Final Post on Xian, China

Xian City Wall

I'm always fascinated about cultures and traditions of all ethnicity. The fact that i'm visiting one of the oldest cities in China, i'm all out to know about the Qin, Tang and Han Dynasties. What else can be better than watching a theater reflecting on the glory of the Tang Dynasty! Yup, Cynthia took us to the theater located somewhere in the city and i was all out for it...my mind started to think about the obvious of dancers wearing traditional colourful costumes, twirling here there seductively and the acrobatic actions of male dancers performing. It made my night a memorable one.

Theater
The Glory of Tang Dynasty

Introduction: Coming of Spring

White Sleeve Dance

This dance was my favourite performance of all 10 segments! When i was younger, i used to like (actually still into these movies) watching the female chinese ghosts flying with their long white sleeves lingering while flying and the super powers they can show off. So, when i saw the monitor showing the title 'White Sleeve Dance', i got myself all excited!

The material of the sleeves was made from ramie, which also known as "China Grass", a flowering plant native to eastern Asia (Sourced from What is Ramie Fabric? article of Natural-Environment.com, 2008). I wish to quote some interesting facts about the ramie fabric, sourced from Ramie yarns article of SWICOFIL, a Swiss Company with over 30 years of experience in yarns and fibers stated that "ramie is one of the oldest textile fibers used in mummy cloths in Egypt during that period BC and has been growing in China for many centuries. The fiber is very durable, is pure white in colour and has a silky luster. It is reported to have a tensile strength eigth times that of cotton and seven times greater than silk." (Sourced from Ramie yarns article).

This shot was captured by me while one of the main dancers was twirling and is officially my all time favourite shot! The song played during the performance definily mesmerized the audiences that night, which was created by a famous poet during the Tang Dynasty, Li Bai.

The Journey of Monk XuanZang

Spring Outing


A Beautiful Dream

This performance was solely about the late Emperor XianZong and his highness beloved concubine, Yang Qui Fei. The Emperor requested for a dance appeared from his dream. There were girls dressed in rosy clouds and seriously, very enchanting love story. ;)

The Emperor & concubine, Yang Qui Fei

Colours of the Autumn


This performance was so full of colour and vibrant, which also signified the celebration of a good harvest date. Also featured here was Suona, the King of Trumpet, such a real comedian.


Grand Dynasty: The closing dance

Xian City Wall




The architecture of the brick walls were so amazing that stretched out up to 37 kilometers surrounding the whole Xian city.



Journey back to KL...

Phew...FINALLY!! Finished with my post-trip articles.

Hope you guys enjoy reading as much as i had fun choosing the many captured shots and writing them.

Luv Luv!!!

Photos by Nurvia Ooi

Xian, China (Part II)

In addition to our trip, apart from checking out all the historical landmarks and places, Cynthia took us for some quick stops at local factories to see some China made goods. These materials used are somewhat familiar in almost every part of the world... =)

Silk Factory



Silk worm eggs...

that can be stretched up to that size!
Trust me, it was stretchy and definitely un-pokeable.

More silk worm eggs being cleaned and processed.

This was the part where the silk was pulled & stretched
to become China made products.

Pearl Factory


That oyster contained more than 1 pearl, 13 - 15 pieces in it!


Pretty big ones will go straight behind the glass counter for us girls to choose..

Jade Factory


Jade under the spotlight, mesmerizing..

Raw materials before turning into pretty jades!

We learned that the lighter colour ones, are pricier. So, don't think the coloured jades cost more than the lighter ones! ;)

Fa Men Temple






Yup, it was super cold that day.

Local Park



Us girls ever posing in every way we can, with or without props.. ;)

In front of the musical fountain

Us with Cynthia, the tour guide

The 2nd highlight of my trip...
Muslim Street!!!


Drum Tower

The view of the Muslim Street

The art of making this sweet dessert where in malay we call it 'gula tarik', literally means 'sugar pull'??? heheh..well, click to see the above photos, where she repeatedly pulled the sugary dough, again and again and again, until it became so threadly fine as below...

Fine art? Yums!
The filling was filled with nuts surrounded by sweetness.


According to dad, the people above were some of the ethnic minorities of Chinese Muslims living in Xian.

Some minorities like the photo taken above, looked like some Turkish people; slightly fairer, bigger eyes and looked abit mixed whereas the Muslim Hui people that i took with one below...

looked like the other Han people in Xian, except she was wearing the scarf. =)
Nice old lady...

Later on, i saw this interesting stall cooking up some yummy stuffs...


The ingredients..The filling..The cooking

The many customers waiting...

Sizzles!

More food?

Well, we found a place for good halal food in the midst of the Muslim Street. It was a 3 storey restaurant and very packed! We were lucky enough to get seats on the 3rd floor itself. =)

Here was the order of our last night in Xian!

Spinach
Grilled spicy lamb
Ox tongue
Chicken with black sauce
Spicy prawns

After consuming vegetables for 4 days, lunch and dinner, i was so happy when i had my tummy filled with these goodness on the last day! All the dishes were so good and tasty, well minus the ox tongue as it was a cold dish...but the rest were absolutely yummy! The dishes were nicely cooked, not overly salty but just nice. The grilled lamb and spinach were my fave! Love love... =)

Final & Part III of Xian, China post will be up later tonight!
Overview of what the culture is like.
Do check it out ya!

=D

Luv luv!!!

Photos by Nurvia Ooi & Farhah