Xi'An- Mother of All Cities or the Center of the World

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China’s Most Honorable City (Ancient Xian)
“China’s Most Honorable City (Ancient Xi’an)” or “China’s Forgotten City” is a documentary that talks about Xian. Xian was once the largest city in the world and the birthplace of numerous architectural and engineering marvels. In particular, the narrator calls it the mother of all cities or the center of the world. Xian was found 900 km southwest of the Chinese capital city, Beijing (“China’s Most Honorable City (Ancient Xian) Part 1,” n.d.). I was surprised to know that a large city like Xian can be forgotten when watching the documentary. Some of the questions that popped up in my mind include, does it mean that no one ever recognized that Xian existed? Why would Xian be forgotten if it was the birthplace of many ancient Chinese architects and engineers? Why didn’t one person document the existence of Xian? However, the documentary depicts Xian as an influential Chinese city, so it needs to be studied.
I enjoyed watching the documentary about Xian despite not understanding why such a large city would be forgotten. Indeed, it appears that Xian was a peaceful city built by the hands of thousands of men after the Chinese civil war. The wall surrounding the city still exists today. Some archaeologists and engineers say that the wall was built by layers of pounded clay. Moreover, the foundation consisted of logs of wood. After the logs decayed, they left holes, which are visible today. I was fascinated to know that Xian had 8,000 men of clay (“China’s Most Honorable City (Ancient Xian) Part 1,” n.d.). In reality, I did not understand the significance of these clay models. Xian had a rich Chinese history. I would want to know the political or leadership system of Xian. Overall, the documentary shows the existence of China’s forgotten city.
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