Chinese Dynasties

When we were in Xi'an, we learned that this city of 10 million is the ancient capital of China and home to the 13 early Dynasties of China, including the Qin and Tang. 

The first dynasty united all of China in the year 221 BC.  During the Qin Dynasty, the First Emperor Shi Huangdi standardized the currency, written language, and bureaucratic procedures.  He did this is a very ruthless way, and was known to kill anyone who disagreed with him.  This emperor also began construction of the Great Wall and the Terra Cotta Warriors (see Maria's post coming soon!).  Even though his dynasty only lasted around 20 years, he accomplished a remarkable amount and his changes remained long after he was gone.

The Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) had originally built city walls around Xian. As the cultural, economical, and political center, Xian was a city of strategic military importance.  Therefore, great city walls were constructed to protect Xian.

Later on, during the Ming Dynasty, the City Wall of Xian was built again on the foundation of the earlier  walls, and it took four years, from 1374 to 1378 to rebuild them.  The total perimeter of this wall is 7 miles.  

We were able to bike on the wall and it was beautiful!  it was early in the morning on Sunday, and cars and people were crowding the streets below us.  As we were biking we heard a very loud crowd and pulled our bikes over to see a large outdoor market with lots of fruit, veggies and sundry items.  Our tour guide says that all of the grandmas go to the market every day to get fresh food for lunch and dinner.  It sure sounded like most of the grandmothers in Xi'an were at that market that morning!