Compared with its current name, I prefer its former name "Chang'an" for its longevity and peace of life; it is more suitable for its long history and the charm of an ancient capital. The name "Xi'an" reveals the indifference of a city that has experienced prosperity but is willing to settle down in a corner. "The incense formation soaring into the sky penetrates Chang'an, and the whole city is covered with golden armor." Can't you imagine how majestic and splendid the city of Chang'an was back then?
In 2011, my high school classmate and best friend warmly invited me to visit Xi’an. The agreed date is the National Day holiday. In fact, I am quite afraid of traveling during the Golden Week. It is reported every day in the news: Popular scenic spots are crowded with people, and there are more people to see than views. It is overcrowded. However, if it is Xi'an, which in my mind is the most prosperous city in the most powerful dynasty, I am still willing to overcome all kinds of difficulties and find out.
That year, there was no high-speed rail or online ticket sales when going to Xi'an, so I had to go to the train station or an agency to buy train tickets. I had been traveling around the province and had little experience in buying train tickets. Fortunately, my best friend was considerate and booked the tickets for me over the phone in Xi'an in advance. At that time, it was good luck to book a hard seat. Huan Huan happily boarded the train with a hard-seat ticket that would last for 17 hours.
The train immediately gave me a warning. Having never experienced Spring Festival travel, I finally felt the difficulty of traveling. The entire carriage was like a compressed can and it was packed with people. There were people standing and sitting in the aisles, and some people were half-lying on their luggage. It took me several minutes to reach the toilet a few steps away, but I didn't dare to drink more water.
It’s not bad during the day. You can stand up and take a rest after sitting down, and the time for eating and drinking and chatting and laughing with your neighbors has passed. The real test comes at night. I am extremely tired but cannot find a suitable position to rest my body and mind. I feel like I am in a prison, suffocating and tossing and turning in the small space of the hard seat. People kept arriving at the station, and there were far fewer people. The carriage was dark and quiet, and only the sound of the train clattering forward could be heard.
The train was like a ferocious beast, roaring and roaring towards its destination in the vast wilderness covered by night. I was trapped in the body of this ferocious beast, and my body seemed to be weighing a thousand pounds and unable to move. My consciousness was hazy, half asleep and half awake, and I couldn't fall asleep. Fortunately, in the middle of the night, everyone next to me got off the bus, and I had a row to myself. I was finally able to lie down, and as soon as I relaxed, I fell asleep.
When I opened my eyes, it was dawn, and I happened to arrive at Xi'an Station, and my mood suddenly brightened. My best friend picked me up and went to her place to have a rest. To refresh myself, my best friend asked me what the first thing I wanted to do when I came to Xi'an? I did not hesitate to "eat, eat, eat" and quickly served all the delicious food in Xi'an.
The first stop was Huimin Street, which was expected to be crowded with people. My best friend said that Muslim Street is actually very famous, and locals rarely come here to eat. I nodded desperately in agreement, but as a standard tourist, I have to come here anyway. It is difficult to escape this tourist trap.
The mutton steamed buns we went to eat first were crowded. First, wait in line for a seat, then wait for the meal to be served once you have a seat, in short, wait and wait. After a lot of hard work, the steamed buns finally arrived. It was such a big bowl. He buried his face in the basin and ate it quickly. His best friend was chattering next to him: The taste was much different than usual. You have to break the buns yourself first and then let the chef cook them. It is estimated that there are too many people to take care of it, so it is cooked together and served. I said that there was no problem and it was delicious. I had already established a policy of "don't be fussy, just make do with it" during the holidays. And it is indeed delicious, rich and delicious, which is very popular with me.
This is a city with a long history, a city of gourmet food, and a pasta paradise in my eyes. Noodles, Liangpi, stuffed skin, Roujiamo, Saozi noodles, Qishan noodles, trouser belt noodles, spicy meatball soup, mutton steamed buns, beef steamed buns, biangbiang noodles, all kinds of noodles, all kinds of noodles, you can enjoy it. Huh. Thanks to my best friend who doesn’t like pasta, she took me through the streets and wandered in the paradise of delicious food. The fact that she doesn't like to eat pasta makes me feel very unhappy and complain about her: It's a waste of natural resources to be indifferent to these foods.
