Xi'an – Where China Began
Our high-speed train rolled into Xi'an, another city of more than 13 million people but with a completely different personality from Beijing.
If Beijing introduced us to imperial China, Xi'an took us back to the beginning.
For more than a thousand years Xi'an served as China's capital, home to thirteen dynasties and the eastern end of the Silk Road. Long before Beijing became the political center, Xi'an was where emperors ruled and caravans loaded with silk, tea, porcelain, and spices began their long journey west.
Our guide, Lisa, loved telling stories, and somehow made more than two thousand years of history easy to understand. She never simply recited facts. Instead, she connected the places we visited with the people who had lived there.
The highlight of our visit was the Terracotta Warriors.
Like most people, we'd seen pictures over the years, but none of them prepared us for standing above the excavation pits and seeing thousands of life-sized soldiers stretching into the distance.
The story of their discovery is almost as remarkable as the warriors themselves. In 1974, a local farmer was digging a new well in his field when his shovel struck fragments of clay instead of water. That accidental discovery uncovered a significant archaeological find and revealed an underground army that had remained hidden for more than 2,200 years.
The story behind the army is equally unbelievable.
Qin Shi Huang became king at just thirteen years old. By 221 BC he had conquered the six rival kingdoms, united China for the first time, standardized weights, measurements, currency, and even the written language. He then began building one of history's most extraordinary burial complexes, complete with more than 8,000 life-sized clay soldiers, generals, archers, horses, and chariots all facing eastward to protect him in the afterlife.
Chengdu – Pandas, Parks, and an Unexpected Detour
Our next stop was Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province and a city of more than 21 million people. After the fast pace of Beijing and the ancient history of Xi'an, Chengdu immediately felt different. It had a more relaxed atmosphere. People seemed to take time to enjoy life.
Our guide in Chengdu, Dana, met us at the train station and quickly became much more than a guide.
On our first afternoon she took us to People's Park, one of the city's favorite gathering places. It wasn't filled with tourists. It was filled with local families enjoying their day. Under enormous shade trees people gathered to drink tea, chat with friends, dance, sing, exercise, and, of course, play mahjong. A friend of Dana’s offered to teach us how to play mahjong; we had fun learning the basics.
Another corner of the park held one of the most uniquely Chinese traditions we encountered. Hundreds of handwritten matchmaking notices were displayed along the walkways as parents searched for suitable spouses for their adult children. Each notice listed age, education, career, height, and interests. It was equal parts dating service, résumé exchange, and social gathering, and unlike anything we had ever seen.
The following morning we rode about two hours into the mountains to visit the China Giant Panda Garden at Wolong. The drive itself was fascinating. Modern highways disappeared into an endless series of tunnels through steep mountains before opening onto beautiful valleys and forests.
Pandas, pandas and more pandas! Seeing these roly poly babies up close was every bit as enjoyable as we had hoped. We watched mothers quietly munch bamboo while energetic cubs climbed trees, wrestled with each other, rolled down hillsides, and generally behaved like toddlers with fur. We spent a few hours simply watching them eat, play, nap, and occasionally entertain everyone with their clumsy antics.
About 200 pandas now live at the Wolong center, while the total wild population has slowly recovered to roughly 1,900 animals. It was encouraging to see how much effort China has invested in protecting one of its national treasures.
Unfortunately, our itinerary took an unexpected turn the following day. Betsey developed pneumonia. Instead of exploring Chengdu, we spent the next five days getting an up-close look at the Chinese healthcare system. Thankfully, it turned into one of those travel stories with a happy ending. We cannot say enough about our guide Dana.
Exploring China's Healthcare System
What began as a sightseeing tour suddenly became emergency room visits, hospital admissions, conversations with doctors, arranging medications, translating treatment plans, and helping Mark navigate an unfamiliar healthcare system in a country where we spoke very little of the language.
Dana never left our side. She translated every conversation with the doctors and nurses, explained procedures, arranged paperwork, helped order meals and supplies, answered countless questions, and made what could have been an overwhelming experience surprisingly manageable. She even arranged an anniversary party in the hospital for us and found rowing for Mark.
The medical care itself was outstanding. Betsey received blood tests, EKGs, ultrasounds, IV antibiotics, breathing treatments, and daily visits from doctors, including the chief of respiratory medicine. Every member of the medical team was professional, caring, and thorough, and each day she became a little stronger. The total bill for five days came to approximately $2,400!
Doctors and nurses focused almost entirely on providing medical care. Families were expected to handle many of the day-to-day comforts by bringing meals, drinks, toiletries, and helping with personal needs. Nurses weren't there to provide hotel services—they were there to provide healthcare.
Another surprise was China's delivery system. Need lunch? Medicine? Fresh fruit? Almost anything imaginable could be ordered through WeChat or Alipay and delivered to the hospital entrance or anywhere else in about thirty minutes by an electric scooter. Meals arrived directly outside Betsey's room. Watching this happen several times a day, we couldn't help thinking that China's delivery network puts both Amazon and Uber Eats to shame.
Fortunately, Betsey recovered quickly enough that we were able to continue our trip.
Out of the Hospital!
One of our first outings after leaving the hospital was the remarkable museum dedicated to the ancient Shu civilization. More than 3,500 years ago, the Shu people flourished in this region, and many of their extraordinary bronze masks, sculptures, and artifacts were only discovered beneath modern Chengdu within the last few decades. Like so much of China, history seemed to appear whenever someone started digging.
Then there was the food. Remember when we thought Beijing was spicy? That now seemed almost funny. Sichuan cuisine introduced us to bubbling hot pots, fiery chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns that left our mouths pleasantly numb, grilled skewers, spicy noodles, and enough heat to make us appreciate every glass of water. We quickly learned there is a very real difference between "spicy" and "Sichuan spicy."
One final observation about Chengdu—and really about China as a whole—was how incredibly modern everyday life has become.
Electric vehicles seemed to be everywhere. More than half the cars on the road carried green license plates identifying them as electric, while thousands of electric scooters quietly zipped through the streets making deliveries. Nearly everyone paid for purchases with WeChat or Alipay, and DiDi made getting around the city almost effortless.
Throughout our first two weeks in China, we found ourselves continually surprised by the contrast between ancient history and modern innovation. One morning we would be standing in front of artifacts that were more than 3,500 years old. That afternoon we could order lunch, medicine, or almost anything else with a few taps on our phone and have it delivered within half an hour.
China was full of contrasts like that.
As we boarded the train for Guilin, Betsey was finally feeling much better, our appreciation for China's healthcare system had grown enormously, and we were more convinced than ever that China was far more diverse, modern, welcoming, and fascinating than we had imagined. And with two more weeks still ahead of us, we couldn't wait to see what surprises China had in store next.
