|
Xi'an and the Terra Cotta Warriors
Xi'an, located about 750 miles southwest
of Beijing, is a major Chinese city that
is on the tourist trail mainly because of
the Terra Cotta Warriors at the tomb of Emperor
Qin Shi Huang. It is possible to see the
Warriors in a single day (either by flying
in and out of the Xi'an airport or by taking
an overnight train); however, there are other
sites worth seeing, including Xi'an's intact
city wall, that reward those staying at least
two days.
If arriving by train for a two day visit,
the most convenient place to stay is in the
immediate vicinity of the train station,
as this gives you good access to the city
bus to the Terra Cotta Warriors. We recommend
the Xi'an Diamond International hotel, a
block south of the train station and inside
the city wall (if you are a light sleeper,
ask for a room on the back side of the hotel
as the windows are far from soundproof).
An inexpensive and delicious Cantonese style
cafeteria lunch is available just a block
north of the hotel and beside the #306 bus
stop (see Terra Cotta Warriors).
With over 6 million residents,
Xi'an is a
major city. While the area within
the old
city wall is reasonably small,
a little walking
will quickly acquaint you with
the large
scale of the city. Make use of
the inexpensive
taxis to get from place to place.
Outside of the department stores, shopping
is organized by types of goods. For example,
you will find blocks and blocks of shoe stores
clustered a few blocks east of the train
station. Paper cuts and brushes are just
north east of the city's south gate. When
shopping for these items, even in the temple
gift shops, bargaining is expected -- and
necessary, to avoid paying a grossly inflated
price.
To learn more about Xi'an, see these articles:
|
|
|
