hangout. Domestically it is well-known as one of the two best-preserved ancient cities along with Lijiang in the south, and its relative proximity to Beijing (meaning 8 hours away by tour buses) makes it even more attractive for weekend trippers from the capital.



The good news is ... most visitors, especially tour groups, tend to rush through the major sights around Pingyao within a day or two at most. Stay for a few nights and you'll have most of the city's ancient quarters to yourself in the morning and evening.







SUGGESTED ITINERARY



Pingyao isn't small. The fortified ancient city alone easily takes two days of non-stop sightseeing to see it all, and that doesn't even include visiting the best authentic restaurants outside of the city walls. In addition the spectacular ancient temples of Shuanglin Si (incredible one-of-a-kind terracotta sculptures) and Zhenguo Si (one of the oldest wooden structures in China) will require short taxi trips to visit. You'll also definitely want to visit one of the merchant clan compounds, probably the Wang's Family Compound or the Qiao's Family Compound, which would take at least another half day. If you've traveled this far from Beijing just to see Pingyao, do yourself a huge favor and experience it all.







DAY ONE - Rishengchang - Armed Escort Museums - Lunch - Yamen - City God Temple - Confucius Temple - Dinner - Spend the evening on Nandajie street



DAY TWO - Other museums on Nandajie - City Wall - Lunch outside City Wall - Taxi to Shuanglin Temple and/or Zhenguo Temple and back - Dinner outside of City Wall



DAY THREE - Finish the rest of the Museums - Half-day trip to Wang's Family Compound or Qiao's Family Compound - See the real Pingyao outside of City Wall - Dinner outside of City Wall







TRANSPORTATION



The easiest way to reach Pingyao is by train via the provincial capital of Taiyuan in the north (2-3 hours by local trains). Taiyuan is now connected to Beijing through the high speed rail network, making Pingyao as accessible as ever.



Connecting to other major destinations take a little more planning due to infrequent service. Datong and the famous Yungang Grottoes are connected by several local trains a day, taking close to 7 hours. We took a bus to Taiyuan then a highway bus to Datong, a complex method which I do not recommend (long story). Luoyang and the Shaolin Temple are a 10 hour train ride to the south on slow local trains. Hancheng and the stunning Dangjiacun are a 5 hour train ride to the southwest, and the Terracotta Warriors of Xi'an is a further 2 hours from Hancheng by highway bus.



The train station is a 15 minute walk outside of the City Wall's Lower West Gate, to the northwest. The long distance bus station is a 10 minute walk north of the North Gate.







BEST AND WORST SIGHTS



You can educate yourself on all the major sights on Lonely Planet or Wikitravel. I'll keep this short and offer my own experiences and shortcuts.



City Wall - Climb up the stairs by the South Gate, where you'll get a panoramic view with the City Tower, the Confucius Temple and the City God Temple as backdrop. Walk east towards the southeast corner, then turn north. The entire wall has 72 towers and a circumference of over 6 km, so you may not want to walk the whole way. No bike rentals atop the wall like Xi'an, which is a bit of a shame.



Rishengchang - Very crowded but worthwhile -- visit early in the morning or late in the afternoon. The father of Qing Dynasty draft banks, Rishengchang was an integral part of Imperial China's finances and once operated as far as Russia and India. You'll get some fabulous photos of its courtyards if you can wait out the crowds.



Biaoju - There are several "Armed Escort Museums," two located on Dongdajie (East Main Street) and two on Nandajie (South Main Street). This is where you can try out all the martial arts training setups and exotic weapons you've seen in Chinese movies. Balancing myself on the Plum Blossom Stakes turned out to be much tougher than I thought.







City God Temple - Beautiful glazed yellow-and-green roof tiles set this temple apart from the ubiquitous grey in the rest of Pingyao. You need a tough stomach to appreciate the sculptures depicting the 18 punishments in hell.



Confucius Temple - Large, rambling complex full of well-restored sculptures and beautiful finishing touches around every corner. The Song Dynasty calligraphies brings visitors back to the days of the old Imperial Court Exams when the temple served as the regional educational institution.



Yamen - The local government office is best known for its court case reenactments, scheduled at 11:00, 13:00, 15:30 when we visited.



Er Lang Miao - WARNING: Avoid at all cost. This authentic looking temple on Beidajie (North Main Street, just south of the North Gate) sounds like a Buddhist temple (ie. ends with Miao), looks like a Taoist shrine (sports Chinese banners reading "Famous Shrine of Taoism" at the entrance), but is really neither. Numerous visitors have reported fake Taoist monks scamming people for money with questionable rituals, often charging several hundred RMB per offering of incense. Pretending to not speak Chinese nor English would be a good idea if you find yourself accidentally stumbling inside.







HOTEL REVIEWS



See Part 2 of this series. Don't miss the rare chance to spend a few nights in some of the most atmospheric traditional dwellings in China.





RESTAURANT REVIEWS



See Parts 3 and 4 of this series. As previous mentioned I consider Pingyao to be a greatly underrated destination for foodies. Once you venture outside of the city walls into the real Pingyao, there are plenty of choices for excellent food at absolute bargain bottom prices.









SIDE-TRIPS



Shuanglin Temple -- Protected as part of Pingyao’s UNESCO World Heritage Site is the spectacular temple of Shuanglin Si, truly in a class of its own with a huge collection of stunning terracotta sculptures found nowhere else. IMHO this is probably the most visually spectacular sight in the vicinity of Pingyao, and really shouldn’t be missed.







These are not your typical standalone statues, but thousands of extravagant figurines and relief sculptures that seem almost organically woven into the temple’s interior structures. No photos are allowed inside in order to protect the brilliant colours from the flashlights of marauding tourists, which is a bit of a shame.







The local bus stops quite a distance from the actual temple though (probably a 30 minute walk), and we opted to just hire a taxi from Pingyao for RMB 50 roundtrip, including the taxi’s RMB 10 parking fee at the temple. It’s a beautiful, largely uncrowded complex to spend time in the afternoon.



