2000+ years in 2+ days

Xi An
As soon as you set foot into Xi'An, you first see cultural pride emitting from each plank of wood in the architecture and each word spoken by the locals. You don't leave without knowing: this was the first and longest capital of China.
The Big Goose Pagoda not only hosts the scriptures that Tang Shen obtained from India thousand years ago but also the second biggest musical waterfountain show in the world. Sparrows, not spotted elsewhere in the city, circled the pagoda day and night. Maybe they're there to guard the scriptures, or maybe they're just there for the show.

You always see the row and rows of neatly arranged Terracotta Warriors. I learned that this emperor not only wanted the world's largest army with him to rule the underworld, but also buried the sun, moon mountains and rivers inside his tomb too. He took with him a palace city with all his concubines who never bore children - 3000+ in all.

Xi An is the only city with an entirely entact city wall. On our last night, we "bribed" a guard to let us on the wall after hours. We were part of the black square that surrounded the old city, but was encircled by the vibrant new Xi'An. We were the lonely soldiers who patrolled the city wall that night. City lights lit our path from both sides. On that night, the city wall no longer protected the city; rather the now city embraces its wall.

City favs: Yes, children do need heroes to inspire them. But even the best superhero stories pales in comparison to the feats accomplished by our own ancestors. Look no further than our own history for the foulest villains and the most glorious stories of human triumph.

Least favs: Coming to Xi'An would make any Chinese person proud to be part of this rich heritage yet ashamed to know so little about it. The stories about China will never end, and so we keep learning and creating.

Thousands of Words

Since pictures are worth a thousand words, I'll be succinct:
Zhang Jia Jie (3 Day tour)
Zhang Jia Jie is a national park in Hunan province. Basically the cities in that entire area is sustained by tourism only. People travel from all over to witness their mountains.

This is the typical mountain structure of the Zhang Jia Jie. Pillars of rock reach from the fog, as if they have already penetrated from earth's realms. Standing above the clouds you can't be anywhere but heaven, with the world's 2nd longest cable car as the gateway.

If you watch the fog for long enough, you start to wonder: is the fog evaporating from the mountains, or are the mountains floating with a trail of fog?And maybe these underground pillars of rock were the origin of the mountains. Perhaps they first penetrated through the caves and then through the clouds.

City favs: The majesty of it all strikes you dumb. Each person vanishes from minuteness, hypnotized such that one is no more than a worshipper of beauty, blindly pointing and shooting, hoping to capture a glimmer of her essence. All the while, knowing full well this is like capturing the ocean in a single spoonful.

Least favs: The entire well being of this community depended on tourism. Since the earthquake tourism in China decreased by 70 to 80%. Likewise, this city cooled down as well. Parts were like ghost towns - I felt like a queen - entire parks opened just for me?