Xi An Travel Guide

Also known as 'the ancient city', Xi'an is situated in central China in the southern part of Guanzhong Plain, with the Qinling Mountains to the north and the Weihe River to the south. In ancient times, the city was a major crossroads on the trading routes from eastern China to central Asia, and the beginning point of the famed Silk Road. In recent years this three-millennia-old city, once as prominent as Rome and Constantinople, has come back into its own as one of China's major tourist destinations.

In 1974, on the city's eastern outskirts, archaeologists stumbled across a treasure trove: an army of terracotta warrior figurines in battle formation standing in underground vaults. Hailed as the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century, the Terracotta Warriors of Xi'an have brought visitors from around the world to marvel at the astonishing sight, but also to embark on further adventures of their own along the ancient silk caravan route.

Besides the Terracotta Warriors, the city boasts myriad historical relics, museums and temples, which is unsurprising considering that Xi'an was the Chinese capital under 12 dynasties. The city wall is one of the widest, highest and best preserved in the world, and the Forest of Steles, with its collection of more than 3,000 ancient stone tablets, is both the largest and oldest in China.