Travel Notes | Dreaming back to Chang'an at a glance

01

Xi'an Ming City Wall is the largest and most complete ancient city wall in China. It has a closed rectangular outline and a circumference of 13.74 kilometers. There are four main gates in the entire city wall: Changle Gate (East Gate), Yongning Gate (South Gate), Anding Gate (West Gate), and Anyuan Gate (North Gate), which together mean "Chang'an Yong'an". Since the Republic of China, 18 city gates have been opened to facilitate entry and exit. It is recommended to cycle around the city wall and feel the unique charm of ancient and modern Chang'an City on both sides.

In ancient times, bells were struck to announce the morning and drums were beaten to announce the evening, hence the name "morning bell and evening drum". It is located in the city center and is a landmark building in Xi'an. The two Ming Dynasty buildings echo each other and are spectacular. The Drum Tower is also the largest existing Drum Tower in China. When the lanterns start to light up, look at the Bell and Drum Tower from a distance and feel the artistic conception of the long night with the bells and drums beginning, and the stars rising into the sky.

Some people say that if you want to understand a city, you must first start with its museums. Xi'an is such a city. Whether it is the Shaanxi History Museum, which condenses the essence of the Chinese nation's five thousand years of history, or the Forest of Steles Museum, a top national treasure that collects calligraphy and stone carvings, they can take you into Xi'an and travel through history.

The Big Wild Goose Pagoda was built by Xuanzang to preserve the Buddhist scriptures and statues brought back to Chang'an from Tianzhu via the Silk Road.

The Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built to store Buddhist scriptures and pictures brought back from Tianzhu by the eminent monk Yijing of the Tang Dynasty.

The two towers face each other from east to west and are two important landmarks that have been preserved to this day in Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty.

Pit No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 and Bronze Carriage and Horses (tour time is about 2.5 hours)

The Qin Terracotta Warriors not only inherited China's ceramic sculpture tradition since the Warring States Period, but also laid the foundation for the prosperity of sculpture art in the Tang Dynasty. They served as a link between the past and the future and were hailed as the "eighth wonder of the world." French President Chirac once said that he would not look at the pyramids. It doesn’t count as a real visit to Egypt, and it doesn’t count as a real visit to China if you don’t see the Qin Terracotta Warriors.

There are 2,660 hot springs in the world, and only Huaqing ranks first. Huaqing Palace was the auxiliary palace where emperors of the Tang Dynasty visited. With the mountain on its back and the Wei River on its side, it is built against the mountain of Lifeng. The allusion about Zhou You Wangfeng playing with the princes with fire comes from Lishan Mountain. In the Tang Dynasty, Concubine Yang Guifei "washed her fat with the hot spring water" here. It also witnessed the love romance between Tang Xuanzong and Yang Guifei.

It was called Huashan in ancient times and was known as "the most dangerous mountain in the world". It is often said that there has been one road to Mount Huashan since ancient times. Along the way, you must pass through Qianchizhuang, Baichixia, Laojun Furrow, Shangtian Ladder, Canglong Ridge and other dangerous and dangerous roads. Suggested gameplay: walk up the mountain and take the ropeway down the mountain. If you have enough time off, you can stay one night on the mountain and watch the sunrise in the morning.

Hukou Waterfall is the second largest waterfall in China and the largest yellow waterfall in the world. The Yellow River flows here, with steep stone walls on both sides, and the mouth of the river is as narrow as the mouth of a Hukou, hence the name Hukou Waterfall. Due to the large drop and the fierce force of the water, Hukou Waterfall has formed four unique landscapes: smoke rising from the bottom of the water, colorful bridges reaching the sky, dragons playing in the waves, and thunder in the valley. Li Bai even wrote here that the water of the Yellow River comes up from the sky and rushes to the sea never to return. You deserve it.

According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 200 kinds of snacks in Xi'an. Every corner here is filled with delicacies, and the pure and traditional Chinese taste is hidden in the streets and alleys. It has also been featured in countless food programs. Among them, steamed buns are the favorite staple food of Xi'an people and the main ingredient of many snacks. Based on the steamed bun, Xi'an people have transformed it into a variety of tempting delicacies, including the fragrant meat bun, the delicious mutton steamed bun, and the artistic Guanzhong flower steamed bun, which have accompanied generations of Xi'an people. , but also a lingering taste bud memory. From Roujiamo to soup dumplings, Liangpi, mirror cakes, spicy soup, to biangbiang noodles, there are too many to mention.

Recommended food places: Huimin Street, Dapiyuan, Xiyang City, Dongmou City, Wuxing Street, Dongxin Street, Shuncheng Lane, Sajin Bridge, Yongxingfang