An impromptu trip

Day 1: An impromptu trip.
The Chinese New Year's Eve in 2018 was a busy and willful night. After having the New Year's Eve dinner, I started to get busy. I booked flights and hotels. The travel guide was made before, but it needed to be carefully studied because I wanted to seek more gains in this impromptu trip. For example, during festivals, we will encounter many unexpected crowds. We need to take these situations into account in our itinerary as they will affect the efficiency, mood, and harvest of our trip. Facts have proved this to be true. Therefore, we need to gain more time within a limited time. Especially when I found that tickets need to be accurate to the day of play, I was a bit panicked. After all, this is the first trip I initiated. Compared to the me who used to leave everything to others, I really have gained a lot. If I don't arrange the itinerary well, it means that I will waste a lot of energy and time dealing with unexpected things, which will surely discount my trip to Xi'an. This requires me to learn more about local customs and geographical locations. Having made the travel guide makes me feel much more at ease. It seems that I have already toured Xi'an once. This city is no longer so strange in my eyes. Looking forward to this trip, even excited.
In addition to relaxing our mood after intense work, I believe it is the intention of many travelers to appreciate the "flavor of the year" of different cities and feel the essence of Chinese culture. It really makes me look forward to it a little. For someone like me who likes small bridges, flowing water, pavilions, and towers, Xi'an, which has the title of "the eighth wonder of the world" and the ancient capital of thirteen dynasties, has long attracted travelers from all over the world. I am no exception. Here I come - Xi'an! Start an impromptu "forced landing."
It only took 40 minutes to reach Binhai Airport by subway. Perhaps because it was the first day of the lunar new year, there were not as many people as I had imagined. The usually bustling compartments seemed so deserted. Probably because people who wanted to reunite with their families as soon as possible started early. The airport waiting hall seemed extremely low-key. At the moment of takeoff, I said to myself that even if the trip fails, there will be gains. After a 1.5-hour flight, I successfully "forced landed" at 0:24 in the early morning of the second day of the lunar new year. Started a pleasant impromptu trip.
Because I confirmed the arrival time before boarding the plane and it was early in the morning, when I heard the friendly greeting from the landlady at the moment I made the call, my uneasy heart was calmed down. Ten minutes later, I arrived at the homestay. As soon as I entered, the warmth that came to me made my uneasy heart relieved. The bedding was very clean. Take a bath and go to sleep. Good night!
Day 2 - Sightseeing of the eight wonders of the world.
Terracotta Army Museum of Emperor Qin Shihuang.
At seven o'clock in the morning in Xi'an, the sky is still gray. We booked a ride-hailing car in the evening. The driver had something temporary. Fortunately, the owner of the homestay arranged another ride-hailing car for me. It was quite fast to get from near the airport to the Terracotta Army. People who have been to Xi'an must go to the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shihuang. Some people say that if you haven't been to Xi'an, you haven't been to China. If you haven't entered the Terracotta Army, you haven't been to Xi'an. So there are especially many people here who come here attracted by its reputation. Yes, there are too many wonders in Xi'an. The Terracotta Army is a wonder among wonders.
The car took us to the entrance of the Terracotta Army. The first thing that came into view was the "Terracotta Army Museum of Emperor Qin Shihuang" and the huge sculpture of Emperor Qin Shihuang. Seeing this sculpture, I couldn't help but think of Emperor Qin Shihuang's great achievements such as unifying the six states, unifying weights and measures, currency, building the Great Wall to resist the Huns, and "rejecting all schools of thought and respecting only Confucianism."
Lishan Garden Scenic Area of Emperor Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum.
After visiting the Terracotta Army, we took the vehicle prepared by the scenic area and traveled for about thirty minutes to Emperor Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum. In winter, the mausoleum seems to be in a deep sleep. There is a mysterious air permeating among the abrupt and lush scenery. It covers a large area. Roughly estimated, it is as large as five football fields. With Lishan Mountain as the background, it adds a few more mysterious flavors. We took an electric car and toured around. There are two burial pits. The Terracotta Army unearthed here is sparser compared to Pit No. 1 and not as spectacular. But a question can't help but arise in my mind. The distance between the location of Pit No. 1 and here is about a half-hour drive. How large is this place where Emperor Qin is? Suddenly thinking of the scene in the movie "The Myth", I suddenly realized that this is the place. This place full of mysterious atmosphere was once so far away and yet so close to me... Emperor Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum is nothing but the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shihuang. It is located at the foot of Lishan Mountain, east of Lintong County, more than 30 kilometers away from Xi'an. According to historical records: Emperor Qin Zhao Zheng began to build his mausoleum when he ascended the throne at the age of 13. The construction lasted for 38 years. The project is so huge and the momentum is so magnificent that it sets a precedent for the extravagant and elaborate burials of feudal rulers of all dynasties. The actual length of the underground palace of Emperor Qin's Mausoleum is 260 meters from east to west and 160 meters from north to south. The total area is 41,600 square meters. The underground palace of Emperor Qin's Mausoleum is the largest underground palace in the Qin and Han dynasties. Its scale is equivalent to five international football fields. Just this area is enough to be frightening.
Go to Huaqing Pool first and then to the Terracotta Army.
Due to winter and considering limited time and physical strength, we didn't visit Huaqing Pool. According to the travel guide made in advance and ignoring this place, but through the analysis of pictures, it is estimated that Huaqing Pool in summer must be a beautiful place with beautiful mountains and clear waters. Here we can only feel its beauty from pictures. If the tourist bus passes Huaqing Pool first and then goes to the Terracotta Army, this order is more convenient. You can soak in hot springs at Huaqing Pool. If you want to experience the scene of Yang Yuhuan back then, come here and try it. It's for imperial use.
Day 3: Sightseeing in the city center.
Shuyuanmen Pedestrian Street.
I got up early today. The target is Shuyuanmen. It takes only five minutes to walk through the underground passage from where I live. Shuyuanmen is located inside the South Gate of Xi'an. It is a pedestrian street from the Forest of Steles to the entrance of Guanzhong Academy. This street is full of brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, antiques, calligraphy, and paintings. It's similar to those in Beijing and Tianjin. But the difference is that there are big red lanterns hanging everywhere on the street. What a prosperous scene of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. The more than 570-meter-long street of Shuyuanmen has many shops selling brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, calligraphy, and paintings. When you come here, there is suddenly a scholarly atmosphere. The storefronts here are neither as delicate and beautiful as those in Jiangnan business districts nor as magnificent as those in Beijing's Dashilan. Instead, they are simple and honest. There are few cumbersome decorations on the storefronts. The plaques, couplets, and deep and narrow doorways show an elegant, auspicious, and reserved atmosphere. The academy is now located in Xi'an Normal University. It cannot be visited casually. Just from the scholarly atmosphere transmitted from the periphery, I can feel that studying and growing up in such a school is really a spiritual tempering.
Xi'an Beilin Museum.
Walking straight ahead from the academy, I unknowingly arrived at the Beilin Museum. The Xi'an Beilin Museum is an art museum mainly for collecting, researching, and displaying steles, epitaphs, and stone carvings of past dynasties. It is known as "the largest stone library in China." The Beilin in Xi'an is a treasure trove of calligraphy and a treasury of classics and history. Here I saw many masterpieces. The handwriting of Wang Xizhi, Ouyang Xiu, Aisin Gioro Xuanye, and also the handwriting of Prince Yunli in "Empresses in the Palace" are all presented in front of me in this way. For someone like me who likes calligraphy and painting, it is really a baptism of different significance. Here I also saw some rubbings. Thinking of the calligraphy in elementary school textbooks, I guess some are from here.