Wang's Family Compound - The largest residential compound in China outside of the Forbidden City, this family castle belonged to Shanxi's most successful merchant clan. It is so vast, so beautiful and so well-preserved that it's only a matter of time before it becomes a UNESCO World Heritage Site. See my detailed review here.







Qiao's Family Compound - Another complex belonging to another wealthy Shanxi merchant clan, the Qiaos. Qiao Jia Da Yuan shot to national fame in 2006 when state-owned CCTV filmed a 45-episode drama of the same name in the complex. Most people would agree though, that Wang's is much larger and much more worthwhile for tourists.



Other Family Compounds - The Chang, the Qu and the Cao also have their family compounds open for exhibition, and are probably stately and picturesque as well, if you have even more time.





Zhenguo Temple - We did not plan to visit, but it is known to be one of the oldest standing wooden temples in China at over 1,000 years old.



Mianshan - Claiming a long history of 2,300 years, this complex of precarious-looking structures hugging the steep mountain side is really recently developed in the 21st century. The natural scenery may actually be worth it, though we didn't bother to find out. This is located in the vicinity of Wang's Family Compound, so a combined visit with a stay at Mianshan's new resort can be an option for those who have more time.



Zhangbi Castle - This is one place I really wish I had the time to visit. Zhangbi Castle's tunnel defense system is said to be so extensive and potentially dangerous that no one is allowed to enter without a guide ... but then that could just be a ploy to help out the guides. It is located on the way to Wang's Family Compound, and is quite possible to combine with Wang's on a day-trip if you don't mind hiring your own taxi (or find someone to split the cost) for the day.

The Hidden Valley of Dangjiacun

There exists a beautiful medieval village in China, right on the tourist route between Xi'an and Pingyao, which somehow manages to escape the attention of international and even domestic tourists. In fact when I mentioned it to hotel and taxi operators in neighboring Shanxi Province, nobody had even heard of it. And these were people working in the local tourism industry.



I have no idea how the village of Dangjiacun can remain undiscovered by tourists for so long -- the folk architecture is rustically spectacular; the farm cooking is excellent and cheap (see detailed food review below); the people are friendly; and it's only a 20 minute taxi ride from the major train stop of Hancheng. Even the government recognizes this hidden gem, placing it on China's tentative list for submission as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.



Surviving the Sino-Japanese War, Mao's Cultural Revolution, and then the rapid urbanization of the post-Deng Xiaoping era, Dangjiacun is now recognized in the 21st century as somewhat of a living fossil. This is no open-air museum, but a living medieval village with a long line of original descendants still carrying out their ancient customs. For 25 generations and 680 years, the clans of Dang (hence the name Dangjiacun, or Dang's Family Village) and Jia have expanded their sphere of influence from here, and what started out as a small hamlet had grown into a well-known trade centre along this stretch of the Yellow River by mid-Qing Dynasty. Hundreds of traditional Siheyuan courtyards were constructed through six centuries, amazingly with more than a hundred surviving to this date.



Descending into the valley from the only access road above, the visitor would enter through a maze of cobblestone paths into an 18th century time warp. The medieval village is still very much alive with its intact water well system, two ancestral worship halls (one for the Dang clan and one for the Jia clan), a village school, a Fengshui tower housed within the school grounds, and old storehouses still storing coal sludge as a primitive cooking fuel. Private in-house bathrooms remain a novelty even in 2011, and a large communal bathhouse continues to serve the entire village daily. Villagers hand-drawing water from neighboring water wells is a frequent scene -- life hasn't changed much over the past 600 years aside from having a few solar water heaters on the roofs.



Successfully resisting the invasion of large-scale tourism thus far, the villagers have been amazing at minimizing the type of development that has forever tainted many such towns. The only dedicated tourism facility here is the ticket booth that hires out local Chinese-speaking guides -- this is where the commercialism ends. The temples and ancestral worship halls are still in use and are open for all to visit. The exquisite courtyards that double as exhibition areas are mostly still inhabited by the original descendants. As long as your visit doesn't coincide with the Golden Week holidays, you're unlikely to run into even a medium-sized tour group. And most amazingly, there are still no souvenir stores -- NONE -- as of 2011. This is almost unheard-of in China.



This raw beauty of a genuine living Northern Chinese village is what really distinguishes Dangjiacun from the likes of Pingyao and Lijiang. Compared to Pingyao's expensively restored and picture-perfect courtyards, most of Dangjiacun's courtyards and alleys remain in the original, pre-restoration state they have stood for centuries. Most villagers have not yet been converted to serving the tourism industry, and the usage of their houses remain mostly private. A few houses do welcome visitors into their private space to see their collections of spectacular relief sculptures and other relics for a nominal fee (RMB 2), but even more have "Do Not Enter" signs in Chinese to ward off curious visitors mistaking them for folk museums.



Each courtyards is typically occupied by one family with its own long history and traditions. Family doctrines passing down from the ancestors still occupy the most eye-catching locations in the courtyard, and I came across my favorite one here:

Pride should not be allowed to grow;
The desires should not be indulged;
The will should not be gratified to the full;
Pleasure should not be carried to excess



The level of sophistication here is far beyond what could be expected of a remote farming village in Shaanxi Province's countryside. As a community of no more than a couple thousand, it managed to flourish as a regional cultural and educational centre for several hundred years. Per-capita-wise the villagers had incredible success in the old Imperial Court entrance exams, and to this day calligraphy plaques are still raised with great pride above many houses to recognize the families' past glory serving the Emperor.



Walking down narrow alleys here also offers a real perspective on contemporary life in rural China, beyond what can be appreciated from TV or the Internet. Heating and cooking is still dependant on the highly-polluting coal sludge, often simply store-piled at a corner outside of the family compound. Internet has arrived at most households, while satellite TV is only starting to pop up on the roofs of a few affluent houses. The free market economy of Deng, Jiang and Hu is much welcome, though the old communism giants of Lenin, Stalin, Mao and Zhou are still plastered on walls and highly revered. And young kids, male and female, still run around wearing a unique type of open-bottom pants designed to ... ahem ... quickly get parents out of crappy situations in public in the absence of proper toilets.



