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Standing under the burning afternoon sun, our guide tells us three hypotheses. Hypothesis no. 1, Wu Zetian herself erected the stele. But she thought no words could describe her unmatchable exploits, so she ordered not to leave a single word on the stele. Hypothesis no.2, Wu Zetian herself erected the stele, but the once arrogant empress began to realize the sins she committed on her road to power in her old age and thought her sins and exploits canceled each other out, so ordered not to write anything on the stele. Hypothesis no.3, Wu's son, Emperor Zhong Zong, erected the stele, but as he had been so badly treated by his mother in his youth he planned not to erect steles in front of the tomb of his mother. But the courtesans pressured the new emperor, saying an emperor should be an example for every citizen in the empire. If he opted not to show the customary respect towards his mother then everybody would follow his lead and the empire would fall into chaos. Emperor Zhong Zong agreed and erected a stele in front of the tomb of his mother. But he forbade anything good to be written on the stele; thus, the "Stele without Epitaph."

There is an ethnic minority garden not far away from the imperial tombs area, awkwardly called Huangtu Ethnicity Garden. On the recommendation of our guide, we went in. The garden offers a focused display about Shaanxi people's lives, customs, folk traditions, and architecture. There are several yaodong (grottos) in the garden. Though I have seen yaodong many times in movies and on TV, this was the first time for me to walk into a real yaodong. It was very cool inside!

The most impressive part of this tour was watching an Ansai waist drum dance from northern Shaanxi.

To tell the truth, nearly everyone who watched the performance was impressed by it. The drumbeat was hot, making my heart throb. The movements were wild and exaggerated. In the dance, one could sense the bold and unstrained spirit of the northern Shaanxi people.

In the afternoon we headed for the Famen Temple, a pilgrimage site for Buddhists all over the world. The Famen temple is famous for its underground shelter discovered in 1987.

When the gate of the underground shelter beneath the pagoda was opened, people found countless treasure troves and reliquaries. All of them have been sealed up for more than a thousand years. To everyone's great surprise, there was even a finger of Buddha Sakyamuni.

Legend has it that King Asoka of India built the temple on his road to redemption, 1,800 years ago. He left the finger of Buddha to be enshrined here. The Famen Temple was preeminent during the Tang dynasty. The temple has lasted throughout the course of time, but the underground shelter remained unknown after the Tang dynasty.

The original pagoda was destroyed in an earthquake in the late Ming dynasty. Local people, though very poor at that time, managed to repair it, and that's the pagoda we can see today. 

The hexagon pagoda has 13 floors, that's the epitome of form for a Buddhist pagoda. Each of the angles is decorated with a bronze bell; altogether, there are 78 bells on the pagoda. When the wind blows, the bells ring out.

Mulling over the temple's history, I stood in the afternoon breeze, closed my eyes and listened to the bells.

Day 2

My second day included a trip to Huaqing Spa Park and the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang and his terracotta army.

There isn't a great deal to see in Huaqing Spa Park, but because a famous story associated with the place, visiting the spa park has become a must-do for nearly every Chinese who ventures to these parts.

The legendary love story between Emperor Xuan Zong and his concubine Yang Guifei is a household tale in China. It is to Chinese

Related Stories:
Travel Express Vol.76: Xi'an
Photo Gallery: Xi'an
Travel Story: China's Eternal City

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