Cities > Xi'an City
Overview
Chinese Name: 西安市English Name: Xi'an City
Climate Conditions: Warm Temperate Semi-Humid Continental Monsoon Climate
Airport: Xi'an Xianyang International Airport
Train Stations: Xi'an Station, Xi'an North Station, Xi'an East Station, Yinzhen Station, Xi'an West Station, etc.
Background
Xi'an City, also known as Chang'an, is located in the northwestern part of China, in the central Guanzhong Plain of the Yellow River Basin, between 107°40′109°49′ east longitude and 33°42′34°45′ north latitude. It is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Shaanxi Province, the capital of Shaanxi Province, a sub-provincial city, and a megacity. Xi'an has a warm temperate semi-humid continental monsoon climate, with significant elevation differences between the southern and northern areas. One million years ago, the Lantian Peking Man lived in Xi'an. The city has over 3,100 years of urban history and more than 1,100 years of being a capital, serving as the capital for 13 dynasties including the Western Zhou, Qin, Western Han, Xin, Eastern Han, Western Jin, Former Zhao, Former Qin, Later Qin, Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, and Tang. In 1981, Xi'an was designated as a "World Historical City" by UNESCO and is one of the important birthplaces of Chinese civilization and culture, the starting point of the ancient Silk Road. It ranks with world-famous ancient cities such as Rome, Athens, and Cairo, and is the ancient capital in China with the longest history of being a capital. The Chang'an culture is an important part of Chinese culture.Cuisine
The daily meals in Xi'an consist mainly of noodles, steamed buns, porridge, corn grits, and mixed soups. The city has a significant number of people from Henan and southern regions, which results in the consumption of stewed vegetables, spicy soups, rice, stir-fried dishes, and various types of meat like chicken, duck, and fish. There are over 20 types of noodles regularly consumed, including oil-splashing noodles, fried sauce noodles, Li Shui noodles, rice noodles, stewed noodles, and fried noodles. Steamed buns are also a staple for the residents, and they can be made into over 10 varieties, such as oil rolls, oil towers, jujube cakes, and vegetable rolls, depending on the production method and additional ingredients. Both urban and rural residents frequently enjoy porridge, which primarily includes rice porridge, millet porridge, and sorghum porridge. People also grind corn kernels into fine grits, known as corn grits, which are slowly cooked to a bright yellow color and are appetizing even without additional ingredients.Biangbiang Noodles
Biangbiang noodles are a traditional specialty from the Guanzhong area of Shaanxi, known for their distinctive sound “biang” during preparation.Qin Xian Rice Noodles
Qin Xian Rice Noodles are a specialty from the Qindu District made from rice flour, with a history of over 200 years. In 2007, it was listed among the first batch of intangible cultural heritage items in Shaanxi Province. Originally made from wheat flour, it evolved to rice flour in the late 19th century. Famous vendors in the late Qing Dynasty included "Zhao’s Rice Noodles." The main ingredient is rice, soaked and ground into rice milk, then steamed. When served, it is cut into thin strips and dressed with chili oil, vinegar, and other condiments. Its characteristics include being sour, spicy, chewy, soft, refreshing, and fragrant.Bread Soaked in Lamb or Beef Soup (Paomo)
Bread soaked in lamb or beef soup is a signature dish of Shaanxi, particularly famous in Xi'an. The basic preparation involves high-quality beef or lamb, along with bones and seasonings like Sichuan pepper, star anise, grass fruit, and cinnamon, simmered until tender. Quality water is used to prepare the dough for "hubeijuhua," which is then broken into chunks. The broth is thickened and boiled, with sliced cooked meat and wet vermicelli added briefly, before the broken bread is added and cooked with spices for 1-2 minutes, topped with warm lamb oil and served in a bowl. It’s typically accompanied by sweet garlic, spicy sauce, sesame oil, and coriander.Cured Beef and Lamb
Cured beef and lamb is a traditional halal food in Xi'an, made from fresh bone-in beef or lamb, seasoned with blue salt and a mix of spices. Following the curing process, it achieves a reddish appearance with clear meat grains, a tender texture, and a rich aroma, making it a great dish for pairing with drinks and can also be served with flatbreads.La Zhi Rou jia Mo (Braised Meat Sadwich)
La Zhi Rou Jia Mo has a history of over a century, consisting of sliced marinated meat stuffed into a type of flatbread called "Bai Ji Mo." It is one of the famous delicacies in Shaanxi and comes in three varieties: high quality, pure lean, and regular. It is quick to prepare, nutritious, and provides essential proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, inorganic salts, and water.Hulutou Paomo
