blytheblog de FaerieQueene

Peony inside the Forest of Stone Steles Museum Xi'an,

housed in former Confucius Temple

Inspecting an inscribed stele

stylish stone horse, ancient jaguar

Amidst a lost in use wind musical instrument's replicas

The Bei Yuan Men (ancient district of colleges) colours and odours of the arts and literature of the seemingly familiar but exotic Culture (Peony is a Hong Konger...)


(Beiyuanmun Ancient Culture Street and the Forest of Stone Steles Museum, Xi'an)

Posted by faeriequeene at 10:00 PM | Permalink

Peony was lured to trail round Xi'an, as she was attracted by the fading colours prevailing in the city, that of the 2 sized Goose Pagodas, all the more handsome being covered by patches of snow. So she brought along this furry cape qipao, even in midst of summer...
Personal carriage in Tang Dynasty style

alighting before the Big Goose Pagoda Temple

a melange of the 2 pagodas in myriad impressions, frequented by furry Peony in fleeting emotions



(Tang Dynasty Lotus Park, Xi'an Big and Small Goose Pagodas)

Posted by faeriequeene at 05:40 PM | Permalink

The Fall of my Peony at Xi'an City Wall

A stroll up the tower of the city wall, ideally covering once the 4 cardinal points, looking down to the city, would tell the life and story of the xi'an residents in the 4 districts. Xi'aners in the North Gate would greet each other by asking: "Just fought?"; the Westerners:" Eaten?"; the Easterners:" Got caught?"; and at the South Gate; "Got into the university?" (information from China National Geographic Shaanxi special issue)



the well preserved moated South Gate against the demolished North Gate now accommodating the railway station

xi'an city wall details.


Peasant pleasant.
A farmer's painting in an once barrack guardroom stood out Peony's indigo blue tie-dyed cheongsam in delightful dragonflies motif - Against the Shaanxi sexy undergarment, Todou

Posted by faeriequeene at 09:45 PM | Permalink

Peony imagined herself walking in the old city of Perpetual Peace (Chang'an) .. The drum sounded dusk... and the bell sounded dawn. Standing on either the Drum or Bell Tower, Peony was amazed to catch a glimpse readily, whether in view or in reflection, of the other.

STRIKING DUSK...(The Drum Tower, Xi'an)

24 drums, each sounded at the corresponding solar term. Peony had affinity that day with the immiment autumnal equinox

an ancient drum inside Drum Tower served Peony pillow for a nap

viewing the Bell Tower in distance, in the rain

STRIKING DAWN... (the Bell Tower, Xi'an)

Peony against the beautiful facade of Bell Tower's first storey

Drum Tower reflected on a Bell Tower top storey window pane

Colossal bell, then striked 21 times to tell dawn, now whenever a visitor sounded in the hope of echoing back some luck

In the night

Peony, beside my handmade blue cheongsam, dorned on the Dollsville "Pretty in Pink" babydoll samfoo, worn as a dress with azone mary-jane

Posted by faeriequeene at 10:00 PM | Permalink

My Goldie, Peony got the surname of the First Emperor of China, Qin Dynasty (221 B.C. - 206 B.C.) ... She rediscovered its etymology at the Shuyuanmen Ancient Culture Street

The (imaginary?) palace, never erected and inhabited by the Emperor Qin (The Epang Palace 阿房宮)

the Qin encounter

the petite Peony shunned by Emperor Qin!

the relic

Escorted by the terracotta warriors replicas in a street of xi'an

Bear witness to the terracotta army (pit no 1, Museum of Qin Terra-Cotta Warriors and Horses)

Peony was wearing (1)nini skirted cheongsam made from blue tie-dyed fabric from Yunnan in dragonfly motif, decorated with lace lined with turquoise, designed and handmade by me!!! (2) the 'red bean girl' babydoll outfit by blythehautecouture and (3) dollville's summer samfoo; white platform maryjane from azone

Posted by faeriequeene at 11:58 AM | Permalink

Curiosity becomes my Goldie, Peony. She shyly takes a peek of the Tang dynasty's Great Mosque located at the Hui quarter (a muslim community in Xi'an)

Just round the corner of the Drum Tower, a zigzagging lane of souvenir stalls and shops leads us to this Mosque



Dressed in her lounging lovely ensemble and wearing her Dollsville clogs in bamboo motif

appreciating the architecture of the Phoenix Pavillon and the hovering home heading swallows

A chinese allegory of timelessness, like the fleeting life of a blooming flower - Peony behind a crystal blind of a room at No. 144 Bei Yuan Men, in her cherry blossom sugarmag one piece

The nightly return to the Hui hawkers at the Bei Yuan Men street market to buy her favourite dessert, the 'Mirror rose custard' (玫瑰鏡花糕) remains her chimera of this kind of 'lounging lovely' life of a vagabonde during her 8-day stay in Xi'an...

We are glad to have chosen our hotel at the bustling and charming Drum and Bell Tower district.

Posted by faeriequeene at 05:15 PM | Permalink