Friday, December 7, 2012

Shaanxi History Museum & Big Wild Goose Pagoda

I love to visit Museums very much! The biggest I have visited was The Metropolitan Museum of New York City which took 2 days to finish! In China there are only 3 top and biggest museums that are located in Beijing, Shanghai and Xian - Shaanxi.



The museums in Beijing and Shanghai houses many ancient collections from worldwide but the one in Xian only houses their own collections unearthed from Shaanxi Province!! They have over 300,000 items inside and they were all very interesting indeed.





They have so many beautiful & rare items salvaged from the eras of Zhou Dynasty until the last Qing Dynasty. The items from Tang Dynasty started to have tri-colours with interesting designs.






There were altogether 13 Dynasties in Xian when it was the first capital in China. That is the reasons they have so much historical relics unearthed from so many tombs of the Famous Warlords and Emperors.











"Fat Was Beautiful" during Tang Dynasty. All the most beautiful ladies during the Tang Dynasty had to be meaty or on the fat sides. It was fashionable to look enormous!






 The earliest Guan Yin statue found during the Tang Dynasty using just 3 colours.





Interesting! 300 Honour Guards made for the Prince Qinjian during the Ming Dynasty (Year 1368 - 1644)





The enlightened Buddha's statue in the caves of Dunhuang, along the Silk Road where Buddhism was first preached in China.




 BIG WILD GOOSE PAGODA
This temple is the most famous for its legendary tales of "Journey To The West" where there was a Monkey God and the monk who carried the Sutra from India to China. This is a real piece of history and the Sutra was kept inside the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xian.
 

The famous monk's statue outside at the entrance.






 The main entrance to Big Wild Goose Pagoda



















 Anay & Letchumi - Sweet couple hugging on a cold day at 3 degrees C.
















 History recorded that a real Big Goose crashed itself to death at this temple! The monks and devotees turned vegetarians since then.











 Outside the temple is a huge park with a big musical fountain area. Here a couple waited for the show but ended up fighting instead. The China Doll got pissed and smacked the guy's head repeatedly besides pulling his ears like a Donkey.



 It was a spectacular show with so many dancing fountains. Thousands of families gathered to watch the Sunday's weekly shows.





Goodness! It was too cold and my head turned into a block of ice! I stayed on just to snap these photos for you to enjoy.






76 comments:

  1. The monks turned vegetarians since then? I thought they are vegetarian originate?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The historians said the whole temple monks and followers ate meat until they had depression & no food. They prayed for meat until the Big Goose crashed itself to death. So they were shocked by the bad omen and turned vegetarians.

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. indeed it was an awesome museum..
      china really famous of wonders..

      Delete
    2. Lina must visit China for a change. It has more museums than Japan.

      Delete
  3. Anay so kaypoh... last time saw couple fighting in Taiwan. Now here pulak! LOL

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    Replies
    1. Is it annay the KPC or the Chinese like publicity their argument?

      Did the couple make up after that?

      Delete
    2. Actually I wouldn't know the couple argue in the picture above, if annay didn't describe it.

      I thought they are a dovey lovey couple, with the girl sits on his lap and teases his hair.

      Delete
    3. Yalah, at first I thought the couple so "gatal" and excited to show affection to each other in public. ;p

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    4. no lah, this is not the worst one Anay has seen.. Anay has seen a hamsap man hiding behind a tree doing hamsap things on his own asset while watching the bride from afar!! now that's really yucky~~

      Delete
    5. annay like to watch.. that excite him..
      next time he will pay me to perfom for him to see.. lol..

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    6. me too...i thought got extra free show for you o see.

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    7. eh you all remember or not....that day we makan, the couple next table also lovey dovey mah.

      Am starting to wonder if Anay have this secial magical power that makes people around him act out

      Delete
    8. Anay is damn kay poh like Ah Hua la..


      SP wanna perform ka? Anay faints!