Hulutou refers to the fatty section connecting the pig's large and small intestines, named for its gourd-like appearance when cooked. The dish consists of this fatty part soaked with broken bread and other condiments in hot meat broth. Its characteristics include soft and chewy bread, fresh broth, tender meat, and rich flavor, best served with minced garlic. The best versions are made at restaurants like "Hulutou Paomo" in Xinanmen Chenguan.Zeng Gao
Zeng Gao gets its name from the iron steamer called "zeng" used to prepare it. It consists of soaked sticky rice layered with red dates, peanuts, and mung beans, then steamed. Its features include the merging flavors of rice and dates, vivid color, and a soft, sticky sweetness. After cooling, it can be sliced and pan-fried in hot oil for a unique flavor.Customs
Xi'an's advantageous natural environment, rich ethnic diversity, and profound historical and cultural background contribute to its rich customs, which are characterized by distinctiveness and continuity over time and region. As early as 5,000 years ago during the Yangshao Culture at Banpo, the customs of Xi'an began to emerge. In a sense, Xi'an's customs are one of the sources of Chinese folklore. They encompass material production customs and social life customs, including aspects from the Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang periods such as clothing, food, housing, transportation, social family life, life rituals, religious beliefs, and festivals. Although these customs have evolved with social development, many elements and forms continue to be passed down through generations.She Huo (Temple Fair)
A local saying states, "Temple fairs delight the gods and entertain people." Each year, Xi'an hosts temple fair processions during the God-welcoming celebrations, originating from ancient practices of driving away plagues, praying for blessings, and welcoming spring. Historical records show that temple fairs have been popular in Xi'an since the Western Han, Sui, Tang, and Song-Ming dynasties. The heritage of temple fair face painting, melodies, lyrics, and performance styles primarily comes from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Temple fairs in the Xi'an region are concentrated around the Lantern Festival in the first month of the lunar calendar. Various temples in Xi'an, such as the Chenghuang Temple, Dongyue Temple, Yaowang Temple, Houtu Palace, as well as local land and deity temples, host performances during their temple fairs. Temple fairs are categorized into daytime and nighttime versions, and some can be performed at any time of day.Art
Xi'an is one of the important origins of Chinese literary and artistic culture. As early as 6,000 to 7,000 years ago in the Neolithic period, the people of Banpo produced exquisite painted pottery with human face and fish designs, demonstrating outstanding sculptural and painting arts. During the Western Zhou dynasty, when the capital was located in Fenghao, a brilliant bronze culture flourished, along with achievements in literature, music, dance, and sculpture, representing the highest accomplishments of cultural and artistic expression during China's slave society.Literature
Xi'an has a long history of literary creation. The earliest political writings in China, the "Book of Documents," particularly the "Zhou Book" section, and many poems from the oldest collection of Chinese poetry, the "Book of Songs," originated in the Western Zhou capital of Fenghao or its surrounding areas. In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the "Strategies of the Warring States," particularly the "Qin Strategies" section, are regarded as fine examples of pre-Qin prose. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, literary creation flourished, and many outstanding works of poetry, prose, and novels emerged. In the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing periods, Xi'an also saw the rise of various prose and poetry. The Republican period witnessed the advent of vernacular literature in Xi'an. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, Xi'an made significant achievements in novels, prose, poetry, report literature, and literary criticism.Music and Dance
Between the mid-11th century BC and the early 10th century AD, the music and dance arts of Xi'an flourished splendidly, representing the highest achievements in these two artistic disciplines in China at that time. After Xi'an lost its capital status for over 1,000 years, the ancient music of Chang'an remained relatively active, while dance arts nearly fell into obscurity. Following the establishment of the People's Republic of China, especially after the reform and opening-up, the music and dance arts in Xi'an inherited ancient cultural traditions, infused with contemporary spirit and life, revitalizing them as one of the most vibrant and attractive forms of art.Theater
