Xi’an is one of the oldest cities in China and was the capital city in China under many of the most important dynasties in Chinese history. In 1370 A.D. during the Ming dynasty, the construction of a great wall around the city began. Almost 7.5 miles around and 40 feet high, the wall still stands today. Our tour guide, Phoenix, told us that when they began building the wall, they used sticky rice and kiwi skins. They also had to include ant poison so the insects wouldn’t eat away the delicious concoction and ruin the wall. Now it’s been fortified and beautified…not to mention that the city has exploded outside the bounds of that wall.
Now, some 8 million people live in the almost 4,000 square mile city of Xi’an, in the Shaanxi Province.
Our home here is the Xi’an Physical Education University. The University has 7 departments, a Graduate school, and is known for its Physical Education, Sports Training, and Chinese Traditional Sports programs. The campus is small and compact, so we got the hang of it pretty fast, and we grew to love the people we worked with pretty fast, too!
Walking around getting to know the campus, we couldn’t help but take some fabulous model shots…
And one thing about Chinese culture: they have beautiful gardens everywhere, complete with fountains, meandering pathways, peaceful benches, and beautiful flowers and trees. Great places to sit and ponder...
…and take jumping pictures!
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