Xi'an City Wall and Downtown

On our way to the Xi'an City Wall, we were treated to a look at the downtown. After 1980, it became illegal to have more than one child. If a second child comes to the family, taxes increase and they can even lose their home and job! Now, however, the government sees that there are not enough girls for the young men to marry, so if the first child is a girl, they may have a second child. Also, if both the husband and wife come from a one child family, they can have 2 children.

The Xi'an City Wall will always be one of my favorite memories. It is the best preserved city wall in the world. It is wide and smooth and provides a look at the old city and the new city. Those two views are drastically different!

We had a lecture on Feng Shui and we could see the way homes and businesses use that design to keep energy flowing throughout the buildings.Very old carts,bells, and towers were out for visitors to see. Even the wastecans were decorative... with dragons, of course.

The steps to the wall, however, were very steep. Many places had no provision for those in wheelchairs, etc. Again, we were aware of the haze that covered the city. Susan said that the farmers burned off their fields, and coal fired stoves are used in many of the houses and apartments.