Xi’an is located in Northern China and it is the capital of Shanxi province. Xi’an is one of the oldest cities in China and it was the starting point of ancient Silk road trade. Huge infrastructure development is expected in Xi’an in future because the city will play a major role in the “Belt and Road project” of China. Xi’an International Airport is located at the outskirts of the city and it takes about 1 hour by taxi to reach the airport from city. I took overnight train from Beijing West station and reached Xi’an station at around 8 am. Xi’an is a relatively less dry place compared to Beijing and i saw lot of snow around Xi’an. Xi’an is primarily a Muslim dominated region of China and it is famous for some unique cuisine. Winter season is not a peak season in Xi’an and you will get cheaper accommodation during this period of the year.
Xi’an Terracotta Warrior- Xi’an is famous for Terracotta army sculptures. The Terracotta army sculptures were buried with emperor Qin Shi Huang. The purpose of the army was to protect the emperor in his afterlife. The sculptures were discovered recently in 1974 by local farmers. There are direct buses available from Xi’an station to Terracotta army museum and the total journey takes about 30 minutes. The site is considered as one of most prominent archaeological sites in the world. The entrance ticket for the museum was 120 CNY. The cost of English speaking guide was about 200 CNY. I felt the price was expensive and decided not to take guide for the tour because you can always read up about the Terracotta Army from various sources. The museum features 3 main vaults and an exhibition hall. The vaults are located close to each other and it takes about 20 minutes to walk from the main gate to the vaults.
Vault 1 is the largest site at the museum. The size of the Vault was similar to a football field. Tourists are not allowed to enter inside the site. I walked around the vault and took pictures of different sculptures. The sculptures included warriors, chariots and horses. If you look from far they looked very similar but actually each sculpture is unique. Each sculpture has different facial expression, clothing, hairstyle and gestures. Originally, the sculptures were painted with different colors but the color eventually faded after years of erosion. Vault 2 is located just adjacent to vault 1. The restoration work was still going on at Vault 2. The vault features archers, chariots and troopers holding weapons. Vault 3 is the smallest vault out of the three. The sculptures are located on 5 m deep pit. The pit features headless Terracotta soldiers and horses. Visit to the Exhibition hall was last part of my trip to Terracotta army museum. The exhibition hall features Chariots, Terracotta army sculptures, horses and other related things pertaining to the lifestyle of people during the era of emperor Qin Shi Huang. The dark lighting inside the Exhibition Hall was impressive. I spent Half-day at the museum and took the return bus ride from bus station located near Terracotta army museum.
Drum tower & Bell tower– Drum tower and Bell tower are considered as the symbol of Xi’an. The towers are famous for their unique architecture. My accommodation was located close to Drum tower. There is a huge Drum located inside the tower and everyday the Drum was beat at sunset. The tower features an Exhibition hall and a Drum museum. You have to purchase tickets if you want to visit the top of the Drum tower but the waiting time is usually around 30 minutes. Xi’an also has a very efficient transport system because of the presence of metro rail network. Zhonglou station on Metro Line 2 is the nearest station to Drum tower.
Bell tower is located near Drum tower and it is the geographical center of the ancient capital. Four roads in four directions connect the Bell tower with North, South, East and West gates of Xi’an ancient city wall. Bell tower is constructed during Ming Dynasty and it is located conveniently from Bell Tower station. The entrance to Bell tower is from the underground pass located near the Bell tower station. I skipped my visit to Bell tower because it was very crowded.
Fortifications of Xi’an – Xi’an city wall is the oldest and best preserved city wall of China. The wall was built for defense purposes and it encloses area of about 14 sqkm. Old city of Xi’an is situated inside the city wall. The total length of the wall is about 14 km and it is constructed in the shape of a square. The height of the wall is 12 m. The width of the city wall is about 12 m and cycling on top of the Xi’an city wall is a popular activity for tourists. The four main gates of Xi’an city wall are situated at South, East , West and North direction. I visited the city wall during afternoon time and stayed there till sunset.I entered the Xi’an city wall from the western gate and walked towards the southern gate of the city wall. I purchased my admission ticket from the ticket counter situated at the Western gate. I will strongly recommend to stay inside the Xi’an city wall because most of
the tourist attractions are located inside the city wall. The view from the wall was stunning and there was snow on the top of the city wall. Most of the new developments in Xi’an is happening outside of the city wall but old city of Xi’an still remains the center of Xi’an. The sunset view from the Xi’an city wall was incredible and i will strongly recommend everyone to not miss the sunset from the city wall during your visit to Xi’an.
Xi’an Muslim Quarter– Xi’an Muslim Quarter is located near Drum Tower and it is a great place to try some authentic Xi’an cuisine. Post sunset hours are probably the best time to visit Muslim Quarter and the shops remains open till 11 pm. The total length of the main street is about 500 m. The Muslim Quarter street food is very unique to Xi’an and you will not find similar street food anywhere in China. I fell in love with this place because i am a big fan of mutton dishes and there was number of mutton based dishes on offer at the street.
The grilled mutton stick was my favorite and it was reasonably priced at 10 CNY per stick. I also tried some authentic Xi’an cuisines like Mutton stew with bread and the famous Biangbiang noodles for the first time.
Fried potato and Tofu were the primary vegetarian dishes at the Muslim Quarter. You can also find number of fruit juice stalls and souvenir shops at the Muslim Quarter. I have been to so many night markets and street food stalls around Asia but the Muslim Quarter has a unique feel to it and it is a must visit tourist spot for foodies.
Around Xi’an i noticed number of small stalls selling pork filled baked buns. People of Xi’an eat this as a snack item and it is considered as a delicacy in Xi’an.
Big Goose Pagoda – Big Goose Pagoda is a Buddhist Pagoda and it is located outside Xi’an city wall. The bus ride from Drum tower to Big Goose Pagoda takes about 45 minutes. The Pagoda was built during the Tang Dynasty and it is a holy place for Buddhists. The shape of the 65 m tall Pagoda is similar to a square cone. The pagoda is popular for its unique architecture and color. The temple compound features squares, gardens and fountains. The musical fountain situated at the Northern side of the Pagoda was completely frozen. I was amazed to see older people practicing Tai Chi and Kung Fu at the pagoda compound early morning during the winter season. It was winter in Xi’an and there was decent amount of snowfall at the Pagoda compound. The Pagoda was looking beautiful on the background snow filled landscape.
Shanxi History Museum- Shanxi History Museum is situated near Big Goose Pagoda. Shanxi History Museum is a perfect place to learn about Chinese history. It took me about 20 minutes to walk from the main entrance of Big Goose Pagoda to Shanxi History Museum. The Museum covers an area of 16 acres and the architecture of the building is inspired from Tang Dynasty. The entire museum is divided into different types of Exhibition halls. I spent around 3 hours at the Museum. Be prepared to face long queues at the entrance because Shanxi History Museum is a popular tourist attraction among Chinese tourists.
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