Xi'an
Walkable city walls, a famed earthenware army
and a cultural melting pot
With the Weihe River to the north and the protective Qinling Mountains to the south, Xi’an has a long and proud history. As the capital of at least a dozen imperial dynasties spanning more than a thousand years, it’s home to hundreds of palaces and temples.
A visit to Xi’an Banpo Museum proves that even the terracotta army, which dates from the third century BC, is a relative newcomer. Wander among objects that were unearthed by archaeologists from a Neolithic village where the city now stands. The looming seventh-century Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and the iconic Drum and Bell Towers will give you a sense of the city’s former imperial power, while the Great Mosque of Xi’an is yet another reminder of its status as a medieval trading crossroads.
Strolling along the imposing city wall that wraps around the oldest part of the centre – the most complete structure of its kind in China – is the best way to appreciate one of the largest remaining medieval defence systems in the world. But Xi’an is not only about the past – it’s a thriving modern metropolis. Radiating out from the central Bell Tower, East, West, North and South Streets are all wide boulevards lined with glittering shopping malls and contemporary restaurants.
![](https://www.grandmercure.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/XIAN_1_MAIN-shutterstock_666761428__001-1000x667.jpg)
If you’re looking for bargains and handicrafts, you might prefer the night market of Beiyuanmen Street. This is also the place to enjoy Muslim-influenced street food like grilled lamb in pitta bread, a continent-spanning Xi’an speciality that reflects its cosmopolitan nature as much as any grand monument.
![](https://www.grandmercure.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/XIAN_3__001-1000x668.jpg)
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