      Delete
  4. The museum looks eerie. Any museum to me looks haunted, maybe due to their lighting, all dim and gloomy.

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    Replies
    1. Does annay think museums attract yin energy more because of the antiques and collections? Some belong to the deads!! Yikes~

      Delete
    2. I want to rectify, "ALL belong to the deads"!!

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    3. Yvonne,
      But I thought ANay also has many many antiques stuff at home one? Maybe that's why hantu mushroom sprouted. xD

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    4. hahaha, somemore Anay got so many fengshui gadgets, sure his house looks like an antique shop.. bring Ah Hua to your house and make her scared till pee~~ :p

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    5. i feel very fascinated to see those old stuff...
      I mean back in so many years and they could created these great stuff without those science knowledge..

      Delete
    6. now KL museum no more dim and eerrie lo. Have a lot of lights

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    7. Yeah all museums got a lot of yin spirits inside. My antiques have been quarantined and place under hot sun. All kena shoo away.

      Delete
  5. The Tang Dynasty liked meaty women? Wow, if so, I would be the most beautiful concubine for Tang Emperor, wakakaka!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nowadays nobody admires voluptuous women anymore. You see Prince William married a skinny Princess Kate.

      Delete
    2. you know why they like meaty people?
      so that they got the sound piak piak piak..
      if skinny woman.. no piak piak sound .. kakakaka

      Delete
    3. Who sayys nowadays nobody admire voluptuos women ah...there New Zealand Maori Tribe and the hawaiian likes it.

      and much nearer to home SP also like

      Delete
    4. Fat is beautiful. Like what SP said can phiak phiak. He does it all the time!

      Delete
  6. Are you saying the legendary God of Monkey going to the west is a true story? I thought it is, er, legend?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. that is why Thambee says monkey comes from rocks!! that explains why fing-fing exists~~ :D

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    2. The monk was real but not the Monkey God.

      Delete
  7. Ah, now I remember yannie once told me that monk was a very handsome man. Kakaka, this is the point which I must not forget :p

    But I enjoy this legend, watched it on TV many many times and still not bored. There are many versions, the china mari, the TVB series, the Taiwan mari, the Stephan Chow comedy, the anime one and the Hollywood film.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i never finished watch the whole series.
      just sometime a few episode here and there..

      Delete
    2. Ah Hua watched so many times BUT SP could not finish!! I have never watched them! LOL

      Delete
  8. Annay waited for the colorful fountain in the cold, merely to snap photo for his readers? Awwww.... I'm touched~~

    Ah Hua gives you virtual hugs to warm you up.

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    Replies
    1. Annay should chase Letchumi around the trees to warm up instead standing like a statue~~:p

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    2. yes, totally agree with that!! not much coconut trees?? the cypress trees will do.. add a little touch of chinese in his bollywood style..

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    3. frozen ears only.,.wet wet water la...as long as not frozen banana :p

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    4. LOL... You all hamsap crazee bloggers make Anay laugh. It was too cold and windy. Anay wanted to die in the cold winter.

      Delete
  9. i like to visit to museums too.. but i am more interested to see the culture and history side of the places, not really keen on looking at those age of the apes and revolution of human and earth..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. but rarely have the chance to go to museums when you go travel, unless the museum is one of the major tourist attractions.. i think Europe has a lot of nice and world class museums.. china, i've been to the forbidden city only, is that considered a museum??

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    2. All museums must show apes and Fing Fing's ancestors lah! how to avoid them??

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  10. Anay and Letchumi sure sweet sweet taking photos together lah.. but why this photo so serious?? doesn't look like the character of Anay at all.. should have do the Bollywood style pose, and sure you will have an unforgettable memory at that moment and at that spot.. and i bet a lot of other tourists will also flock to take photo of Anay and Letchumi, post to youtube and both of you become superstar!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The tour guide snapped my photo so I had to behave la!

      Delete
  11. i love the photo just above the one you secretly captured that little lovers.. love the yellow color on the tree and also the yellow color painting on the building, they make such a good match and yet such a good contract to the background.. nice!!

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    Replies
    1. I regretted for not taking more photos of the couple fighting. I think Chinese people are dramatic ones.

      Delete
  12. wow, lighting show and also pancut pancut show!! sure the ladies will be very exciting to see the water shooting, and i am sure that they will be screaming in excitement!! hahaha.. nice to see such artistic performance though..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was the most beautiful water pancut show I have seen with loud music played. How I wished SK was there with Kamala and Fing Fing.

      Delete
  13. the big goose padoga, hmmm, i think i sort of heard about the story before but cannot really remember.. by the way, Anay you said "The monks and devotees turned vegetarians since then"?? i thought the monks have always been vegetarians all the while??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The historians said the whole temple monks and followers ate meat until they had depression & no food. They prayed for meat until the Big Goose crashed itself to death. So they were shocked by the bad omen and turned vegetarians.

      Delete
  14. See? This time I came back by myself! ;)

    This post has made me very grateful that some artefacts survived the Great Cultural Revolution ...

    I eat so little meat that I might as well call myself a vegetarian, but if a big fat goose (fatter than the women?) had obligingly crashed into my house, I would've had a goose barbecue! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good girl Rurousha. Please come back always. Yes you should be a vegetarian and live longer! I will send a goose over and crash onto your head! LOL

      Delete
  15. anay & letchumi? hahahaha! u guys r so cute! pls do more actions next time hokey? but not like that smack-head-pull-ear-donkey la hahaha!

    nice place to visit!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. These Anay & Letchumi nick names were given by bloggers and got stucked ever since.

      Delete
  16. I am really fascinating about those chinese arts and culture..
    it really very nice..

    ReplyDelete
  17. annay I also visit the museum in New York..
    I just finish it in 1 day.. :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. I also like to see those chinese temples..
    those god statue are very big and nice

    ReplyDelete
  19. "SHAANXI ANCIEN CI L ZATION" thought it was French or Greek haha. Love the 'logo' and the designs of the backdrop in this pix

    ReplyDelete
  20. In the movies 'Journey To The West" the Monkey God overshadowed his situ 唐三藏
    Tángsānzàng aka Monk Tripitaka whom Bananaz always got confused in his younger days with 地藏王菩萨 Dìzàng Wáng Púsà aka Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva because both carried almost the same ringed staff.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I also got confused easily with those similarities with Dizang Wang pusa.

      Delete
  21. tQ so much for the freezing pixz of the dancing fountains, they are awesome. Lucky your head turned into ice and not your fingers else you can't capture the pixz for our eyes haha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes my fingers were numbed too. I had to warm them inside my pants.

      Delete
  22. letchumi why never hug closer...okay la ...will come back tmw to comment...now super zzz liao...kakaka....so many backlog blog posts yet to read. Goodnight

    ReplyDelete
  23. amazing that the musuem there gets to house whatever finds of their own. Thought the Central Gvernment would have sapu all

    Heard during the wars and revolutions, many artifacts were stolen and brought out of the country

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That museum belongs to the government lah. So they really sapu all.

      Delete
  24. 4th pic is what? Ceduk air?

    Lucky am not born Tang Dynasty else sure to be the ugliest one. Now even if not pretty but at least acceptable slim side la LOL.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pandai lah Meow. That one was the Imperial Scoop.

      I often wonder how you stay so slim lah???? Kaldip lie on top everyn ight?

      Delete
  25. hahaha everywhere you go you sure bump into a drama or two ah...ther other day pppl making out in the train la, then couple drama on the street and now China doll pulling donkey ear??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My eyes are always looking for something silly to snap. Otherwise my name won't be Anay Kay Poh.

      Delete
  26. the dancing fountain is indeed spectacular!

    ReplyDelete
  27. the musical fountain looks so beautifully lit up at night. i'm glad you brave the cold weather to take pictures and share them with us.

    ReplyDelete

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