Rough Guide to Xi'an Travel

Rough Guide to Xi'an Travel

Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province, is a city of 5.1 million people located east of Xianyang in the valley of the Wei River, which is a tributary of the Yellow River. It lies 1200km southwest of Beijing and 670 km west of Lanzhou.

Xi'an is one of the most important cities in Chinese history: So closely is it bound up with the early story of the nation that it is sometimes called the ''cradle of China.'' Xi'an' s history begins with very significant settlements in the Neolithic era around 5000 BC. In 1100 BC the Zhou dynasty capital was established at Hao, just northwest of Xi'an: this was also the location of the Qin dynasty capital, Xianyang. The Emperor Qin Shihuang united China for the first time, and also bequeathed to Xi'an and the world one of the most extraordinary archeological finds in history – the Terracotta Army, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors a year and is almost as powerful a symbol of China as the Great Wall.

Xi'an lies on the natural westward land route out of China into Central Asia, and this was another force which shaped the city' s history: Xi'an became the starting point and terminus of the Silk Road, which made the city fabulously wealthy, as well as a religious and cultural melting-pot for over a thousand years. For most of this period, Xi'an was known as Chang' an, and it was the dynastic capital under the Han, the Sui and finally under the Tang, when the city reached the peak of its greatness. Today, Xi'an is undergoing another renaissance as an industrial force in the new China and a gateway to the ''great northwest'', but it will always draw visitors seeking a glimpse of its imperishable history.

A tour of Xi'an's scenic spots is thus a journey through the history of China itself: from the Neolithic museum of Banpo, to the Qin dynasty wonders of the Terracotta Army and Qin Shihuang's mausoleum, to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, which stands as a symbol of the glories of the Tang dynasty. A visit to the Great Mosque of Xi'an is a reminder of another of the Silk Road's enduring legacies: the presence in China of a strong Muslim minority, whose faith remains unchanged even if their architecture is a blend of Chinese design and western Islamic tradition. Other sights that draw visitors to Xi'an are the Buddhist Famen Temple and the dizzy slopes of Huashan, one of the five sacred mountains of China. The Shaanxi History Museum is one of the finest in China – not surprising in a city as steeped in the past as Xi'an.

The city's airport is a vital air hub in western China and has excellent domestic and international connections. The railway station is also a crucial link in the nation's transport chain, and has fast regular connections to all of China's major cities. Tourists are well-served by a range of hotels, from the most luxurious to more modest places serving the needs of the budget-conscious.

The cuisine of the northwest is not on the same level of sophistication as the eight great cuisines of China, but it is enormously popular, and a visit to one of the local cuisine restaurants and a taste of hearty local favorites like yangrou paomo will tell you why. After dinner, Xi'an offers both traditional and more modern forms of entertainment, from Tang Dynasty Music and Dance shows to modern bars and karaoke places.

Xi'an's shopping opportunities include a wide variety of traditional arts and crafts and folk handicrafts and it is a good place to shop for replicas of antiquities. The city is known for good imitations of arts and crafts of the Qin and Tang dynasties, such as tri-colored glazed pottery and imitations of ancient bronze ware. In Xi'an tourists can also find rubbings of ancient calligraphy of various dynasties, rubbings of eaves tiles, replica Qin Dynasty embroidery, artistic porcelain ware, lacquer ware, jade carvings, cloisonne, paper-cuts, leather silhouettes, copies of the murals of the Tang Dynasty, and paintings by the farmers of Huxian County, featuring strong Chinese traditions and local characteristics.

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