8 - Silkworms and hot springs

Next door to the restaurant, a demonstration silk factory and showroom. Here, a beautiful embroidered robe.

The science of silk-making.

Our guide explains that the silkworms or catepillars' cocoons are boiled twice and dunked in cold water once.

The thimble-shaped cocoon is stretched once...

Then stretched again as large as a chair back, and many cocoons are placed one by one on the stretcher.

Embroidered screen. Jola and Bob bought silk quilts.

We went next to Huaqing Hot Spring at the northern foot of Li Mountain.

Huaqing Hot Spring is 22 miles east of Xian city.



This was the retreat of Emperor Xuanzong (685-762) and his concubine Yang Yuhuan in the Tang Dynasty, which had its capital at Xian. Yuan Yuhuan was also known as Yang Guifei.

The Tang Dynasty took place 618 - 907, interrupted briefly by the Second Zhou Dynasty (690 - 705).





Coco tries out the hot spring.

In the covered bath, a wall poster told the story that a general who thought the emperor was too preoccupied with Yang Yuhuan had her killed, to the ruler's heartbreak.

The ornamental ponds of the hot spring. It was a very warm day. We drank a lot of bottled water everywhere, every day.


Performances are held on a stage in the garden.

Stop as long as you want and take it in.

Mount Li.

...and its mirror image.