Travel tip: One can easily travel to Baiji City by high speed train from Xi’an City Centre or Xianyang City (which is 32 KM form Xianyang Airport). It is another UNDERRATED city (together with Xianyang City) with rich Chinese ancient history (overshadowed by the much more glamorous Xi’an City). Therefore not many visitors, especially foreign visitors pay a visit to this city. As a history bug and with the intention of helping Elaine, my self-directed learning daughter, to learn Chinese in a more interesting manner, our experiences in Baoji and its surrounding ares, are both mentally stimulating and enriching. we will be eager to visit this city and surrounding areas AGAIN because of the rich ancient history (mainly the early Zhou and the State of Qin era)
Travel tip: Again we intentionally booked a homestay in Baoji. We are lucky to find a homestay which we stayed with the owner, who was friendly, and enriched our experience by showing Elaine how to cook their local dinner dish. She also showed us what other famous local noodle dishes we could try; and places we could our shopping!
This is the actual VIEW from our homestay in Baoji, an apartment in a butsling area in Baoji with good amenities. We could see the RIVER which is called Wei River 渭河，which is more than 3000 years old!!! It was mentioned in Chinese ancient classical texts, for the Zhou era 周朝; as well as during the Three Kingdom era 三国。 When you come to Baoji, you literally FEEL the ANCIENT CHINESE HISTORY in whatever you see, feel and step on!!! What an exhilarating experience!!
MUST VISIT in BAOJI: The Baoji Bronzeware Museum :
A bronzeware with INSCRIPTIONS inside. The inscriptions always depicts the reason the bronzeware was made, usually with a record of historical event that happened and historical figures. That the way historians can VALIDATE the historical events mentioned in Chinese historical texts!!
In the Museum, you MUST visit this (above) SUPER SPECIAL Bronze ware named He Zun 何尊 because the inscriptions inside the vessel have two Chinese early characters with the written characters meaning “Central State”!!
It is to be noted that the meaning of these two early Chinese words DO NOT denote the modern ideas of a nation state , or a country. it just mean “a place the the middle of a plan” as the concept of nation state is a relatively new and ancient Chinese did not have such concept in ancient time. it is interesting to read more about He Zun 何尊 in this wikipedia article
Some wikipedia links for you to self-educate yourself on:
A PIECE of HISTORY During the Three Kingdom period三国 (220AD to 280AD) in Baoji City: WuZhang Plain a stone thow away from Baoji City Centre:
This venue is where a battle too place 1700 years during the Three Kingdom period. We vsited the site and there is a temple erected to commemorate one of the most famous statesman & military strategist Zhuge Liang 诸葛亮 . You can read this part of the history here
