Xi'an

Xi'an, People's Republic of China

The Xi'an Bell Tower silhouetted against a golden sunset over the city plaza.

Xi'an is where the Terracotta Army waits in its pits, and where an old city wall and a long history of capital cities still shape the streets.

The place

Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi province in north-west China, sitting on the Guanzhong plain at an elevation of about 405 metres. Its population is around 13 million, which makes it the most populous city in the province and the largest in north-west China. It holds sub-provincial status, so it carries more administrative weight than most Chinese cities of its size. Its older name, Chang'an, still appears throughout Chinese history, and the city reads as a place built around its past. A city wall encloses much of the old centre, a bell tower stands at its heart, and lanes near the Great Mosque fill with food stalls. Beyond the walls, modern Xi'an has grown into a centre for education, research and industry, with wide avenues and new districts spreading outward. The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor lies outside the city centre, and the Terracotta Army draws more visitors than anything else nearby. Crowds are heaviest in summer and during national holidays, when the main sites and market streets feel loud and packed. The city rewards a slower pace: a morning on the wall, an afternoon among the stone tablets, and an evening eating noodles on a busy street.

Its story

Xi'an's history reaches back well before its walls. The Lantian Man was found in 1963 in Lantian County, southeast of the city, and the remains date to at least 500,000 years ago. Closer in, the Banpo site on the eastern edge of the city preserves a Neolithic village roughly 6,500 years old, and the Xi'an Banpo Museum, built in 1957, protects its excavated houses and pottery. The first major political centre here came with the Zhou dynasty in the eleventh century BC, when twin settlements called Fengjing and Haojing formed a capital southwest of today's city. In 738 BC King Ping moved the court east to Luoyang because of political unrest, and the old capital lost its role. Later, after the Warring States period, the Qin dynasty unified China for the first time, with its capital at Xianyang just northwest of the modern city. Under the Western Han, Sui and Tang, the city under the name Chang'an became one of the great capitals of its age, and the name still carries weight locally. Xi'an is counted among China's Five Great Ancient Capitals, a label that reflects the number of dynasties that ruled from here. Later dynasties moved the political centre elsewhere, and the city has since become a provincial capital again, with its ancient layers sitting close together in the streets.

What to see

Culture

Xi'an's cultural life runs through its theatre, its museums and its mosques. Qinqiang, sometimes called the Voice of Qin, is one of China's four major operatic traditions and among the oldest, built on singing and percussion that carry the story. The city's contemporary stars include Xu Wei, Zhang Chu and Zheng Jun. Large Tang dynasty dance and music shows also play to visitors, presenting the court style the city knew in its imperial years. The Great Mosque in the old city is a working place of worship, and the lanes around it run to their own rhythm of prayer times, halal food and close community life. Meals in Chinese homes and restaurants are shared, with dishes ordered for the table and tea poured for others before oneself. Ask before photographing vendors, families or worshippers in the night markets and mosque lanes, and dress modestly when you enter the Great Mosque.

What to wear

Traditional dress in Xi'an belongs to the courts of the dynasties that made the city their capital. Tang court dress, with wide-sleeved robes of silk and brocade in bold colours, is the image most often used for the city's costume shows and rentals, and its layered shapes still appear in tourist costume. Silk and embroidery were the textiles of the upper classes, while cotton and hemp were everyday cloth. Day to day, people in Xi'an dress much as people in other Chinese cities do, in jeans, T-shirts and light jackets, with padded coats in winter. Many men and women in the Muslim quarter wear white caps and headscarves, and clothing in the old city tends to be modest and practical. Visitors should pack light, breathable layers for spring and summer, with a hat and sunscreen for the open sites, and a warm coat and something waterproof for autumn and winter. Cover shoulders and knees for the Great Mosque and bring a scarf for head covering. Comfortable shoes with good grip suit the city wall and the long walks between districts.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons, when the weather is mild and the city is easier to walk. Summer is hot and humid, and winter is cold, with grey days more likely.

How long. 3–4

Getting there. Xi'an Xianyang International Airport is the main airport, and airport buses and taxis run into the city from it. Use the official taxi rank and be wary of touts who approach in the arrivals hall. High-speed and conventional trains link Xi'an with other major Chinese cities.

Budget. mid

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources