Weekend Warriors: Xi'an

Once a capital city of great Chinese dynasties, Xi'an is now known as China's "old" cultural epicenter. The silk road ended here, and the influence from around the world is more prominent here than in almost any other city in China, sans Shanghai. Here's how to thrive over a weekend in Chang'an, better known as Xi'an.

Arrive

You absolutely have to take the overnight train to Xi'an, or between any Chinese cities for that matter. Getting a little room to share with a few of my friends was super fun, and falling asleep to the rocking of the train was a breeze. It took eleven hours to get from Beijing to Xi'an, with a few stops along the way. We shared stories over the snacks we brought on for the first few hours and then slept the rest of the way. It's basically a better version of a red-eye. You get the benefits of wasting no time traveling without the jet-lag or inconveniences of flying overnight.

We took the bullet train on the way back which was pretty quick itself. About 4 and a half hours to get from city center to city center, which if you consider the 45 min-1 hour drive to the airport in Beijing (depending on traffic) and the 1 hour drive from Xi'an Airport into the city, the bullet train is not that much more inefficient.

Stay

We stayed at the New Century Xi'an Hotel, and for the price, I thought it was a pretty solid place to stay. Only a two-minute walk from a subway stop and right on the Muslim Quarter, the location of the hotel was great. The breakfast buffet had a great selection of Western and Chinese cuisine, and it tasted pretty solid, granted I only had 5 minutes to eat it. The rooms were very comfortable with great views out over the city. They had everything you'd expect from a luxury hotel, for less than $50 a night. The hotel also has an indoor pool (pools in Chinese hotels almost have to be indoor because the air is so bad/hot), gym, and game room, so this hotel, which is on the larger side, will provide you with everything you need at a great price in a great location. No complaints, other than the wi-fi in the room was rather sub-par (but that's a China thing in general).

Do

Terra Cotta Warriors

The complex includes three separate enclosures, this one being one of the less-discovered (they are still working on excavations!)

This is an obvious must do in Xi'an, and even though it's about an hour drive out of the city. Is it worth it? Yes. It's a historical monument that commands your attention from every angle. It's basically been turned into a museum, divided into 3 separate exhibits where large structures house the excavated statues resembling warriors protecting the emperor. Only one of the structures is truly interesting (I forgot which, forgive me), but it's the one with the majority of the soldiers. You can walk around and view them from above but only at a few points do you have a vantage point that is truly interesting because much of the area is actually still under excavation, which means there are either no statues, or there are a collection of desks for the archeologists. I was surprised that there were still areas and artifacts being discovered, which was actually pretty cool to think that I was exploring a live excavation essentially. The actual museum on the grounds was terrible if you ask me, as are almost all museums in China. It was poorly air conditioned, extremely over-crowded, and frankly not that interesting. So yeah, skip out on that for sure. The grounds are at the foot of an incredible mountain range, so definitely take the time to roam around and enjoy the natural beauty, escaping the hordes of tour groups (because there are a LOT, whether you like it or not)

8,000 (and counting) warriors protecting the tomb of Chinese emperors make for a site to behold

City Wall

Xi'an's city wall is the most well-preserved city wall in all of China. Many Chinese cities had a wall surrounding the center to protect the citizens, especially the royal and wealthy, but the wall in Xi'an is one of the very few remaining that is still in-tact. We spent a couple hours riding our bikes all the way around the entire city, stopping at a few temples along the way. It's a great way to engage yourself with the surroundings, and biking on an ancient wall while passing modern buildings and advanced society is an interesting juxtaposition. There are bike rental spots all around the wall, but make sure you remember exactly which one you rented from because they all look similar (including the surroundings) and, well, let's just say we did not pay attention. It all worked out in the end, and the experience was one of my favorites. Pro-tip: do this bike ride on a weekend morning because the weather is bearable and there are a few spots where you can look down over weekend markets and observe the buzz from above, which is awesome.

Small Wild Goose Pagoda

So there's also a Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, but we ended up here because we were over the massive crowds. Essentially, this pagoda is where the housed Buddhist relics, as Xi'an (formerly Chang'an) was sort of the final destination for people coming from India and the Middle East, so this pagoda was where they were store their relics. The grounds are beautiful, with gorgeous gardens, ponds and peaceful walkways. There is also a massive bell that you can ring with a huge wooden pole basically (but you have to pay $1 for 5 rings). It could super windy while we were wandering the grounds, which forced us to leave earlier than we wanted, but it was definitely a nice and relaxing spot to spend the afternoon.

Sun rays shining over the house of Buddhist relics

Mosques

We walked through a mosque as a quick final experience in Xi'an and it was beautiful. We got to see the end of the prayers, and for me, someone with a Muslim background (grandparents), it was interesting to see Chinese people practicing Islam in Xi'an. The grounds themselves were stunning, and the fact that is was basically smack dab in the middle of a massive market made it seem all the more peaceful. The concept of visiting a mosque in China, a country with an undeniable lack of religious and foreign diversity, is something that is very unique.

Chinese Muslims taking part on one of their five daily prayers.

Eat

Muslim Quarter

Put China and the Middle East together in one area, and you'll find more spices than you could possibly imagine!

This place is MASSIVE. Probably the biggest surprise was the fact that there even was a Muslim Quarter in Xi'an, let alone one with this magnitude. I mean seriously, the roads would go on seemingly forever in every direction. It was a sensory explosion, with stalls serving all types of Chinese and Muslim food, selling trinkets, and offering massages. The food, specifically the street meat, was fantastic, and we gathered around a nice table with dozens of types of meat and a Tsing Tao for hours and laughed, ate and drank our way through the night. It was undoubtedly a night I will always remember, and is something everyone should do on their visit to Xi'an.

Chinese food-with a bit of a Middle Eastern twist here and there-is plentiful all around the sprawling streets of Xi'an's Muslim Quarter

Watch a Show

A side of dumplings to go with the show.

There are numerous options in Xi'an to have dinner and a show. We went to the Shaanxi Grand Opera House, which was arguably the best and most famous of them all. We had literally a dozen different types of dumplings before the show started (which if it were up to me, I would have served the dumplings while the show was going on, but that's just my opinion). The show itself is truly entertaining and caters well to English-speakers. We thought it was slightly too white-washed, but that's because we basically became Asians ourselves on this trip.

A colorful masterpiece, this show was fantastic even though there was excessive white-washing to cater to all the tourists.

So there you have it, how to thrive on a weekend trip to China's old capital from its new one. Xi'an is like China's Kyoto, where culture and history combine with modern day luxury to create a beautiful city.

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