Xi'an City, China

[jonmanjiro]

Xi'an is a fascinating city. It's without doubt my favourite city in China. The current city wall, 11.9 km (7.4 mi) in circumference, was constructed in 1370 and dominates the landscape of the city centre to this day, separating the old city on the inside from the urban sprawl on the outside. Outside the city wall, there's the typical modern high rise apartments and shopping malls (particularly on the north and south sides), but building regulations are a bit tougher inside the walls so the old city still retains a fair amount of its charm. Here's some photos taken during my two trips there (May 2014 and May 2016). I'll be going back again for sure.

Bell tower at the heart of the city


On the wall


Part of the wall viewed from outside


East gate

 

[jonmanjiro]

The Muslim quarter at the city centre, just north west of the bell tower is an incredible place to wander around. It feels very different from other Chinese cities I've visited. It’s a popular destination for both international and domestic tourists so can get very crowded.

 

[jonmanjiro]

A few more photos of the Muslim quarter

 

[jonmanjiro]

Inside the Muslim quarter is the Great Mosque of Xi'an, founded in 742. The architecture is very unusual for a mosque as its typical Chinese architecture, and there are no minarets or domes.

Main prayer hall














The West Mosque nearby does have typical domes.

 

[lynnb]

Great idea to put these in one thread Jon! Love the pics..

 

[jonmanjiro]

Thanks Lynn!

The traffic inside the city wall can get ridiculously bad, so scooters and other smaller forms of transport are the way to go.













But even the scooters get grid-locked sometimes.

 

[jonmanjiro]

Life in Xi'an seems more laid back than in other big Chinese cities.

 

[maddoc]

Nice photos, makes me want to visit this place.

In the last frame, I spot a Leica? (EDIT: One post before)

 

[jonmanjiro]

Nice photos, makes me want to visit this place.

In the last frame, I spot a Leica? (EDIT: One post before)

I was wondering if someone would notice! That's my nephew-in-law shooting a Leica M8. He was my (excellent) guide for a day in the old city. His English is so so and my Chinese is non-existent, so communicating was fun, but we managed ok 🙂

 

[jonmanjiro]

The lack of refrigeration for meat kinda surprised me. I do wonder how they manage during the summer months (its 38C to 40C there right now).

 

[jonmanjiro]

The local market just near Heping Gate in the south east corner of the city wall is busy throughout the day.

 

[jonmanjiro]

These street cleaners spiked up the little guy's hair, gave him a straw broom, and then let him loose. He nearly whacked me with the broom!

 

[Erik van Straten]

Great to see them all together, Jon. Really great and beautiful series. Are they all with the LTM-Nikkor 35mm f/1.8?

They have an atmosphere of the 1960's, the pictures of Marc Ribaud come to mind.

Erik.

 

[maddoc]

Due to Muslim influence, I guess the meat is something else than pig, goat or sheep maybe?

The lack of refrigeration for meat kinda surprised me. I do wonder how they manage during the summer months (its 38C to 40C there right now).

 

[jonmanjiro]

Guangren Lama Temple founded in 1705, a Tibetan Buddhist temple in the north west corner of the city wall.

 

[jonmanjiro]

Great to see them all together, Jon. Really great and beautiful series. Are they all with the LTM-Nikkor 35mm f/1.8?

They have an atmosphere of the 1960's, the pictures of Marc Ribaud come to mind.

Erik.

Thanks Erik! Most photos were taken with an LTM Nikkor 35/1.8, but there's also a few shots among them taken with a LTM Nikkor 50/2, 35mm Summicron ASPH, Klasse S, and GR21.

 

[jonmanjiro]

Due to Muslim influence, I guess the meat is something else than pig, goat or sheep maybe?

Yes, that's correct. Lamb and beef are the two main meats in the Muslim quarter. The smell of grilled lamb permeated the air everywhere around there.

 

[jonmanjiro]

 

[jonmanjiro]

Abandoned food stall (I think)


This guy went into the sewage pipe to clear a blockage

 

[jonmanjiro]

That's all from me for now. If anyone else has some photos of Xi'an they'd like to post, go for it.