|
Home > Guides > People&Places > Xi'an
| Xi'an 
|
The first capital of the Chinese Empire under Qin Shi Huangdi and one of the largest and most thriving cities of Asia under the Tang dynasty, nowadays Xi'an is scarcely connected with its glorious past. Imposing city walls, recently rebuilt, still enclose downtown Xi'an, the Terracotta Army and Banpo Neolithic Village attract millions of tourists... and yet, Xi'an is far from being a modern, developing place. Covered by a thick layer of grey dust, the city looked quite decadent under a gloomy winter sky.
On the left: during the Chinese New Year hundreds of people gather in the main square to fly kites. |
On the right and below: after the Terracotta Army, the main attraction of Xi'an is the Muslim quarter: around the Great Mosque, built in pure Chinese style, gathers one of the largest Muslim communities in China. Though the buildings lining the narrow streets of this part of town are far from being ancient, the atmosphere of the Muslim markets and shops is extremely fascinating.
One of the most lively markets in Xi'an is held around the City God's Temple, a decayed Qing dynasty building not far from the Great Mosque. |
 |
 |
On the left: a Muslim woman in her traditional white cap sells "the eight treasures" - dried fruit to put into sweet rice puddings - in front of the Drum Tower.
Below on the left:, embroidered cloth tigers (bu laohu) are one of the typical products of local handicraft, together with the twelve signs and other auspicious animals.
Below on the right: sugar animals are created in a moment and sold for nothing in the streets behind the Great Mosque. |
 |
 |
How to get there: Xi'an is well connected by train to Beijing (14 hours on a great, expensive train) and Chengdu (19 hours). From Kunming it's 41 hours on a train which makes it worth considering going by air.
To the terracotta warriors, catch bus number 306 departing from the railway station - absolutely don't catch minibuses of any kind.
Hints and tips: more than anything, don't visit a so-called terracotta army museum (20 yuan and no student discounts) 1 km from the real thing, it's all fake! To enter the vaults and the real museum you'll have to pay only once (30 yuan, 15 for students). Then, be aware of taxi drivers: most times they will ask the way to you, and if you turn up with a map they will be even more puzzled. But then, it could have been just some bad luck on our side... |
 |
 |
Above: a "stolen" picture of the terracotta warriors - it's strictly forbidden to take photographs inside the vaults, but I couldn't help take some without flashlight. The Terracotta Army is definitely worth its fame.
On the left: behind the Bell Tower in the main square of Xi'an, a terracotta warrior publicizes a new shopping mall.
All pictures taken by Diana Lavarini on February, 8-12, 2000. Camera: Minolta Dynax 500si, 35-70 and 80-210. | |
Sinophilia was born in 1998 as a meeting-point for China-lovers. In these years we have managed to build a database of essential information on the Chinese culture, adding here and there a few more specific essays on Chinese art, history, language and religions, and some useful tools.
Feel free to send us your comments and contributions!
|
