June 29, '06 Xi'an

Went to the east gate of the city. Then to the Shaanxi History Museum. Shaanxi is the province Xi'an is in. I'd been here two years ago but ow had a better chance to see the collection. Guide was better and friends accompanying us were more knowledgeable. I didn't know that when the Japanese bombed Pearl harbor and used the code Tora, Tora, Tora, it referred to an incident in Chinese history. Tora is Japanese for tiger and the Chinese for it is du. There is a figurene of a tiger that was a code between emperor and general. It was split in two and when they were united then the battle plan couled be effected. Some of our crew got coffees at the museum. Most of us have been doing without coffee.

Afternoon at the drum tower and the Muslim area around the mosque. The mosque is remarkable because it actually looks very Chinese in design. The minaret looks very Chinese. In the past two years the admission price has gone up from RMB 10 to 12.

Later, a student noticed us passing by and came out of a place to say Hey. The shop was called Purple Haze. Shades of Jimi Hendricks! I wondered what it in fact it was. Reassured that it was a hairdresser's. One girl got her hair done and added red streaks. Another girl got her nails done in multicolors. One of the guys had his hair done there, too. They serve snacks, as well.

Dinner tonight was Western food. When they announced this there was some consternation. Then we were reassured that it is the equivalent of Chinese food in the US which is americanized so we gamely went to try Sinified American food. This included burgers, fries and steak, et al.

Tang Dynasty music performance in the evening.

Xi'an has something called a shouting opera. It was an early influence on the Beijing opera. Westerners last there only a short time, said our guide.

Whenever we are served a Chinese dish we are told what it is good for: the complexion, digestion, the heat, etc. This is something we do not often hear about Western food. Maybe this is how the Chinese get their children accustomed to such a variety of foods. Some of our students have a very limited repertoire of things they choose to eat.