But all this is bound to change. Dangjiacun shot to national fame in 2006 when China's Cultural Heritage department elevated it to the tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage, opening the door to precious tourism dollars for the relatively undeveloped province of Shaanxi. Where Dangjiacun now stands in terms of tourism development is probably where Pingyao used to be, a couple of decades ago. If the romance of Magome-juku or Telc appeal to you as a traveler, keep this underrated gem in your to-see list also. And see it soon, before the first hotels and souvenir shops roll in.





TRANSPORTATION
The small city of Hancheng, located just 20 minutes from Dangjiacun by taxi, is the region's transportation hub. If you're coming from Xi'an like we were, highway buses make convenient, comfortable and relatively fast connections to Hancheng, departing every 20-30 minutes from 07:30 until 18:00. Buses depart from Xi'an's East Passenger Transport Station (Chengdong Keyunzhan), cost RMB 65 as of 2011, and take only 2.5 hours (compared to taking anywhere from 4 to 7 hours by train) to arrive at Hancheng's New City Bus Station (Xincheng Qichezhan). Hancheng Train Station, located just a block away, is served mostly by the slow local trains but can be useful for making direct connections to Pingyao and Taiyuan in the neighboring Shanxi Province. We took train 1164, in a slow and crowded carriage full of migrant workers, towards Pingyao in the late afternoon.

From Hancheng you can easily flag down a taxi to get to Dangjiacun (RMB 30 in 2011). Large baggages can be left for the day at the luggage deposit on the right hand side of the Hancheng Train Station (RMB 2 per baggage). Once you get to Dangjiacun you won't find an official taxi stand, but our host was (and probably any villager who owns a vehicle would be) eager to drive us back to Hancheng Train Station in his old van. We paid him the same rate as taxi, which was much welcome.



ACCOMMODATION
With no hotels or even backpacker hostels in the village, Dangjiacun is as authentic and rustic as it gets. Spending a night here would mean staying in one of these beautiful Siheyuan courtyards and fully immersing into village life with a local family -- after all this is all they have. This also means ditching all the Westernized comfort that most visitors take for granted: all toilets, many being the squatting type, are shared; bathing takes place at the communal bathhouse; air-con and heating are rarely available, and meals are shared with the host family. As of summer 2011 rooms seem to cost around RMB 50, though they're likely even cheaper in the off-season. At the time of writing there is no way to reserve online -- have a Chinese-speaking friend (or hotel concierge) call 0913-5322776 or 0913-5322544 to make reservations.



Food Review: YI FEN LI (Dangjiacun village, Hancheng)
Address: Near entrance of village, Dangjiacun, Hancheng
Hours: 08:00-20:00?
Website/Map: None
Directions: Starting from the ticket booth, walk down to the square/parking area in front of the village. Yi Fen Li is the Siheyuan courtyard at the top left corner of the square.


We had one of the most memorable dishes of our trip right here in Dangjiacun, inside this virtually unknown eatery. At the time of writing I've never seen any other reviews in Chinese or in English, and I felt the need to give it the proper review it deserves.



Now it can hardly be called a restaurant -- frankly it's no more than a local farmhouse informally operating as a guesthouse and also serves Shaanxi Province's rustic farm cooking. It serves no more than a small number of simple dishes, but at least one of these dishes was executed as well as any formal restaurant I've visited anywhere in China.

Housed inside one of Dangjiacun's better preserved Siheyuan courtyards, Yi Fen Li is operated by a middle-aged couple named ... what else ... Mr. and Mrs. Dang. Several rooms in their courtyard can be rented as bed-and-breakfast for RMB 50 per night, and the family van doubles as a casual taxi for guests. All rooms were occupied by a production crew filming a TV soap opera during our visit, indicating that this was perhaps the most comfortable place to stay in the village.



No English menu was available, though the dishes were inexpensive even by Chinese standards. Vegetable dishes, typically salads of eggplants, cucumbers, spinach, or firm tofu, started from RMB 9 (CAD$1.4). Meat dishes including wild boar, pig ears, and yellow croaker fish cost around RMB 30 (CAD$4.5). Various noodles such as Saozi Mian (minced pork noodles), Zhajiang Mian (noodles with gravy), and Wonton were RMB 7 (CAD$1.1) for a large bowl or RMB 5 (CAD$0.8) for a small bowl.



This one dish was not only one of the best of our 16-day trip, but also one of the cheapest at RMB 9. Don't be misled by the picture -- the eggplant was actually purple but Mrs. Dang peeled the skin off before stir-frying it in garlic-infused oil. The most amazing thing about this warm salad of Suan Ni Qie Zi, or Eggplant in Minced Garlic, was the way it delivered a pronounced garlic flavor ... there was hardly any trace of garlic inside the dish! The way these simple and cheap ingredients were combined into this dish could only be described as perfection -- I have never tasted something this good costing as little as CAD$1.4.



Comparatively the Red Braised Pork Chunks (Hong Shao Da Kuai Rou) wasn't quite as amazingly delicious, but perhaps its magic was partially reduced as we asked for a non-spicy version. The chili peppers and Sichuan peppers still packed a tinge of heat and the taste was still decent, though I thought the pork was slightly dry.



To finish the meal my wife wanted some wonton, which turned out to be a huge heaping bowl of grape-sized hand-made dumplings with even more marinated five-spice tofu, seaweed and various vegetables. This RMB 7 (CAD$1.1) dish could easily serve as a meal on its own.

It was quite an enjoyable meal overall, especially considering the scarcity of choices within the village and the reasonable pricing. In retrospect I should have skipped the pork and tried a few more of their wonderful vegetable dishes. That would be my advice for any readers heading to Dangjiacun.

Bill for Two Persons

Eggplants in Minced Garlic	RMB 9
Red Braised Pork Chunks	RMB 30
Wonton	RMB 7
TOTAL	RMB 46 (CAD$7)

Best and Worst of Xi'an - My Opinionated Guide

Intricate Roofline above the Ming Dynasty City Wall

This article is primarily written to document my own memory of Xi'an. But if you're heading to Xi'an as an independent, budget-conscious, or culinary-focused traveler, I'm happy to share my experience with you. Keep in mind that your own experience with the locals may be different, one way or another, as I traveled through China as a Chinese-speaking foreigner.

