Xi'an

Understand

thumb|240px|The Terracotta Warriors

Get around

The old city is surrounded by a rectangular city wall. The Bell Tower (钟楼 Zhōnglóu) is in the dead center of the rectangle, and is considered the center of Xi'an. From here, the four main streets radiate along the four points of the compass. North Street (北大街 Běidàjiē) East Street (东大街 Dōngdàjiē) South Street (南大街 Nándàjiē) West Street (西大街 Xīdàjiē)

Do not get confused by different names in tourist guides, addresses and bus stops: Nandajie, Nanda Street, South Street, and South Avenue are all the same street.

Locals often speak about Within the city walls (城里 chénglǐ, CHUNG-lee) and Outside the city walls (城外 chéngwài, CHUNG-why) when talking about locations. Outside the walls, the southern part is the most interesting - it offers shopping streets, bars and some nightlife. thumb|Zhonglou at night Basically the inner Xi'an, the part inside the City Walls, is the old Xi'an, which is equivalent to the term "downtown" used to describe certain parts of a North American city. The buildings are mostly pretty short due to government policies. People who live inside the City Walls largely preserve a traditional way of life. For example, they are used to going to farmers' market for grocery, and also the provincial dialect is more prominent there. There is much more folklore to be found inside the City Walls than elsewhere in the city. Interestingly, there is a Roman Catholic church in the inner city, which was founded more than 300 years ago by the missionaries from the west.

There…

Do

Stroll round the Drum and Bell Tower area after dark, when they're brilliantly illuminated. thumb|As you can see the glass-walled buildings behind the metro entrance, they have been renovated and expanded into big all-in-one shopping malls. Seniors like to dance in the plaza in the evening.

Eat

Xi'an used to have only a few restaurants known by the locals to serve delicious food. Now the restaurants are everywhere, especially ones like KFC and McDonald. The younger generations don't seem to appreciate the traditional cuisines and rather choose to eat fast food. Therefore, some of good old restaurants are forced to close down, being taken over by the newer ones.

Xi'an specialties include: thumb|The local speciality, Biang Biang Mian

Yángròu Pàomó (羊肉泡馍) is one of the signature dishes of the area, it consists of a piece of thick, chewy bread and a kettle of lamb soup. The diner shreds the bread with his hands and places the shreds in a bowl, the soup is then poured over the shreds (along with meat, maybe some noodles or scallion, etc.) The trick is to shred the bread into pieces that are "as small as possible", like the size of your pinky fingernail. Most first-timers will shred their bread in pieces that are too large. In some restaurants, they have already shredded the bread for you. It is normally also served with pickled garlic and chili. If you don't like lamb, some restaurants also offer a beef version. The best, and the most authentically made of this dish can be found in the Hui Muslim Quarter. Biáng biáng miàn (𰻝𰻝面) is a local provincial specialty noodle dish that is extremely good. The wide noodles are spiced, have a broth, and include toppings such as eggs, tomatoes, beef, etc. The character for "biang" is very complex (58 strokes) and distinctive. Alth…

Drink

Night clubs in Xi'an are not abundant. All clubs play the same music, a mix of Chinese disco and some pop music. Most people go out between 22:00 and 01:00, but clubs are generally open until 04:00.

Be mentally prepared to be aggressively approached by club operators desperate for patrons.

In summer time, the area around South Gate (南门) is beautiful. East of it are three nice bars with terraces and gardens.

Along the short Nandajie (南大街) are the most clubs (you can also eat on the street as there are restaurants open past midnight).

Other options include:

Sleep

As with most Chinese cities, several cheap run down hotels can be found near the train station. There are a few decent ones inside the city walls, on a road called Jie Fang Lu, going directly south from the train station. Bargaining is possible, especially if you are staying for more than one night. Expect to pay under ¥100 for a single room as getting a room for as low as ¥30 is possible.

Connect

It's not very easy to make friends with the locals in Xi'an, especially if you don't speak the language. Also the most common, or even the only way to keep in touch with anyone in China these days is through Wechat. The locals are mostly not used to using emails. However, in Defu Alley, you can find several bars where Football fans gather during the game seasons, which is a good place to socialize if you are interested in football. Also you may have chances at making friends in coffee shops too, as that's where new generations like to spend time with friends on weekends.

If you need a local SIM card, the convenient way to get it is from China Mobile store near Drum Tower (Zhonglou) Metro Line. Not all official China Mobile store sells SIM cards. Go to Exit C and find the store near the end 'Shangpu Rd'. Closes at 7pm.

Stay safe

Xi'an is, like other Chinese cities, generally quite safe. Just watch out for pickpockets in crowds, on the bus, and during national holidays.

Go next

Xianyang was historically part of Xi’an and is closely integrated with Xi’an due to its close geographical proximity. You can reach Xianyang’s urban area just by taking a metro train. Lines 1 and 14 of the Xi’an Metro both connect Xi’an to Xianyang. thumb|Chen Lu Porcelain Town Chen Lu: 3 hours' drive north of Xi'an, this community of artisans has been producing pottery since the Tang dynasty. You need private transport, and the road is hazardous in winter. Take in the Yaozhouyao Kiln Museum, 90 km north of Xi'an on the old road to Chenlu Town. There's fine Yaozhou porcelain from the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), and the site of the original kiln. Hu Kou Waterfall (壶口瀑布 Húkǒu Pùbù), 150 km north of Xi'an, can be combined with a trip to Huang Di Mausoleum. You need your own transport as the only bus of the day back to Xi'an departs around 10:00. Huashan National Park (华山 Huàshān) 120 km east of Xi'an, takes only 35 min by high-speed train, or 90 min by conventional train or bus. Huashan is a 2160-m mountain with spectacular views; either hike up the 6 km trail (4–6 hours) or take the 10 minute cable car for ¥70 (though the cable car often has lines lasting 2 hours.) Try to catch sunrise on the East peak, but it's cold up there. Accommodation is available but pricey. Louguan (楼观), 60 km southwest of Xi'an and two hours by bus. You can spend a couple of days to for seeing Louguantai National Park, a Daoist temple complex, or Daqin Pagoda (大秦塔 Dà Qín Tǎ) 2&…