After leaving Chengdu, I still had about a week until orientation in Beijing, so I decided to take it slow, rolling by train and bus from city to city in central China. From Chengdu, I took a train to Xi'an and from there I took a bus to Luoyang, then another bus to Kaifeng. Finally, I caught a train back to Beijing. All three cities are former capitals of China.
I found Xi'an pollution unbearable, its tourist attractions overpriced, and much of the city rather gritty, but it was interesting to see a city with so much history. I saw the Terracotta Warriors, the Muslim quarter and great Mosque, and the Famen Temple, which is reputed to have a famous relic: one of the finger bones of the Buddha. Unfortunately, the original old and beautiful temple is overshaddowed by a gigantic new complex reminiscent of Dysney World. Entrance to the temple complex now costs 90 yuan. I talked to some of the local monks who said they had originally vigilantly opposed the commercialization of the old temple, but in the end felt they had to go along with the changes in the times. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to maintain the temple and to bring people there. As I left, the monk gave me some books.
I took classes with a professor at Yale named Kang Zhengguo, who as it turns out is from Xi'an. While there, I visited his sister, a retired English professor, and chatted with her about the city, life in America, and her brother's career.
From Xi'an I headed to Luoyang. Though it gets far less tourists than Xi'an, Luoyang was also once a capital of China. The air seemed less polluted than Xi'an and I thoroughly enjoyed Luoyang's night market, snacks, old buildings, city wall, Muslim restaurants, ancient temples, and cigars (I bought 20 for only 3 yuan). Henan province, where Luoyang is located, is one of the most populous in China and it was overwhelming to see so many people. Still, I really enjoyed the city.
From there I took a bus to Kaifeng, another ancient capital. Once the greatest city in the world, Kaifeng has been through a millenium of urban decay and now has only half a million people. Majestic pagodas and palaces of the past lie next to block after block of abandoned bombed out buildings. Once the center of China's wealth, Kaifeng is now a minor city in one of China's poorest provinces. Still, the city has enough left of its former greatness to make the visit interesting. I visited the old pagodas and palaces, saw a hospital which lies on the spot where a Synagogue stood a millenium ago, and tried delicious food. At one point I stepped into a restaurant where I met the four sisters who run it. We started chatting and I ended up talking to them for almost 10 hours, eating both lunch and dinner there. They were curious about life in America and what brought me to China, Kaifeng of all places. I learned a lot about them. The oldest sister had been in Kaifeng the longest, and had started the restaurant. Two of the middle sisters were in college and working while on winter break, and the youngest sister had just come from the countryside, excited to work there and see life in the big city. They gave me a lift home in their vehicle (a three wheeled pickup truck like contraption with a scooter engine) and we passed a night market on the way.
From Kaifeng I headed back to Beijing and orientation.
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