In May 2011, we kicked off our overland trip of Northern China with several memorable days in Xi'an. The criteria of our trip included:
- Focus on authentic local culture and food
- Did I mention EXCELLENT LOCAL FOOD?
- Basic but reasonably comfortable accommodation at central location
- Public transportation (best way to familiarize with the city!)
- Budget of RMB 350 (CAD$53) per person per day, including:
- Hotel - RMB 100 (per person in double room with private bathroom)
- Food - RMB 75
- Admission Tickets - RMB 100 per person per day
- Local Transportation - RMB 25 per day
- Other Spending - RMB 50
We actually ended up spending less than RMB 350 per day, but it's always better to allow for a little excess.

An Elegant Siheyuan Courtyard at Bei Yuan Men 144

READY-TO-USE ITINERARY

We had the luxury of spending three full days in Xi'an, but most travelers seem to plan for less. My recommendation in terms of itinerary, for 1-Day, 2-Days or 3-Days in the city are as follows:

ONE DAY
Day 1: Bell Tower - Muslim Quarter (brunch)
- Bus You7/You8/609/610/611/201/251 - Train Station
- Bus You5 - Museum of Terracotta Warriors - Bus You5
- Train Station - Bus 14 - Stele Forest - Walk to Wenchangmen
- City Wall - Walk to Nanmen - Bus 302/600
- Muslim Quarter (dinner)

Making an Ink Rubbing at the Stele Forest

TWO DAYS
Day 1: Same as above
Day 2: Bell Tower - Muslim Quarter (brunch) - Great Mosque
- Bus You7 - Small Wild Goose Pagoda - Bus You8
- Shaanxi History Museum - Walk - Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
- Bus You8 - Bell Tower - Muslim Quarter (dinner)

Raising the Red Lanterns at Bei Yuan Men 144

THREE OR MORE DAYS
Same as above, with the addition of one or more of:
- Bei Yuan Men 144 (a.k.a. Gao Family Courtyard)
- Drum Tower and Bell Tower
- Huashan mountain (take Bus You1 from Train Station)
- Hanyangling Museum (take train to Xianyang Station; transfer to local bus #5)
- sidetrip to Luoyang (2 hours on high speed train)

Face-to-Face with the Terracotta Warriors

ARRIVAL

Forget taxi in general, especially if you're arriving by air or high speed train. A taxi ride from Xianyang Airport to central Xi'an should cost upwards of RMB 200 as of 2011, and won't get you there much faster than shuttle buses in Xi'an's constant traffic jams.

If you're flying into Xi'an's Xianyang Airport like we did, the easy and comfortable way to get to central Xi'an is via Airport Shuttle Bus Routes A (Bell Tower) or B (Train Station), located at the curbside just outside the departure level. Tickets are sold at the makeshift counter beside the bus. Route A cost us RMB 26 in 2011, and took roughly an hour to reach the Bell Tower. Route A operates roughly every 20 minutes or so and is said to run from the first plane arrival until the last.

If you're arriving by a high speed train, the new Metro Line 2 connects the North Railway Station to the Bell Tower. If you're arriving by a conventional train at the old Xi'an Train Station, you can take Bus You7/You8/609/610/611 etc to the Bell Tower outside of rush hour. Bringing large baggages onto rush hour buses is not recommended, and a taxi would likely cost no more than RMB 20.

Illumination of the Drum Tower After Nightfall

GETTING AROUND

Xi'an Metro Lines 1 and 2 were clearly designed with commuters in mind and don't seem to specifically stop at any major tourist sights aside from the Bell Tower. Though it is possible to walk to the Small Wild Goose Pagoda from Nanshaomen, and to the Shaanxi History Museum from Xiaozhai, at the time of writing the bus system is still a hassel-free way of connecting between various sights. I hate to say it, but Xi'an hasn't been China's most important city for the past 1,100 years, and the extent of its metro system coverage simply can't be compared to Beijing's.

A Corner of the Vanishing Old Xi'an, Near the Southern Gate

Some of our favorite bus lines connecting between:
- Bell Tower and Xi'an Train Station: You7/You8/609/610/611/201/251
- Bell Tower and Stele Forest: 221/222
- Bell Tower and Nanmen (Southern Gate): 302/600
- Bell Tower and Xianyang Airport: Airport Shuttle Route A
- Bell Tower and Small Wild Goose Pagoda: You7
- Bell Tower and Giant Wild Goose Pagoda/Shaanxi History Museum: You8
- Train Station and Stele Forest: 14
- Train Station and Xianyang Airport: Airport Shuttle Route B
- Small Wild Goose Pagoda and Giant Wild Goose Pagoda: You8

Modern Towers Dwarfing the Once-Imposing Ming Dynasty City Wall

HONEST OPINION ON MAJOR SIGHTS

Everyone goes to Xi'an for the ancient Terracotta Warriors, but not everyone knows about Xi'an's rich heritage of Tang, Ming and Qing Dynasty sights. Here's my opinionated list of what to see, but more importantly, what to skip.

Cascading Roof Tiles at Bei Yuan Men 144

Bei Yuan Men 144 - Informally known as Gao Family Courtyard or Gao Jia Da Yuan, this Ming Dynasty residence is one of the lesser-known sights of Xi'an and my personal favorite. Its well-preserved architectural details are so photogenic that I've chosen a few pics for this article. But that's not the best part ... for only RMB 30 (CAD$4.5) you'll get the chance to see one of China's dying folk art forms, the leather shadow puppetry.

The puppet theater was performed in a little hall by two artists in their 60's, with one person playing both percussion and an Erhu-like instrument and the other controlling several marionettes simultaneously. Both were involved in the voice acting, which could be performed in Chinese or English depending on the audience. Only three spectators -- the two of us plus one local -- were in attendance and we were presented with the Chinese version of San Da Bai Gu Jing, a somewhat humorous short play derived from the Journey to the West.

