Welcome to Xian

Where is Xian?	Xian Local History		Xian Attractions
Xian Shopping		Xian Restaurants

Where is Xian?

The City of Xian lies directly between the Northerly Qinling Mountains and the Weihe River to the far south, lying on the GuanZhong Plain in the Shaanzi province. With a surface area of 16,808 sq. km, it's population of 6.6 million people experience a range of weather types and climates throughout the year, not dissimilar to a Continental climate, with cold spells in the winter months, and temperatures between 20 – 30 ° c in Summer months (July to September).

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Xian Local History

Originally called Chang'an in it's early days of civilisation, the city of Xian has been over 3,100 years in the making, during which time it has been overseen and ruled over by 13 different dynasties such as Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang, all of which held Xian as their capital city.

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Xian Attractions

Museums & places to visit

•  The Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses: commonly regarded as the most significant archaeological find in the 20 th century, the shear scale of this exhibit is utterly engaging.

Over 6,000 life size terracotta figures of warriors and horses standing in a ready battle formation is the focus of this attraction; each figure features intricate hand carved details, which make you envisage the many man hours put in by teams of dedicated subjects needed to complete this grand task. So why were the terracotta figures created thousands of years ago? The answer is that the statues were used to ward off approaching enemy armies, who from a distance would have seen the figures and their silhouettes from afar, an opted to stay away from such heavily defended territory.

The museum is located 1.5 kilometres east of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum in Lintong County, Shaanxi province, and covers a surface area of 16,300 sq. metres, divided across three distinct sections.

•  Further historical finds are rife at the Shaanxi Provincial History Museum. Situated one kilometre north-west of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xian's southern suburb, the Shaanxi Provincial History Museum is home to a plethora of over 113,000 historic and cultural artefacts unearthed in the Shaanxi Province.

For ease of navigation, the exhibitions are split into three areas on the first floor: The Basic Exhibition Hall, The Theme Exhibition Hall and East Exhibition Hall. Each hall chronicles the various dynasties that have ruled over the region, such as Han, Wei, Jin, Sui, Tang and Qing, illustrating their glorious eras with such artefacts as terracotta figures, tombs and ancient military weaponry and attire.

•  One of China's most recognizable landmarks, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is a testament to the culturally groundbreaking voyage of Xuan Zang.

In the year 652 A.D, Xuan Zang returned from India, with the wisdom of 18 years of Buddhism installed in him. With him, he brought many manuscripts of Buddhist texts in turn placed in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, forever solidifying the beginnings of Buddhist teachings on the Chinese people. Even today, the amazing preservation of this ancient building means that calligraphy inscribed in the building in the 7 th Century still is clearly visible today, and the structure is robust enough to allow modern visitors to climb to its peak.

Festivals:

Every September, The Xian Ancient Culture Art Festival attracts people from all over the world, attracted by the wonderment of age-old folk performances, craft and trade fairs, musical and artistic showpieces and many other events that showcase Xian's rich tradition and culture. Look out for masked costume performers and if your lucky, grand firework displays, Chinese style!

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Xian Shopping

Upon arriving in Xian, we highly recommend a visit to one of many local jade carving and lacquerware factories, which produce the areas most exported and locally sold artifacts. For a more modern touch, Xian offers many major modern markets, centering on the international export of clothing, furniture, and electronic products.

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Xian Restaurants

Traditionally decorated Chinese restaurants are a wonder to behold in Xian, and are a welcome break from modern yet sterile Chinese restaurants back home.

One such magnificent eatery is De Fa Chang Restaurant - located in Xi'an Bell and Drum Towers' square, the prominent sign outside will guide you in. Large in scale and elegant in design, the culinary delights of this restaurant are as superb as the structure itself – look out for the traditional “Jiaozi” Chinese Dumplings! Served in over 20 different shapes from flowers to animals and stuffed with vegetarian and meat fillings, there is plenty of choice and fun to be had. Indeed, choosing your dumplings is thoroughly entertaining, and if you have kids, is a great way to get them to sit and eat, whilst being a good educational tool as well!

For an establishment that offers an entire range of traditional Chinese platters, try Shang Palace, located in the Shangri-La Golden Flower Hotel, slightly removed from its main lobby. If you are not drawn in by the live entertainment playing pretty much every night, then the extremely extensive menu will surely tempt you. Everything from the aforementioned Jiaozi steamed dumplings to simmering Shark Fin Soup is available; keep a close look out for the Bird's Nest Soup, Baby Lobster dishes, Vegetable & Clay Pots, Rice & Noodles specialties and the trademark Shang Palace Hot Pots. Make sure you go on an empty stomach, as once you start eating here, you won't want to stop!

If you wish to combine dinner with a true twist of Chinese culture, then venture over to the famous Tang Dynasty Theater, China's premier cultural entertainment theatre/restaurant. Sit back and enjoy a renditions of Chang'an Music and Dance routines, which are painstakingly faithful to their glamorous, costumed origins from the City of Chang'an, now know as Xian, over 1,000 years ago.

However, let's not lose sight of the reason you are here in the first place – the food!

Dine on the extravagant raised stage, which gives you a fantastic panoramic view of the restaurant, with table seating throughout the room. Try the five-course fixed-price meal of regional and international dishes, including an assortment of Fish & Dumplings, Crispy fresh King Prawns with Honey-Glazed Walnuts, succulent Tenderloin of Beef, home-made desserts and, to finish off and settle the stomach, a pleasant Jasmine Tea.

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