The plan for the 3rd day was to visit the Terracotta Warriors. We took a cab to the railway station to take the bus to the Terracotta Warriors. The bus ride was RMB6 (CAD1) per person.

The first stop of the bus 306 was Huaqing Hot Springs and the conductor told the commuters that this is a good place to see. We did not plan for this but we decided to get down to check it out.

We made the right decision as Huaqing Hot Springs is very scenic. The entrance fee is RMB70 (about CAD12) per person.

The willow, the man made pond and the rocks made a wonderful landscape. The mist added charm to it. Huaqing Palace is located at the foot of Li Shan in Litong county. The mountain at the background of the above photo is Li Shan.

When we came upon the above poem engraved on wood slaps. I knew why the name Huaging Hot Springs sounded familiar to me. It’s a Cantonese opera song that I’m familiar with because my mother played this song recorded by my father in a radio show over and over again during my childhood. The name of the song is “Tong Gong Hern Si” in Cantonese. It’s a song about a sad romance story of an emperor in the Tang Dynasty with his concubine. Part of the lyrics of the song is actually taken from the above poem.

A closer view of the poem “The Song of Never Ending Sorrow”.

Everywhere we turned seemed to be a photo opportunity.

Bridges, rocks  and Chinese architecture buildings.

A mural of 30 feet by 11.8 feet, made of 90 white marbles depicting the scene of a feast of the Emperor Xuanzong and his concubine, Yang Gwuifei.

Some Chinese calligraphy display. Too bad we cant read Chinese.

One of the five remaining pools in the Huaqing Palace. I cant recall the name of the pool.

These pools are made with designated users. The Lotus Pool was made for the emperor, the Haitang Pool was intended for concubimes and the Shangshi Pool was designated for officials.

A hot spring.

A statue of the concubine Yang Guifei coming out from the pool. Yang Guifei is recognized as one of the four most beautiful women in ancient China. I seldom see an attraction which attracts so many men eager to get a photo with.

The above was the temporary residence of Chiang Kai Shek during the famous Xian Incidence in 1936. Chiang Kai Shek was the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party during the incidence.

There is a performance of the “The Song of Never Ending Sorrow” in the evening. Tickets ranges from RMB200 to RMB1000. Unfortunately, we did not have time to come back for the show.