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I went to Lan Zhou city over the Mid autumn holiday with a friend.

“Lanzhou (simplified Chinese: 兰州; traditional Chinese: 蘭州; pinyin: Lánzhōu; Postal map spelling: Lanchow) is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China” –from wiki.

From the airport, we travelled in the mountain range for about 40 minutes before the city appeared in the valleys.  The majestic yellow river organises the 8 counties along its embankment.   The counties hardly found any buidable land in the mountain ranges.  However, the entire lanzhou city was highly developed ‘out of nowhere’ in the vast west.

We walked along the river bank for 2 days and had the cheapest and best La Mian for meals.  The night market at 正宁路 and the pubs along 甘南路 reminded me of the old taipei 西门町。

On the surface, the chinese culture dominate the boulevards or the main street, however, any turn of the corner was dotted with muslim culture.   I am not exactly sure that I am in china at times when I saw some middle eastern look locals boarding a bus or queing to buy Wumule 拉面。

It was amazing to see part of 5464 km of yellow river charges through the cities of Lanzhou.  This powerful river  and the omipresent mountain range spell out how small and vulnerable we actually are in the present of nature.

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I went to this park last weekend with a friend.

Daming palace is a group of magnificent palace in the Tang dynasty, and it is the art of chinese classical architecture build 1300 years ago.

 this palace occupy an area of 350 hecares about 4.5 times the size of Forbidden City.

 We walked through this modern interpretation of the Tang palace. 

The chief designer 阎立本 was a familar name when I visited Taipei palace museum.  So is the city that he has overseed.   It was well executed with a central lake separating the daily courtly bussiness from the emperor residence.

When we was standing near the lake in the evening time, we could almost sensed the calvaries roaming the open grassfield.   Or did we see groups of courts ladies in their silky dresses teasing in the willows?

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After the one week break, I am back in Xi An. 

Lucky for me I am going to Shan Dong for a company trip.

 I dint expect the temp. to be dropping so soon.  It was raining and the temp drop to 20 degree for the last 2 days. 

Anywhere, I will enjoy the shan dong trip first and face the music later.

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As we are waiting for the decision from the shareholder, I returned to Singapore for one week break.

I knew it was a short break but I am really looking forward to it.

Finally I am here at the 咸阳 airport typing this blog entry.

Thinking back, I was wandering why this simple trip exhaust myself within a span of about one month.

Could it be the weather, the food or the people i met at large?

I hardly met smiling faces in the public except the backpackers in the hostel or was it a mirror image of my inner self?

In the heat of market price hike control from the central government,   the project experiencing difficult time but we are doing well so the project should not be a problem itself.

Perpharp it was just me..

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I have been staying in 西安 for a month in the summer.  The place that I stayed is 陕西省西安市南门里湘子庙街16号（南大街进湘子门大牌坊100米路左） .  This is a hostel next to the city wall with 3 condusive courtyards.  One and only conserved traditional chinese residential.

I could have stay in the service apartment offered but I choose here instead as I need the crowd.  Couldnt stay in a hotel room watching TV or DVD or night.

I met many backpackers here from all over the world.  Many youth came here due to the cheap dormitory rate.  I lived in a huge single room with a huge bathroom.  Whats more could I ask for.

However at night the coutyard turned into a pub and became too roisy especially over the weekend.   It has became too overbearing I thought for a quiet night.

 Luckily I could retreat to a quieter courtyard and this is where I met many peoples that I could really relate to…..

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I read back in singapore but I read more when I am in Xi An.

I have just finished 2 interesting books over the last 2 weeks.

One is from a Japanese and the other one from US.

Noweigen forest and Catcher in the rye.

2 are extremely blueish.  But it went down to my heart.

negative + negative = positive I hope. 

2 negative sentiments give one positive sensation.   (whatever it mean to me) haha.

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Here I am at the chinese historical center Xi An.  No doubt about it this is the most ‘chinese’ city in China due to the historical references.

 Most tourist would expect everything to be the standard and stereotype of a chinese city.  But my impression of Xi An was really a backward, ill maintained city when I first view it. 

The most exciting first thing in sight was to see the Ming’s city wall spanning 13.7km I remembered.  However, after entering the Gate of the city wall, it was totally an urban nightmare.  No maintainence whatsoever to the entire city except for a few decent 5 stars hotel.  Not surprisingly, the inner city lost all appeal and the planner start to introduce statelite city centers in all directions.

But again, the replica of all thing chinese was a distaste and disappointment.  I mean, when the authority stipulate those urban planning guidelines to have all those chinese icon such as the giant curve roof, it was just purely consumption of the truely serious chinese architecture. 

When one was over exposed to these replica that could be a shopping center, cinema, entertainment center or even a parking facilities,  the authentic magnificient Bell and Drum towers’ could be easily been taken for granted.

The urban planner need to be really wake up.

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Friend from singapore came to visit over the weekend. 

We joined a day tour visiting 华清宫 and the army of terra coata.

With the hot sun and the crowds, I managed to pick up further on the 2 distinguish historical figures that popularised this place.  They were resided here with the same space but a different time of about 1000 year.

One is from the Tang Dynasty beauty, concubine Yang and the other Generalissimo.

The beauty’s bathing place was preserved and protrayed as one of chinese disgraceful event that almost devastated the Tang dynasty. 

Generalissimo’s 西安事变was another independent incident that was carefully and meticuslessly showcase to bring out the fleeting gerneral’s awakward moment.

I was wandering this was totally intentional….  

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I have met some old friends and counterpart in Xi An, they have indeed progress and prospered. 

One of the young colleage has rised to be the partner of the company and salary brought home could amount to 50000 rmb per month.  But he was simply tired as I could tell. 

He was lucky to make it to the middle top class and enjoy travelling every year via company or private trips.

But many others was not so lucky. 

Inflation has almost flatten them with hush living standard and one could sense their helplessness with the future.

Even that they are considered lucky to be employed and would hope around in the market with companies that offers higher pay. 

Until the value of their market came at a halt at certain age….

Their children faces even tougher competitions from their deperate seeking entry to good kindergarten.

When two colleage told me they will let their children enjoy their childhood, eventhough I was skeptical i encourged them to do so.

These trend will transform the world totally in time to come I thought considering Xi An is just a ‘3rd tier’ city.

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