Xi'an西安

Province: Shaanxi
Population: 3.2 million

Xi'an is the capital of the Shaanxi province,and a sub-provincial city in the People's Republic of China. One of the six ancient capitals of China, Xi'an served as the seat of 12imperial dynasties over the last 2000years.With more than 3,100 years of history, the city was known as Chang'an before the Ming Dynasty,having held the position under several of the most important dynasties inChinese history, including Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang. It was the starting point for the great trade caravans of the Silk Routes to Central Asia andEurope and the largest city in the world during theTangDynasty (618-907 AD). Rapid industrialization began in the 1950s with manufacturing of cotton textiles, electrical equipment,machinery and fertilizers.By the end of2005, Xi'an had a pulation of 8.07 million.
Xi'an has a temperate, semi-arid climate influenced by the East Asian monsoon. The Wei River valley is characterised by hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. Spring and autumn are somewhat brief and dry. Xi'an receives most of its annual precipitation from August to late October in the form of rain. Snow occasionally falls in winter but rarely settles for long. Summer months also experience frequent but short thunderstorms. Monthly mean temperatures range from around the freezing mark in January to 26.6 °C(79.9 °F) in July, with an annual average of 13.7 °C (56.7 °F).
The two Chinese characters "西安" in the name Xi'an literally mean "Western Peace". Xi'an is abbreviated in Chinese to either Haoor Tang (唐). The former abbreviation is derived from the Zhou Dynasty name Haojing,whilst the latter comes from the name of the Tang Dynasty.Xi'an
Xi'an, one of the ancient capitals in China, has a long history to be the capital in China. There are many attractions in Xian including Terra Cotta Warriors, Old City Wall, Muslim Quarter, Grand Mosque, Stele Museum, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Shaanxi Province Historical Museum, Drum & Bell Tower, etc.
Shaanxi Province is famous for the food made of wheat flour such as hand-stretched noodles, Paomo Soup, Jiaomo Pancake, dumplings that are very popular in China.

Major Attactions:
Old City Wall of Xian
Xian is a very lucky city to preserve its Old City Wall in the culture revolution and being one of the highlights on the Silk Road. The city wall was constructed from 1370—1378 with the length of 13.7 km. There are four main city wall gates on east, west, north and south. You can ride bicycle on the city wall to enjoy the view around the city.

Big Wild Goose Pagoda
One of the oldest pagodas in China, Big Wild Goose Pagoda can be traced back its history to 652 AD during Tang Dynasty. Standing in the south of Xian, the pagoda is 64.5 meters in height with a great view on the top of the pagoda.

Fountain shows at the North Square of the Wild Goose Pagoda
There are fountain shows at the North Square of the Wild Goose Pagoda which attract thousand people in the night. Here is the time table for the fountain show.
Summer (10th June to 5th October)
Monday to Friday
Show time: 12.00, 21.00
Saturday and Sunday (also national holidays)
Show time: 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 21:00
Winter (6th October to 9th June next year)
Monday to Friday 12.00, 20:30
Saturday and Sunday (also national holidays) 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:30

Terracotta Warriors兵马俑
One of China's most famous and popular tourist sites, the Terracotta Warriors ranked among the world's top archaeological finds and were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This incredible collection of well over 6,000 figures was accidentally unearthed by a group of peasants trying to dig a well in 1974.

Bell Tower 钟楼
This 36-meter high tower dating from 1384 marks the center of town. It was moved to its present site in 1582, and restored in 1739. In the past a large iron bell would be sounded to mark the time.

Drum Tower 鼓楼
Similar to the Bell tower, it is a smaller building which marks the boundary of Xi’an’s very interesting and entertaining Muslim quarter. It was first erected during the Ming dynasty in 1380.

Great Mosque 大清真寺
One of the largest and most fascinating mosques in China, the Great Mosque of Xi'an features an unusual blend of Chinese and Islamic architecture. Established in742, rebuilt in the Qing dynasty and heavily restored since.

Muslim Quarter回民街
Muslim Quarter is the epicenter of the city's Muslim community, dating back to the days of the Silk Road. Located between the Drum Tower and the Great Mosque, Muslim Street and the surrounding warren of backstreets make up Xi'an's lively Muslim Quarter,

Shaanxi History Museum 陕西历史博物馆
The capital of thirteen dynasties over 1,100years, Xi'an and Shaanxi Province are often referred to as the birthplace of the ancient Chinese civilization. In order to further the legend of the city's iconic status, the Shaanxi History Museum showcases the highlights of these ancient civilizations, reproducing a grand complex of buildings in the Tang architectural style.

Little Goose Pagoda 小雁塔
This 15 storey pagoda was built in 707. It is said that a violent earthquake in1487 split the pagoda from top to bottom, but another in 1556 brought the two sides back together.

Banpo Museum半坡博物馆
Located to the east of the Xi'an city center, the Banpo Museum, which first opened its doors in 1958, resides on a former excavation site. Dating back roughly 6,000 years to the Neolithic Yangshao culture, Banpo is now home to an exhibition hall featuring production tools.

Huaqing Hot Spring华清池
These pleasant hot springs situated at the foot of Lishan (Mount Li) have been in use for around 2,500 years; the mineral-rich waters bubbling up from the earth have soothed emperors dating back to the notorious Qin Shihuang, and during the Tang Dynasty they became a primary imperial summer residence.

Recommended Tours:
Classical Silk Road
Terra Cotta Warriors Day Tour