An oasis of tranquility amidst the raucous Muslim Quarter, Bei Yuan Men 144 is also one of the rare sights remaining open at night (the signage advertised an extremely late closing time of 23:00). Don't miss it after an authentic Xi'an dinner at the neighboring Jia San or Hong Hong -- the dimly lit lanterns only makes the place so much more romantic at night.


City Wall - So many things to do and love. Climb up and down the stairs to the watch towers. Watch the locals practice Taichi fist in the morning. Rent a bicycle and circumnavigate the wall. See old Xi'an's unrestored ghettos from above. This is the best place to be on a sunny afternoon.

The 1,300-Year-Old Landmark of Xi'an - Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

Muslim Quarter - More important than the Terracotta Warriors on my itinerary. In fact we picked our hotel based on its proximity to the Muslim Quarter in order to have brunch and dinner here everyday. See my other three articles and you'll agree that it was the right choice.


Museum of Terracotta Warriors - A UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of China's most popular attractions. Getting to the museum can be a minor adventure in itself, as the square in front of Xi'an Train Station is infiltrated with all kinds of fake buses waiting to lure the uninformed tourist into their specialized Terracotta Warriors tours, complete with grossly overpriced lunchstops and mandatory souvenir shopping. The real official bus, numbered "You5" or "306," was somewhat hidden at the eastern side of the square. After getting to the Museum ticket counter, spend a few extra RMB to have the golf cart whisk you across the ginormous compound to the actual museum. The golf cart goes only one way, as the intention is to have visitors leave the compound from the back exit, through a long street of souvenir shops selling anything from clay warriors to wolf skin. The excavation sites and the museum are worth the trip though, and my favorite was the incredibly detailed bronze horses and chariot. Bring your good camera -- you'll need high ISO settings for the indoor excavation pits.


Small Wild Goose Pagoda (Xiaoyanta) - An 8th Century skyscraper dating from Xi'an's golden era as the most advanced city in the world. Constructed in an archaic style that appears more Indian than Chinese, this 13-level pagoda is so well-preserved, despite numerous earthquakes, that visitors can still safely climb 45m up its wooden staircase for a panoramic view of southern Xi'an. If you're choosing between the two Goose Pagodas to climb like we were, the Small Wild Goose is less restored, cheaper to enter (free to enter compound; RMB 30 to climb as of 2011), and much quieter compared to the bustling tourist town surrounding the Great Wild Goose.

Great Wild Goose Pagoda (Dayanta) - Xi'an's most famous landmark has suffered the same fate that plagues many of China's historical monuments -- the development of its surroundings into an amusement park atmosphere. Not quite as enchanting as the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, though the water fountain at its north square is probably the best place in Xi'an to people-watch.

Shaanxi History Museum - This has become one of Xi'an's main tourists attractions for several reasons: its proximity to the Great Wild Goose Pagoda (just two blocks away), its free entrance policy, and the fact that it is an excellent museum focusing on Xi'an's glorious past as China's ancient capital. The hour-long lineup for the free tickets was definite the WORST lineup we encountered anywhere in China, and only upon getting close to the counter did we realized that it's possible to skip the lineup by purchasing a Special Exhibits entrance ticket at another counter window ...

An Anonymous Pavilion at the Stele Forest

Stele Forest - Officially known as the Beilin Museum, this is not only an excellent place to see some of the best Chinese calligraphy, but also a great place to buy some ink rubbings for the living room. Don't buy the overpriced items inside the museum though -- head to the little street to the east of the museum for a larger selection of paintings and calligraphy at better prices.

Great Mosque - Unfortunately closed during our stay in Xi'an and thus became one of my major regrets, Xi'an's Great Mosque is one of those rare monuments documenting the fusion of cultures at this ancient crossroad. How many other places can you name that has a Chinese pagoda serving as a Minaret?

Hanyangling - A friend of ours rated this mausoleum to be more interesting than the Terracotta Warriors, but we just couldn't fit it into our itinerary. A state-of-the-art museum built to protect and showcase the on-going excavation of Emperor Jingdi's tomb, this relatively new attraction is best known for its smaller Terracotta figurines. It is located in the vicinity of Xianyang, and requires more than a half-day for independent travelers based in Xi'an.

Huashan Mountain - One of the most famous mountains in Chinese folklore, Huashan is best known within China for two things -- its ancient title as the most precarious mountain under heaven, and its new-found popularity as the fictional site of a showdown in Jinyong's popular martial arts novels. We considered spending a night at one of the basic guesthouses at the top for the famed sunrise, but it would have been quite a detour off our eventual route towards Pingyao. We chose to pass through Dangjiacun instead with no regrets.

Famen Temple (Famensi) - Skipped with no reservations. No sense in traveling a couple hours from Xi'an just to see a recent reconstruction of the ancient temple, no matter how famous in history it used to be.

Tang Paradise (Da Tang Fu Rong Yuan) - What you expect us to waste our time at some cheezy theme park?



ACCOMMODATION

If you're a serious foodie like we are, do your taste buds a big favor and book your hotel as close as possible to the Muslim Quarter. If you still need further convincing, see my Gourmet Guide to Xi'an here, here and here.

Super 8 Xidajie Hotel Where We Stayed

We narrowed our list down to two -- 2 star Super 8 Xidajie, and 3 star Shanxi Wenyuan Hotel. Wenyuan was closest to the Muslim Quarter, but we crossed it off since its cheapest rooms (RMB 250) were located in the basement with no windows. Super 8 on the other hand was hidden in a quiet side street off the main throughfare of Xidajie, and still within 5 minutes of walking distance to the Muslim Quarter. Double rooms cost a very reasonable RMB 183 (CAD$28) in 2011 ... but only if you apply for a free membership at Super 8 China and book from the Chinese site. Booking thru the international site cost RMB 218, still cheaper than Wenyuan.

No-nonsense Double Room at Super 8 Xidajie

The room was reasonably clean and decent-sized, with a simple bathroom, cable TV (mostly Chinese channels, except CCTV English). No fridge though -- we kept our beer cool under cold running water in the wash basin.

