The top of the Xian City Wall is the best place to ride a bike in China...there are no cars up there!
The 600 year old Xian City Wall is the last intact city wall left in China. Most cities in China were enclosed by a defensive wall like the one in Xian. All other cities demolished most of their walls in the name of progress and modernization. Beijing replaced the original wall with a major road, now called the 1st Ring Road. (As Beijing grows, they add more concentric roads surrounding the city center, 2nd Ring Road, 3rd, 4th, etc.)
The wall rises 40 feet from the ground and is about 50 feet wide. The 8.5 mile loop surrounds the old city of Xian. A pleasant bike ride around the length of the wall gives the rider insight into the dichotomy of many cities in China: the modern city outside and the ancient remains of the old city on the inside. No skyscrapers may be built inside the wall. The old city is home to the Muslim Quarter with its beautiful mosque and gardens.
I have ridden around the top of the wall five or six times. It never gets old. I snap the same pictures of the beautiful red lanterns, flags, ramparts and gates, despite the fact that I already have those pictures from years past. When I am moved by something, and the Xian City Wall never ceases to impress me, I feel a compulsion to capture the moments on camera, a permanent visual of that point in time. The ride is exhilarating. First and foremost, I feel like I am riding through history in a way that is not possible anywhere else. Second, the ride is a decent workout. I always feel accomplished when I return the bike back at the South Gate.
Enjoy this invigorating and inspiring ride when you join me on a Chow Fun Tours trip to China!
The wall rises 40 feet from the ground and is about 50 feet wide. The 8.5 mile loop surrounds the old city of Xian. A pleasant bike ride around the length of the wall gives the rider insight into the dichotomy of many cities in China: the modern city outside and the ancient remains of the old city on the inside. No skyscrapers may be built inside the wall. The old city is home to the Muslim Quarter with its beautiful mosque and gardens.
I have ridden around the top of the wall five or six times. It never gets old. I snap the same pictures of the beautiful red lanterns, flags, ramparts and gates, despite the fact that I already have those pictures from years past. When I am moved by something, and the Xian City Wall never ceases to impress me, I feel a compulsion to capture the moments on camera, a permanent visual of that point in time. The ride is exhilarating. First and foremost, I feel like I am riding through history in a way that is not possible anywhere else. Second, the ride is a decent workout. I always feel accomplished when I return the bike back at the South Gate.
Enjoy this invigorating and inspiring ride when you join me on a Chow Fun Tours trip to China!
RSS Feed