Today's Xi'an still retains the square urban layout of "hundreds of thousands of houses are like chess boards, and twelve streets are like vegetable patches", including the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Forest of Steles, Bell and Drum Towers, Ci'en Temple, city walls, etc. Ancient buildings have gone through wind and rain and still stand for future generations to admire. Walking on the streets of this city, you can still trace traces of the once unprecedentedly prosperous Qin, Han and Tang Dynasties. In particular, the Tang Dynasty left a strong mark here.
To understand the past and present of a city, the best place is a museum. Shaanxi Expo is a must-go place for me on this trip. I rushed there early in the morning and was shocked by the long queue in front of the door. It was even more popular than the tourist attractions. We queued in front of the door for two and a half hours before we could get inside to take a peek at the treasures. My best friend said there are usually very few people here, so there is no need to queue at all. I had to put on a helpless face during the holidays.
If you don’t go to Xi’an to see the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, how can you say you have been to Xi’an? I have been waiting for the Terracotta Warriors for thousands of years, and I finally arrived. There was still a sea of ??people, so I had to push through the crowd and squeeze onto the railing beside the pit. If someone left the railing, I could quickly take up my spot.
Although it was hard and difficult, the distance from the Terracotta Warriors and Horses was still a bit far away, but I was still shocked by their momentum and formation!
No wonder there are rumors that the Terracotta Warriors and Horses were made by real people pouring clay and firing them. They are life-like in size, with different shapes, thousands of faces, and lifelike. They are neat and spectacular formations. They have been buried underground for thousands of years and still exude... The aggressive momentum was in sharp contrast to the noisy crowd on the pit. I was even a little grateful for the noisy crowd. If there were fewer people, it would not be able to suppress the aura of these terracotta warriors and horses, which would make me scared.
It finally dawned on me that over and over again, there were people who took the trouble to describe and photograph the resurrection of these figurines. I dare not stare at them for too long, for fear of touching their souls and disturbing their thousand-year sleep...
At night, the Huaqing Palace is brightly lit and crowded with people, all to admire the large-scale The live dance drama "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" is here. This drama is recommended by my best friends with five stars. It is a must-see when you come to Xi'an. After this scene, I became addicted to this kind of live singing and dancing performance. I watched a series of "Impressions" and "Eternal Love", but none of them were as amazing as this one.
Before, I despised the love between Tang Xuanzong and Yang Guifei. It's just an unholy love affair between a father-in-law and his daughter-in-law. Bai Juyi's "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" is also a high-level dark version of their story. But after a different interpretation of modern singing and dancing, I admitted that I had been brainwashed and recognized that these two people were true love. The love between the beautiful woman and the white hair, who wanted to die in all kinds of ways, actually moved people.
Imperial love may be the most extravagant and heaviest love in the world. "There are three thousand beauties in the harem, three thousand pampers in one body." This love is all poured into a beautiful, brainless, petite and obese little woman. She can do nothing except squandering and doing everything in the world, until she loses her Qingqing's life was taken away, and the prosperity and strength of the entire dynasty was gone forever. Perhaps, the emperor should not have true love. True love is doomed to tragedy and a huge price.
That night, by the Huaqing Pool at the foot of Lishan Mountain, I had a dream about the prosperous Tang Dynasty. "Spring Cold Bath Huaqing Pool" is full of water mist and fragrant, and the entire scene seems to have turned into a big bath. Those ancient ladies were dressed in gorgeous clothes, dancing gracefully, and came gracefully, like fairies, like dreams, reappearing the "Song of Colorful Feather Clothes" and "The Smoke and Dust in the Nine-layered City". The war was chaotic and the smoke was everywhere. The scene was really full of fireworks and horses neighing. , sitting in the front row and deeply feeling the heat of the flames......... perfectly performed every fragment and scene of "Song of Everlasting Sorrow", which is sung, cried, amazed, and sentimental. And majestic.