Off to Xian 3 ( Night lights)

Before going to Xian, I imagined that I would find an ancient city full of old buildings the newest of which would date from the 1950's and at most from the early 1960s. I couldn't be more wrong.

The South Gate of the Xian Fortress Wall (西安舊城牆南門) at night.

Another view of the Fortress Wall. Workers were trying to remove the scaffolding on the left of the photo for an event earlier in the day

The fountain in front of the famous Big Goose Pagoda. This is one of the 9-tier fountains at the North Yanta Plaza (北雁塔廣場) with computerized motion musical fountain display during the day.

4 giant pillars on each side of the fountain/pool with computer-generated images decorate the Plaza/ Square in front of the Big Goose Pagoda (大雁塔)

Another view of the same pool as the light changes to green.

The color changes to predominantly white. In the middle is a statue of the famous of monk  the Tang Dynasty monk Xuan Chuang (玄奘) who translated many of the sutras he brought back from India.

The light changes to red

The reflections on the surface of the pool changes along with changes in the images displayed on the giant pillars of light

Some such play of light .

The boulevard continues on for another mile or so: all hotels, museum, music and other cultural centres.

One of the buildings at the side of the pool.

This is another newly constructed building at the completely rebuilt Qujiang New District (曲江新區) of the city at the entrance to the park.

A giant mural there

Another view of the mural

the buildings further down the mural all done in Tang style architecture

Some sculpture found along the path to the mural

To one side of the mural, one finds an artificial lake

young girls spending the evening at the lakeside

There is an artificial river at the entrance of another outdoor performance centre further inside

Some other sculpture in front of the performance centre.

Another sculpture of mother and child at the end of the mural

There is a restaurant to the left of the photo.

A closer view of the restaurant

A pedlar selling Chinese candies at the entrance of the path to the mural

The park is called the former site of "Ku Giang Han Kiln Park" (曲江寒窯遺址公園 ) south east of the Xian Fortress Wall. It borders the 大唐芙蓉園 at its north right next to the Big Goose Pagoda, where there would be nightly performance of a light and fire song and dance drama about the famous 楊貴妃 and her lover, which we saw as part of our tour. To its south is the site to the tomb of Chin the 2nd (秦二世陵) Museum. The area of about 1500 acres is designed by the chief designer the famous Chinese architect designer 張锦秋, in imitation of the former 曲江南湖、曲江流飲、漢武泉、宜春苑、鳳凰池 historical sites. It's designed as a cultural historical holiday resort area, first approved in 1993 by the provincial government and finally approved by the municipal government in July 2003  and formally renamed Qujiang New District, Xian 「西安曲江新區」which forms part of the Yanta District (雁塔區). Also in the same area are the Big Goose Pagoda (大雁塔)、The Ocean World (曲江海洋世界)、24-hour Tang Town  (大唐不夜城). The detailed planning, development and management of the District has been delegated to various private commercial enterprises, which also provided the relevant capital. The district is a hotspot for foreign investments: with its huge potential for hotels, entertainment palaces, residential development, parks and various cultural and art related houses and centres.

There is a bridge to another artificial lake created by the Tang emperor Li Zemin (李澤民) to please his lover.

Another view of the lake

The road curves there

The side of the front of the park is filled with artificial rocks.

There is a pool in front of such rocks

The entrance to the spectacle called "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" (長恨歌), a musical historical pantomine at the open air theatre at Hua Ching Pool (華清池) Nine Dragon Lake (九龍湖).



The illuminated sculpture in front of the theatre

The entrance to a club near to our hotel

In front of our hotel is a park which stretches for miles and miles. It marks the site of the former ancient palace

Some maple leaves illuminated by the street light

There were different kinds of illumination projected from the ground

The light changes to purple

different trees were lit by lights of different colors

The street lights were done in mock classical style

this tree is lit in green light

The street is full of modern buildings

More modern buildings

All the buildings were lit at night. I just wonder how much energy would be consumed by such lights.

(To be con'td)