Xi'an Travel Guide

China City Guide

Xi'an Brief

Xi'an is a museum city dotted with the historic relics of past dynasties, from the restored city walls to the majesty of the Terracotta Warriors. Xi'an will delight travelers today, as it did centuries ago as the starting point of the famed Silk Road.

Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province, has over 3,000 years of recorded history, with human habitation present here as early as the Neolithic times, as discovered at the Banpo Vlllaga. Xi'an has been the Capital of 12 dynasties, though it has been known as various names, most notably as Chang'an. It was also the starting point of the Silk Road, where camels were loaded far their long and perilous journey to Central Asia. Xi'an's links to Central Asia goes beyond trade as Islam continues to have an influence on the local flavor through the Muslim Hui minority.

As dynasty after dynasty added their own mark to Xi'an, the relics of old palaces, temples and tombs abound throughout the city and surrounding countryside. The tyrannical Qin dynasty emperor Qin Shihuang, with his capital at Xianyang close to present day Xi'an, left his indelible markthrough the famed Terracotta Warriors.

The Tang dynasty is considered one of China's golden ages for its unmatched cultural achievements. Trade reached Central Asia and Europe, thousands of students from Japan and Korea arrived in Xi'an to study in acknowledgement of Tang cultural preeminence and Chinese monks traveled to India to copy buddhist sutras. At its zenith during the Tang dynasty, Xi'an was the world's largest and most cosmopolitan city,measuring 84.1 square kilometers with over one million residents.

Though Xi'an was large, it was not affected by the incomprehensible twisting and turning lanes of similar cities of the era. As the first planned city in China, it was organized into a neat grid layout, highly symbolic in geomancy. Xi'an's city layout would influence other cities such as Beijing and Kyoto.

With the influx of foreign traders and students, and the self-confidence of the powerful and cosmopolitan Tang dynasty.Xi'an became more than a trading center, but also a nexus of cultures, religions, artisticendeavor and learning.

Today the city's charm lies in its historic atmosphere, there's a palpable sense of past glories, vestiges of its history are ever present. One can easily imagine the sights and sounds of Xi'an at the height of its glory when wandering along the city walls or strolling Through the old Muslim quarter.

Xi'an has recently become an important center for the central government's drive to develop western China. As an economic center for the region, Xi'an is in a natural position for further development; aviation is already an important industry for the city.

Xi'an History
Xi'an Climate

Xi'an History

Between the 11th and 8th centuries BC, the Zhou Dynasty governed northern China from their palace at Hao, located a few miles west of present-day Xi'an. Although the Zhou capital was moved to Luoyang in 771 BC, Hao, now known as Xianyang, remained one of the four largest cities in North China. During the 4th century BC, it became the capital of the state of Qin. When, a hundred years later, Xianyang became the center of the empire. Qin Shi Huangdi determined that his capital should be worthy of him, and under his direction, a million workers toiled to build wide boulevards and eight huge palaces. The population had increased to nearly 800,000 when, in 207 BC, rebels overthrew the dynasty and put the city to the torch.

The Han rulers, successors to the Qin, built their capital of Chang'an just north of modern Xi'an. The new city prospered, and by the 1st century BC, its walls enclosed eight main streets and 160 alleys, and enormous suburbs sprawled outside its ramparts. It was during this period that trade began with West Asia and the Roman Empire. Just as in present-day China, a special street was set aside to accommodate foreign visitors and a protocol department supervised their undertakings. In 25 AD, the seat of government was moved east to Luoyang and Chang'an declined in importance until the first Sui emperor, Wen-ti, ordered his engineers to build a new metropolis southeast of the old Han town. Although Wen-ti's successor governed from Luoyang, the Tang rulers returned to Chang'an, which they completed in accordance with the Sui design...

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Xi'an Climate

Xi'an has a continental monsoon climate, with four separate seasons. Summers are usually hot and wet, and winters tend to be cold and dry. July to September is the wet season and the average yearly temperature is 56°F (13°C). Spring and autumn are favourite times to travel to Xi'an, though generally the weather is pleasant year round...

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