Spending an Evening at Bei Yuan Men 144

FOOD

Xi'an occupies a unique position in the world of Chinese cuisine. As the endpoint of the ancient Silk Road, Xi'an imported the spices and cooking methods of the Middle East and originated its own remarkable fusion of flavors here. For more than a thousand years, a sizable Chinese-Muslim community has settled here and developed its own secret recipes and dishes, many of them passed down in unassuming, 100-plus-year-old hole-in-the-wall eateries.

A taste of authentic Xi'an fusion cuisine, and not the Terracotta Warriors, was the real focus of our trip. There was so much I wanted to share with fellow foodies that I made it into a series of articles in Part 3, Part 2 and Part 1.

Xi'an remains underrated as a tourist destination, and tour buses tend to spend no more than a day and see very little beyond the Terracotta Warriors. But if you're an independent traveler, slow down and climb its ancient pagodas, bicycle its medieval city walls, and wander down the Muslim Quarter's narrow alleys for some exotic treats ... before more of the world discovers its charm.

Gourmet Guide to Xi'an - Part 3

This is my third and last article on the fascinating food scene at Xi'an's Muslim Quarter, the birthplace of traditional Chinese-cross-Middle-Eastern fusion cuisine. For the past 1,500 years, delicate Chinese cooking methods have intermingled with the bold spices and ingredients from the Near East in this ancient capital of the Tang Dynasty. The result, for modern day foodies like myself at least, is an explosion of unique flavors hidden deep in the Muslim Quarter's 100-plus-year-old recipes and locally-famous little shops.

As usual, most restaurants reviewed are marked and numbered on the map below.

MAP LEGEND:
1.LAO MI JIA (stir-fried unleavened bread in mutton broth)
2.HONG HONG (Halal lamb skewers and fried rice)
3.BIANG BIANG MIAN (sheet noodles in specialty 3-in-1 sauce)
4.SUN JIA (meatballs and vegetables in spicy soup)
5.JIA SAN (soup dumplings and best plum juice ever)
6.SHENG ZHI WANG (cold noodles in sesame paste)
7.ZHAO JIA BAO (rose-honey flavored glutinous rice cakes)
8.QING ZHEN SHAO JI (Halal roasted free-range chicken)


5. JIA SAN -- EXCELLENT PLUM-HAWTHORN JUICE AND SOUP-FILLED DUMPLINGS

Food Review: JIA SAN (Muslim Quarter, Xi'an)
Address: Beiyuanmen 93, Beilinqu, Xi'an
Hours: 08:00-22:00
Website/Map: From Dianping.com (in Chinese)
Directions: See location #5 on my Xi'an Gourmet Map. Start from the Drum Tower and head north on Bei Yuan Men. It's on the right hand side.


Walking along the Muslim Quarter's main drag, chances are you'll come across a huge queue of locals and multi-national tourists alike winding in front of the colourful facade of a multi-level restaurant. This place has become so legendary among visitors, both Chinese and international, that it has probably become one of the famous landmarks of central Xi'an after the Drum Tower and Bell Tower. Call it touristy and overrated, but you can hardly get through the Muslim Quarter without making your way past the queue at the crowded Jia San.

Jia San has become incredibly famous for one simple dish -- its scaldingly hot, soup-filled dumplings in bamboo steamers, known as Guan Tang Bao Zi. The concept of a liquid soup filling inside a thin dumpling skin is of course not a Xi'an invention -- the Cantonese have their Kwun Tong Gau (the real traditional type that arrives in a steamer instead of a bowl!), and the Shanghainese in particular have successfully introduced Xiao Long Bao (known overseas as XLB Dumplings) to the rest of world. So what distinguishes Jia San's Guan Tang Bao Zi from the XLB Dumplings of Shanghai/Taiwan? That's what we're here to find out.



All of Jia San's floors were swarming with crowds when we arrived at 19:30 on a busy Saturday. We were promptly herded to second floor, to a rowdy, almost cafeteria-like dining hall with long stainless steel tables filled mostly by local families. The two of us shared a table with a 3-generation family on our right, and a young couple across from us. Everyone ordered at the counter and brought the receipt back to the table, hoping that meandering (and occasionally confused) servers would somehow spot the receipt and deliver the right items as they came off the stove. We almost had a receipt with two outstanding items snatched by a sloppy server -- do keep one eye on your receipt while you're staring down your mountains of dumplings.



We ordered three steamers of soup dumplings for the two of us, which seemed to be the norm judging by our neighboring tables. Everything arrived steaming hot as expected, and the only way to avoid scalding our tongues was to bite off the top of each dumpling to let the soup cool slightly. That simple task turned out to be a severe test of our chopstick skills as the dumplings skins were extremely thin and fragile (Note: both of us have been lifelong chopsticks users). One local middle-aged mom at our table watched in amusement as we perfected our method of employing a side-to-side rocking motion to peel the dumpling off the straw steamer mat and into a spoon -- she attempted to teach us her ways of air-lifting dumplings with her killer chopstick techniques, and failed miserably with juices leaking all over. At this point I noticed the first major difference between these Guan Tang Bao Zi dumplings compared to Shanghai's XLB Dumplings -- the dumpling skins are a little stickier and tougher to transfer to the mouth intact. Not sure if this is what we should expect, or if the chefs were just taking on a new apprentice.

Nitpicking aside, the essence of all soup dumplings is of course the soup stock, typically gelatinized with a pork-skin- or agar-based mixture and carefully wrapped inside the dough skin for steaming. Out of the three flavors we ordered, the unassuming San Xian (literally "Three Delicacies" -- pork, shrimp and leeks) turned out best with the leeks adding to the flavors of a decent soup stock. Considering the Chinese-Muslim roots of this restaurant, I actually had higher expectations for the lamb dumplings, which were frankly quite average. The ox tail dumplings, with the inclusion of some beef tendons, was a better choice.

The verdict? This may be somewhat unfair, but we can only compare Jia San's Guan Tang Bao Zi against the Shanghai-style XLB Dumplings that we've had in the past. Perhaps it was an off night for the chefs at Jia San, but I certainly expected more from one of Xi'an's most famous restaurant's most famous dish. Both the soup and the fillings were mostly above average, but I've had better XLB Dumplings, in and outside of China.

If this review ended with the dumplings I would have discouraged everyone from visiting. But as we discovered, Jia San's heralded dumplings, with all its accolades and fame, should really take a backseat to these two excellent items ...



Introducing our favorite dish at Jia San: Ba Bao Tian Xi Fan -- literally Sweet Rice Porridge with 8 Treasures. I can't figure out why this isn't more famous than the dumplings, as it is a wonderfully refreshing dessert in the fine traditon of Chinese sweet soups. I did not count the 8 treasures, but from memory there were all kinds of raisins, Goji berries, lotus seeds, lily roots, and of course traditionally flavored with the highly fragrant Osmanthus flower. For a mere RMB 4 (CAD$0.6) this was easily the best dish.



But that's still not our NUMBER ONE recommendation at Jia San, which belongs to a take-out drink known as Shan Zha Wu Mei Tang, or Hawthorn and Black Plum Juice. Virtually every single table ordered a few cup of these drinks, which seemed to be prepared and packaged in-house and sold to both restaurant patrons and pedestrians walking by for RMB 2 (CAD$0.3). This was by far the best plum juice both of us have ever had, with the hawthorn fruit adding a woody, unmistakably Chinese dimension to complement the sweet plum. In fact we made at least one more trip back to Jia San later that week, just to get another cup for take-out. It was that good.

To conclude, Jia San is worth the visit if you're coming to Xi'an, but not necessarily for its dumplings. My recommendations, in order of preference, are:
1. Hawthorn-Plum Juice
2. Sweet Rice Porridge with 8 Treasures
3. Soup Dumplings in San Xian flavor

Bill for Two Persons

Soup Dumplings (Lamb)	RMB 12
Soup Dumplings (San Xian)	RMB 12
Soup Dumplings (Ox Tail)	RMB 16
Sweet Porridge with 8 treasures	RMB 4
Plum-Hawthorn Juice	RMB 2
TOTAL	RMB 46 (CAD$7)

6. SHENG ZHI WANG -- COLD NOODLES IN SESAME PASTE

Food Review: SHENG ZHI WANG (Muslim Quarter, Xi'an)
Address: Dapiyuan 225, Linhuqu, Xi'an
Hours: 08:00 until sold out (~11am)
Website/Map: From Dianping.com (in Chinese)
Directions: See location #6 on my Xi'an Gourmet Map. Start from the Drum Tower and walk north to the Pailou (archway) at the end of Bei Yuan Men. Turn left on Dapiyuan. Sheng Zhi Wang is at the end of the block on the right side.


One of the favorite breakfast/lunch items of the Xi'an locals is a dish of udon-like noodles mixed with a addictively rich sesame paste, known as Ma Jiang Niang Pi.

The Niang Pi noodles (also called Liangpi or even Rangpi, depending on locality) is not exclusively a Xi'an invention -- multiple locales in Northwest China from Shaanxi to Gansu to Qinghai claim these ubiquitous noodles as their own. But what sets Xi'an's Niang Pi apart is the signature sesame paste Xi'an's Chinese-Muslims love. If you're fan of the deep aroma of ground sesame there's no better place than the Muslim Quarter, and within the Muslim Quarter there's no Ma Jiang Niang Pi shop more famous than the venerable, 100-plus-year-old Sheng Zhi Wang.



For a taste of Sheng Zhi Wang's sesame paste you have to arrive early, as the shop closes once its daily portion is all sold out. I once passed by the shop at 15:00 in the afternoon and found it closed, so it's probably safer to arrive before noon. The shop itself is quite simple: a handful of tables, a counter where the order is taken, and walls plastered with photos of various politicians and foreign TV crews visiting the place. There's no English menu, but you really don't need one since they sell only two items -- Ma Jiang Niang Pi (Cold Noodles with Sesame Paste, RMB 4), and Suan Mei Tang (plum juice, RMB 2).



This secret-recipe sesame paste was definitely the thickest and most flavorful I've ever tasted, complemented by more sesame oil and a heavy dose of chili paste. The noodles looked and tasted remarkably similar to, though wasn't quite as chewy as, the more familiar udon. While I ordered mine with everything on, my wife skipped the chili and it just didn't taste the same. For the full experience I recommend that you at least mix a small amount of chili into your sesame paste, whether you're a fan of spicy food or not.

Our authentically filling breakfast, drinks and all, cost a bargain-bottom RMB 10 (CAD$1.5) for two persons. As we were savoring the sesame paste, scores of sandal-clad locals emerged from neighborhood and lined up at the counter for take-outs. It's hard to go wrong with an authentic, tried and proven local favorite. It has been here for the past hundred years, and by its current popularity it is quite conceivable that it will still be standing for the next hundred.

Bill for Two Persons

Cold Noodles in Sesame Paste	RMB 4
Cold Noodles in Sesame Paste	RMB 4
Plum Juice	RMB 2
TOTAL	RMB 10 (CAD$1.5)

7. ZHAO JIA BAO -- ROSE-HONEY FLAVORED GLUTINOUS RICE DESSERTS

Food Review: ZHAO JIA BAO (Muslim Quarter, Xi'an)
Address: Mobile stall on Xiyangshi street, Xi'an
Hours: approx 08:00 until sold out
Website/Map: From Dianping.com (in Chinese)
Directions: See location #7 on my Xi'an Gourmet Map. Start from the Drum Tower and head north on Bei Yuan Men street. Turn left on Xi Yang Shi street. Look for a mobile stand with the lady in the photo below.


One of my wife's favorite memories of Xi'an was a luscious box of take-out dessert from this little stand in the Muslim Quarter.

