Xi‘an! Xi'an! (Part 3)

At night, this ancient town turns into a completely different place, with lights shining on and crowds of people walking around. Some would join the group at the square and dance, some would play traditional Chinese instruments by the City Wall, others would go to Ye Shi (a place where food stands gather only at night). As a food aficionado myself, how can I miss such a great opportunity!

The Ye Shi I went to located at Dong Xin Jie. (Take Bus 502 or 702 and get off at Dong Xin Jie). As one of the biggest Ye Shi in Xi’an, it has over 50 food stands and over 150 different kinds of food, such as Roast Fish, Fried Dumpling, and Chili Fagara. 

It starts at 6 p.m. and won’t end until midnight. Walking down the street, I always smelt the food before I actually saw them, and that made my mouth water. Among the food I tried, Yang Rou Chuan (lamb kabob) was my favorite. Small pieces of lamb were well roasted, crispy outside and soft inside. The use of cumin made the kabob not only smelt better but also tasted better. If you like spicy flavor, you can also add chilly powder yourself.

After enjoying 15 lamb kabobs, (no worries, they came in small sizes and about $5 for 15 kabobs) I went on searching for food. Roast fish came to my eyes. It may seem strange if it is the very first time that you ever eat fish in China—it comes in with head and tail. But ignore that part, I promise you it would be the tastiest fish you’ve ever tried! The special thing about it is that it is roasted with several different spices, and it is so well cooked that you can taste every single spice of it, garlic, onion, fennel etc.

 And finally for dessert, no ice cream, no cookies, no brownies. I went for Jing Gao—a cake like dessert made of sticky rice. Its tower-like container first attracted me. I would never guess it was something to eat unless I opened it myself. 

Inside the tower, there were many levels and each level was a piece of Jing Gao. They all looked the same, white on the outer circle and the center was covered by red, yellow and brown. 

On the side of these cute “towers”, there were plates of different nuts that you could add according to your preference. It looked pretty, but how did it taste? Well, it tasted good for me since I love the chewy feeling in my mouth.

Xi'an! Xi'an! (Part 2)

It doesn’t have big names like Beijing or Shanghai. But whenever I hear people mention its name, I feel extremely proud of having born there—Xi’an! Besides its long long history, I am more attracted to its various food and snacks.
Name the cities in China that are well known for their cuisines, Xi’an must be on the top of the list. Not only because the cuisine has a variety of food, but also because its popularity among a large group of people, including some foreigners.
First thing first, Rou Jia Mo (a different kind of sandwich with pork in it) is something you must try. It is so welcomed among the people that you can buy it almost everywhere, about $2 each.

 

But personally, I prefer the Rou Jia Mo from Fan Ji who also has the longest history in making Rou Jia Mo. To determine whether it is a good Rou Jia Mo or not, one usually needs to consider two parts—the bread part and the pork part. Rou Jia Mo from Fan Ji not only has the freshest bread, but also has the juiciest pork. And that’s probably why it is so popular among the local people. There are different locations of Fan Ji in the city. However, if you want to take a break from the bicycle ride on the city wall like I did, why not go to the one that right by the city wall? (109 Dong Da Jie, Bei Lin Qu)



Besides that, Liang Pi (a kind of noodle made from wheat or rice flour) is another food that is originated from Xi’an. Unlike the process of making other noodles, it is put into cold water after being steamed. The most important reason for doing this is that it can make the “noodle” more chewy and tasty. The “noodle” itself is not enough, the sauce that comes with it also matters. People usually put chili oil, vinegar, salt water and mixed them with mashed garlic and shredded cucumber evenly.



Again, like Rou Jia Mo, it is very common in Xi'an so you can find it everywhere. But the best one, I think, is Wei Jia Liang Pi. (1st floors, Xue Lin Ya Yuan, Da Xue Nan Lu, Bei Lin Qu)To Be Continued…

Xi'an! Xi'an! (Part 1)

When asked which is the oldest city in China, people may think of Beijing since it was the capital of 5 dynasties in the history of China. But, Xi’an, also known as Chang’an, was not only the capital of the most important dynasties in Chinese history such as Qin, Sui and Tang, but also the east terminus of Silk Road and home to the Terracotta Army. Personally, I love it a lot and am proud of it being my hometown.

One of the places I must go every time I visit my hometown is Xi’an City Wall. Locating in the downtown area, it provides you with both the scent of a modern city and its deep cultural details. Of the four gates it has (South, North, West, East), I highly recommend the South gate (Bei Lin Qu Nan Men) . Not only because it is the oldest gate among the four (it was built in Sui Dynasty, about 1,600 years ago), but also because you can rent bikes (about $8 for every 100 mins) here and take a ride on the ancient wall.

Inside the City Wall, there were no longer ancient palaces. Instead, many pseudo classic architectures were built in recent years. Tourists were walking around and taking photos, old people were playing chess or Taiji, and streets were crowded with cars and buses. It was somehow hard for me to imagine how it looked like thousands of years ago. But standing on the ancient bricks alone let me feel the profound cultural heritage. Outside the City Wall, Xi’an looks nothing different than a modern city—sky scrappers and busy traffic. I started my bike touring from the South Gate, and spent about 30 minutes riding on the wall and got back to where I started.

Feeling a little bit hungry after the “long” bicycle ride, I indulged myself into trying different kinds of  tasty food. It’s good to be back home!

Drown in Lijiang (Part 2)

Another thing you must do in Lijiang is to visit Mount Yulong. Its highest peak Shanzidou, with an elevation of 18,360ft, is covered with snow all year long. It is now fully developed into a tourist attraction with hotels and restaurants close by. 

 

People are welcomed to visit one of the peaks here called Yunshanping, and see the world from above if weather allows. There’s snow up there, so bring your winter coat or pay $20 to rent a coat up there. How do you get there? Great question! People are so smart that they even built ropeway ($30 per person for a roundtrip) for those who hate wasting time in climbing the mountain step by step. This is what unbelievable about human intelligence and modern technology—the ropeway goes from 11,010ft to 14,783ft with no stops in between. 

 

This is the fastest way for people who are not frightened by its 3,772ft-vertical-height-difference. For people who are scared and who still wants to save some time, there is another way to do it—horseback riding. But don’t think it’s easy. First, it usually costs a fortune to rent a horse, about $100. Second, you need to remember that you are reaching a point with an altitude of 14,783ft, on a horseback! I didn’t do the horseback riding when I was there, so I can’t really say things bad about it. But lucky as I was, the weather was extremely well that day, and I not only got to see the city from above but also took in some fresh and cold air.