I began my third day in Xi'an very early. I laid down for a nap the night before, and I woke 12 hours later. I thought I had managed to skip the jet-lag, but I guess I was wrong. Before Xiao Liu and I went out to register and run errands, I walked down the hallway of my building and stepped out on to the stairwell to look outside. It was before 7 am, and already there were people playing table tennis in the park behind my building.
Morning Table Tennis. It's not even 7am and already the people of Xi'an are enjoying ping pong.
A View From the Stairs. The park behind my hotel.
We ran my errands, had lunch, and then I walked around to take a few pictures of the school. My school in the southern part of the city, with the main gates on Chang An Nan Road.
The Main Gates of My School. The front gate of Shaanxi Normal University (陕西师范大学).
The Main Gate gives way to a long promenade, lined with classroom buildings.
The Promenade. Just on the other side of the main gate.
At the end of the promenade, is the school's main library.
The Library. With statuary and without.
Just in front of the library is a large piece of stone statuary that looks like natural rock. I asked Xiao Liu what it was and she said "A statuary." I said "Yes, but what does it represent?" "I don't know," she said." I laughed and said "我也不知道!" ("I don't know either!"). On either side of the library are two small, identical, traditional Chinese gardens.
Library Garden. One of two traditional gardens flanking the library at SNNU.
The school is practically covered in gardens, every corner is marked with one. Every time we passed a garden, I jokingly said "Look! A garden!" and Xiao Liu added "It's a nice place to read a book."
Gardens. Two of the many, many, MANY gardens on the campus at SNNU.
The primary means of transportation for the students on campus are bicycles, and the campus is riddled with them.
Bicycles. There are bicycles everywhere at SNNU.
Another peculiar thing I've noticed is the abundance of thermoses around certain buildings.
Thermoses. Some buildings on campus are surrounded by thermoses.
Xiao Liu told me that students place the thermoses there to collect rainwater, and then the water is heated inside the building. Apparently none of the dorms have hot water, and all of the students have to pay to get their thermos water heated.
A few turns past a few gardens, and you'll find yourself facing Shi Da Road. Shi Da Road actually features TWO gates from SNNU. The first is pretty, if utilitarian:
Shi Da Gate 1. The first, and more municipal, of the two Shi Da Road gates for SNNU.
The second is unusual and beautiful.
Shi Da Gate 2. The second gate on Shi Da Road.
The gate is made of two small towers, the bottom of which are dragons' heads. The dragons' heads spew water into two trenches that line the street leading to the school's dining hall. The trenches are filled with large stones, creating a sort of stream between the sidewalk and the street. I commented on how beautiful it was and Xiao Liu said "Beautiful? It is just a gate."
Another block or so and you'll find yourself on the beautiful, shaded street of my hotel. Every street in this part of the city is heavily shaded with trees made bright green by the frequent rainfall.
The Street Where I Live. The tree-lined road in front of my hotel.
There is so much beauty everywhere. And this is only the small section of the city I occupy.
Hayden
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