Xi'an is known as the "Hometown of Drama." During the Fenghao period of the Zhou dynasty, Xi'an witnessed the emergence of wrestling competitions and performing arts techniques. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, new genres such as Yue opera, spoken drama, children's theater, opera, and dance drama were also introduced. Local theater genres in Xi'an have merged with foreign theatrical forms, performing traditional plays while also creating, adapting, and staging modern works, which makes Xi'an's theater scene lively and diverse. In 1984, Xi'an hosted its first drama festival. By 1990, there were 14 provincial and municipal drama performance troupes in Xi'an, with over 2,500 personnel involved in directing, acting, music, and stage design. Between 1950 and 1990, Xi'an's theater troupes participated in various performances across the country and in Shaanxi Province, winning 35 awards for their productions.Intangible Cultural Heritage
Xi'an Drum Music
Xi'an Drum Music, also known as Xi'an Ancient Music or Chang'an Ancient Music (referred to as "Xianghui" in Zhouzhi County), is mainly popular in both urban and rural areas of the ancient city of Xi'an. It has three styles: Buddhist, Taoist, and Folk. The Buddhist style features higher pitches, represented by music societies such as Xianmi Temple, Dongcang, Xicang, and Dajichang. Famous artists include Cheng Jinlin, Cheng Tianxiang, Liang Zhenyuan, Zhao Gengchen, and Yang Jiazhen. The Taoist style has lower pitches and emphasizes technical flourishes, represented by music societies like Chenghuang Temple and Yingxiang Temple.Lantian Puhua Water Meeting Music
Lantian Puhua Water Meeting Music has been a form of folk music played with wind instruments for Buddhist ceremonies, good deeds, and sacrifices in the Puhua Town area of Lantian County for over a thousand years. Originating in the Sui dynasty and flourishing in the Tang, it is a local folk genre that developed from the fusion of Tang court music with folk music, retaining a style representative of the Tang dynasty. It is divided into procession music (performed during a procession) and sitting music (performed during indoor recitations). As of October 2017, there were two performing ensembles for Water Meeting music in Lantian County, with over a hundred performers, ranging from elderly artists over 60 to teenagers of just over a decade in age. On May 20, 2006, Lantian Puhua Water Meeting Music was included in the first batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage listings by the State Council.Qiliang Village Papermaking Technique
The papermaking technique of Qiliang Village dates back to the end of the Eastern Han dynasty and thrived during the Jin dynasty. Located in the Wuzha Palace of the Han Shanglin Garden, it was a royal papermaking workshop. The raw materials for papermaking are all from the bark of the paper mulberry tree found in the Qinling Mountains. The process involves 36 steps, including peeling the bark, soaking it, gray water immersion, steaming, cleaning, removing bark, pounding, shaking, immersing the processed material, washing, cutting, pounding, beating, sheet forming, pressing, drying, conserving water, and finally peeling the paper. Tools for papermaking are varied; for example, there are over ten processes involved just for making the screens used in sheet formation, which must be made from excellent bamboo. In 2011, the papermaking technique of Qiliang Village was announced as a third batch of intangible cultural heritage in Shaanxi Province.Main Attractions
Terracotta Army Museum
The Qin Terracotta Army Museum is a large special museum built on the site of the burial pits of the Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang. Excavations began in 1974 and opened to the public on October 1, 1979. It is affiliated with the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration and is renowned as the "Eighth Wonder of the World."Giant Wild Pagoda
The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, also known as the Ci'en Temple Pagoda, is a storage tower for Buddhist scriptures established by the monk Xuanzang and remains one of the important symbols of the Tang capital Chang'an.Small Wild Pagoda
Small Wild Pagoda
Located in Jianfu Temple in the Yanta District of Xi'an, it was built during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty (AD 707-710) to preserve Buddhist scriptures brought back by the eminent monk Yijing. It is one of the earliest square brick pagodas from the Tang Dynasty, originally having 15 stories. As of May 2023, it has 13 stories and stands 43.4 meters high, having remained intact for over 1,300 years.Xingjiao Temple
The Xingjiao Temple is located in the Chang'an District of Xi'an, near Shaolingyuan. It is the burial pagoda for the Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang and his disciples Kui Ji and Yuan Ce. The pagoda for Xuanzang was built in 669 AD and consists of five stories, reaching a height of approximately 21 meters. The Kui Ji Pagoda was constructed in 682 AD with a three-story square structure, standing 6.76 meters tall. The Yuan Ce Pagoda, built in 1115, is identical in shape to the Kui Ji Pagoda and stands 7.10 meters tall.Daming Palace
