Xi’an Walk

Sun, 4/15. Visited Little Wild Goose Pagoda. (The Big Wild Goose Pagoda is only a few mails away.) Before we got the lecture, Tai Chi lesson. Fun. The master had one complex routine for us to learn rather than several simple ones. After about seven run-throughs I think we got the hang of it, but I couldn’t do it now. I would have preferred more simple routines to remember.

After touring the gardens and watching people ring the bell for luck, we had a calligraphy class. The teacher was excellent. Everyone enjoyed learning how Chinese characters make sense when broken down into component parts.

After lunch we visited the City Wall. I inadvertently staged a partial mutiny by asking Jacky if I could leave the tour to just walk around the City on the Wall. Six others joined me. It ended up that only four went to the next stop, a Jade Factory. Three of the mutineers bailed after a walking a quarter of the wall, two speed-walked (fitness buffs) around the intended three-quarters of the wall. One stayed with me for a more sedate slow walk. She was unsure of finding her way back I think. About 7 miles total. It was an illuminating experience. China has a lot of exercise stations in parks for adults. Not so many playgrounds.

In the evening we had dinner and a show. Dinner was all about dumplings. Beef, pork, fish, duck, veggie dumplings. Delicious, but they were all steamed, not grilled. The show was poor. Canned music, cheap sets, unenthusiastic performers. Not at all what I expected from China. We’re going to have more opportunities to see performances on the trip. I hope they improve.