Jingzhou

Jingzhou - the ancient capital of the Chu Kingdom during the Warring States Period.  It was one of the most powerful factions until defeated by the Kingdom of Qin. More importantly, it's the hometown of my girlfriend Cathy.

The city is one big historical artifact.  It's one of the few Chinese cities with well preserved city walls.  The local museum houses some very impressive jade exhibits, well preserved weapons (that still have a blade's edge) and even a mummy!

I stayed at Cathy's mother's home, which is near a very pretty but run-down park.  It was a really old abode that probably harked back to the Cultural Revolution.  It housed 4 families in a sort of hutong style.  On one side of the main open-air foyer were the bedrooms, and on the other side were the kitchens. Staying there made me feel like I was REALLY in China.

Cathy's cousin drove us around town and even out to an ancient Chu tomb about 70 km away.  The whole area was still under excavation, and we were one of two groups who got to look around the tomb that day.  The highlight of the tomb was a pit about 100 meters long displaying about 35 chariots and 100 horses.  Another interesting part was the current excavation, which was of a princess or well-loved concubine.  The bottom of the pit had a lot of jade pieces, and archaeologists figured that the "host" really liked this girl.  It was really neat to see current excavation work.
 
Archaeologists don't know who this "host" is, although they know that the entire outlying area is part of his tomb.  He could be a king or prince of Chu, or maybe wealthy royalty.  They haven't started digging up his tomb yet, which is under a foothill, since there's still a lot of work to be done around the main tomb.

Another highlight of my trip to Jingzhou was the local cuisine.  The Spring Festival is coming up, and Cathy's uncle hosted a dinner reunion (the first of many in the upcoming weeks leading up to Lunar New Year). I was invited, but I was wary to keep away from the baijiu, even though Cathy found out it was the expensive stuff.  Seriously, I can't tell the difference between the 30 kwai stuff and the 600 kwai stuff.  All baijiu tastes like nail polish or barf to me. I much prefer sugelan weishiji - Scotch whisky.

I also got a nice pair of aviators to combat the glare of the sun across the snow.

All in all, I really enjoyed myself in Jingzhou.  I got to see Cathy's family and her very historical hometown. Unfortunately, she couldn't come with me on my big adventure, which starts early tomorrow.

Guangzhou and Hong Kong! I'm coming for you!!!

Xi'an Photos

Xi'an is a pretty city...much prettier than Wuhan that's for sure.
Here's a view from the Bell Tower.

Big Goose Pagoda. A journey the monk took to India influenced the writing of "Journey to the West."
Came to see a light show but ended up disappointed.

The Great Mosque in the Muslim Quarter.  Chinese and Arabic writing on tablets.

Strange looking Starbucks in the middle of the city attracts many expats.

Typical street in the Muslim Quarter.  I scored my new North Face frame pack near here.

My colleagues in the middle of a very narrow 4 way intersection filled with cars, pedestrians, bikes, scooters, and hustle-n'-bustle.

A high ranking officer at the Terracotta Warrior Site

Some of my students do a face-plant like this...but on their keyboards

Pit #1.  They are legion!!!

Me with the person who found the Terracotta Warriors back in the 1970s. He sits and signs books all day. Apparently, the government pays him to sit there.

Pit #1

Pit #1

My colleagues on the City Wall.

City Wall shot

This was messed up.  I think there was a celebration earlier in the week.

From the city wall looking at inside city

Winner!

People warming up by burning things

The East Gate by night

Revolutionary Park and Memorial to the 8th Route Army.

Crazy Cup of coffee...but it wasn't coffee...it was tea,

Xi'an

Happy New Year!!!

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted on here. Christmas has come and gone, I had a trip to Xianning hot springs...so many other things have happened since my last post!

Just got back to Wuhan from Xi'an - the ancient capital of China.  Went with 3 other teachers from the school...2 PE teachers and an English/Drama teacher.  Some highlights were the Muslim Quarter, New Years Celebrations, and of course, the Terracotta Warrior Army.  I scored in the Muslim Quarter by haggling a North Face factory defect down from 280 to 210 kwai.  I'll post some nifty pictures of Xi'an on my blog as the week progresses.

We have 1 more week of instruction, then a week of invigilating exams.  After that, my backpacking adventure begins.  Jingzhou is next on the piste. On deck, Guangzhou and HK.

Paul

In Xianning waiting for the train