Day 54 Of 111. Xi’an, China

This city is the site of 14 different dynasties so it is a center of history and culture. The traffic and the air quality are two noticeable aspects of the travels from the airport to the hotel. China depends largely on coal to produce energy. Also, many/most families have personal cars, another cause of pollution. The government has moved some industries out of the city and into the neighboring areas. Also, people are encouraged to ride bicycles. The government supports this with economical and convenient bike sharing stations and more and more bike lanes are being built, especially in newer communities. Our guide described traffic lights as simply for decoration. The traffic is heavy in the city and I would be afraid to drive here (even though I am from Los Angeles), but it all seems to run smoothly. I did see several small delivery vehicles that seem to be modified motorcycles. Some had amazingly large loads of boxes or wood or even a huge load of chairs. In the photo above, in the background of the red arrow, is the Big Wild Goose Pagoda which is on our list of places to visit tomorrow.