Though it may look like just another anonymous vendor, this unassuming roadside stall is arguably one of the city's most influential eateries, and the object of constant visits from TV stations and magazines. In fact many visitors to Xi'an have tasted these desserts without knowing, as their workshop supplies many of the city's top restaurants, including the tourist favorites Lao Sun Jia and Tong Sheng Xiang. But to get it straight (and cheap!) from the one and only official outlet ... that's why we made sure to visit Ms. Zhao at her stall.

And Ms. Zhao here was well aware of her own fame, and asked whether we'd seen her on TV or on Internet. I assume she's also aware of the potential to hike prices, but her famous boxed desserts still remained at RMB 5 (CAD$0.8) per order as of 2011.



Zhao Jia Bao sells nothing but pounded glutinous rice desserts in two equally delicious forms -- the Zongzi with a sweet red bean paste filling and sesame crust, and the plain Liang Gao with red bean paste on top. Both are finished with a drizzle of the customer's favorite dressing -- we chose the traditional rose-honey.

The result was the most delectable, chewy glutinous rice cake topped with velvety creamed red bean AND swimming in rose-water-infused honey. It was easily one of the best desserts of our entire trip.

If you're as big a dessert fan as my wife, perhaps you too should visit Zhao Jia Bao's little stall on Xi Yang Shi street in the Muslim Quarter. Take note though that there's another dessert stall right next to it -- Zhao Jia Bao's stall is typically on the left (east) side.

Bill for Two Persons

Rose-Honey Liang Gao + Zongzi (half and half)	RMB 5
TOTAL	RMB 5 (CAD$0.8)

8. QING ZHEN SHAO JI -- HALAL ROASTED FREE-RANGE CHICKEN

Food Review: QING ZHEN SHAO JI (Muslim Quarter, Xi'an)
Address: On Bei Guang Ji street near Xiyangshi street, Xi'an
Hours: 08:00 until sold out (approx 16:00)
Website/Map: None
Directions: See location #8 on my Xi'an Gourmet Map. Walk north on Bei Guang Ji street past Xiyangshi street. It's a little stall on the left hand side.


One of our favorite discoveries in the Muslim Quarter was this little stall near the northwest corner of Bei Guang Ji street and Xi Yang Shi street. The shop seemed to have no formal name, and sold one and only one item. The most reliable way to recognize this stall, aside from comparing with the above photo, is to ask around (or to randomly look) for these super lean, yellow-skinned Qing Zhen Shao Ji, or Halal roasted chicken.



My wife has always been a huge fan of China's chicken for its tenderness of texture and its intense flavor, and came up with this great idea of wrapping a whole Halal chicken back to the hotel for dinner. Perhaps it's the bloodline, but there's something very special about the flavor of chicken bred in China. Compared to the meatier but relatively bland chicken I usually get in Canada and the U.S., China's chicken tend to be much leaner, with a softer, more delicate texture and a slightly gamey taste. It's always one of the must-order items whenever we visit China or Hong Kong.

If memory serves me right we picked the one on the left, a lean, golden roasted bird weighing slightly over 1kg. The price was RMB 18 per Jin, a Chinese unit of weight equivalent to 500g, which was not exactly cheap for an informal-looking roadside stand.



It was definitely worth it -- flavorful, very juicy, and definitely free-range judging from hardness of the bones. This was precisely why we booked our hotel as close as possible to the Muslim Quarter.



We also came across the perfect beer to wash down any oily food, a quaint local beer deriving its bitterness not from hops, but from Chinese bitter melon. This was widely available at local supermarkets for about 2 or 3 RMB.

Bill for Two Persons

Roasted Free-Range Chicken (RMB 18/500g)	RMB 37
TOTAL	RMB 37 (CAD$5.6)

9. ZI WU LU ZHANG JI -- XI'AN'S SPECIALTY PULLED PORK SANDWICH

Food Review: ZI WU LU ZHANG JI (Near Great Goose Pagoda, Xi'an)
Address: Cui Hua Lu 227, Yantaqu, Xi'an
Hours: 10:00 to 21:00
Website/Map: From Dianping.com (in Chinese)
Directions: Start from either Shaanxi History Museum or the Great Goose Pagoda's water fountain. Walk along Xiao Zhai Dong Lu to Cui Hua Lu (walk east from the Museum, or west from the Pagoda). Walk south on Cui Hua Lu for about 5 minutes. It's a little shop of the left hand side, just south of the primary school.


Even though I have only one photo of this place, I feel that I should give a brief review of Zi Wu Lu Zhang Ji, widely reputed to be one of the two or three best eateries for one of Xi'an's most famous dishes, a Chinese sandwich known as Rou Jia Mo. Besides, this is a great place for a cheap lunch for anyone visiting the Great Goose Pagoda or the Shaanxi History Museum, two of Xi'an's popular tourist attractions.

Considered THE quintessential fast food by Xi'an locals, Rou Jia Mo's popularity here probably eclipses all of McDonald's, KFC and Dairy Queen combined, judging from the number of Rou Jia Mo shops around every street corner. I chose this location for review due to its proximity from both the Great Goose Pagoda and the Shaanxi History Museum, and the fact that this location has two of Xi'an's best Rou Jia Mo shops competing side-by-side. If one burger isn't enough to satisfy your appetite, there's a Fan Ji Rou Jia Mo next door.

Photographed is a Youzhi (premium) Rou Jia Mo, a fresh-off-the-oven bun filled with a heaping portion of shredded pork meat and skin that had been slow-cooking in a decade-old soup stock for hours. So stuffed with meat that it's just impossible to avoid having juices dripping all over the plate, this version of Chinese burger was satisfyingly authentic, filling, but also very greasy. I followed the local practice of washing it down with a bottle of Ice Peak, an orange-flavored soft drink wildly popular in Xi'an.

I just realized that out of the 9 eateries reviewed in Xi'an, this is the only one of non-Muslim origin. If you come to Xi'an, remember to let your taste buds experience 1,500 years of cultural fusion between the Han Chinese and the Hui people (Chinese-Muslims).

Bill for One Person

Premium Rou Jia Mo	RMB 7
Ice Peak Soft Drink	RMB 1.5
TOTAL	RMB 8.5 (CAD$1.3)