La Route de la Soie

China: Xian (1x15)

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He comes by stylist Fan Yanyan’s studio and visits the great mosque of Xi’an - the oldest in China - in the neighbourhood inhabited by the Muslim Hui minority. Ideas and religions travelled the Silk Road as well as valuable goods: Professor Yue Yu tells Alfred the story of Xuan Chang, a seventh-century sage who went on a sixteen-year journey to India and brought back the core texts of Buddhism. Our guide ends his journey with a visit to the tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor to rule over a unified China. His terracotta army looks as if it is standing guard over him, ensuring he remains undisturbed for all eternity.