Daming Palace, located on South Taihua Road in Xi'an, was established in the eighth year of the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty (AD 634) and has a slightly trapezoidal layout. Daming Palace is the most magnificent palace complex of the Tang Empire and was the largest palace in the world at that time, symbolizing the Tang Dynasty. It was originally built in the eighth year of the Xiaogang era and was destroyed at the end of the Tang Dynasty.Weiyang Palace
Weiyang Palace, also known as the Western Palace, was constructed seven years after Liu Bang became emperor (200 BC). It is located on Longshou Yuan in the southwestern corner of the Han Chang’an city, covering an area of approximately 5 square kilometers. It was the royal palace in use for 1,041 years, making it the palace with the most dynasties and the longest existence in Chinese history.Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum
The Qin emperor’s mausoleum is located at the north foot of Lishan Mountain, about 5 kilometers east of the Lintong District in Xi'an. The tomb is shaped like a summer, measures 350 meters in length from north to south, 345 meters in width from east to west, has a perimeter of 1,390 meters, and rises to 76 meters high. Centered around a burial mound, the mausoleum is surrounded by two layers of city walls forming a "回" shape. The inner city wall is 1,355 meters long from north to south, 580 meters wide from east to west, with a total perimeter of 3,870 meters, having gates on all four sides and an additional two gates on the north side. The outer city wall measures 2,188 meters from north to south and 970 meters from east to west, with a perimeter of 6,321 meters, also having gates on all four sides.Huaqing Pool
Huaqing Pool, also known as Huaqing Palace, includes the original Lishan National Forest Park and is one of China’s four major royal gardens alongside the Summer Palace, Yuanmingyuan, and the Chengde Mountain Resort. It served as a retreat for feudal emperors during the Tang Dynasty, located in the Lintong District of Xi'an, with Lishan Mountain to the south and the Weihe River to the north, adjacent to the "Eighth Wonder of the World," the Terracotta Army.Daqingguan Rongyang Garden
Located in the Qujiang Development Zone in the southern part of Xi'an, southeast of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, it was rebuilt north of the original Tang Dynasty Furong Garden and designed in the style of a royal garden from the Tang Dynasty. It is the first large-scale cultural theme park in China to comprehensively showcase the features of the Tang Dynasty, covering an area of 1,000 acres, with 300 acres of water zones.Shaanxi History Museum
The Shaanxi History Museum is located northwest of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in the southern suburbs of Xi'an. It was founded in 1983 and opened to the public on June 20, 1991. It is the first large modern national museum in China and is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction. Covering an area of 65,000 square meters, it has a building area of 55,600 square meters and a storage area of 8,000 square meters, with an exhibition area of 11,000 square meters and a collection of over 1.7 million items.Xi'an City Wall
As of 2020, the Xi'an City Wall is the oldest and best-preserved ancient city wall architecture in the world, with a perimeter of 13.74 kilometers. It includes features like a moat, drawbridge, gate towers, arrow towers, city towers, corner towers, enemy towers, battlements, and parapets.Xi'an Beilin Museum
Originally called Shaanxi Provincial Museum, the Xi'an Beilin Museum was established in 1944, making it the earliest museum in Shaanxi Province. It also has the largest number and earliest collection of ancient碑刻 in China. In 1992, it was renamed Xi'an Beilin Museum. The museum covers an area of 30,881 square meters, with an exhibition area of 8,763 square meters, primarily focusing on the collection, exhibition, and study of inscriptions, epitaphs, and stone relics from various dynasties.Xi'an Museum
Officially opened to the public in May 2007, Xi'an Museum covers an area of approximately 160,000 square meters and consists of three parts: the museum itself, the site of the Tang Jianfu Temple, and the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. It is a city museum that integrates cultural relic collection, scientific research, social education, and recreational landscaping.Cuihua Mountain
The Cuihua Mountain Scenic Area is known as the “Zhongnan Peak” and is described as “China’s Geological and Morphological Museum.” The scenic area includes the Bishan Lake Scenic Area, the Heavenly Pool Scenic Area, and the Mountain Collapse Rock Sea Scenic Area. Originally known as Taiyi Mountain, it is named for the legend that the immortal Taiyi achieved enlightenment there.Qujiang Ocean World
Located in the southern suburbs of Xi'an, it covers an area of 6.67 hectares, with the main marine pavilion occupying 18,600 square meters. The total volume of water in the pavilion is approximately 6,000 tons, housing over 300 species and more than 12,000 freshwater and marine organisms. It consists of five parts: dolphin performance pavilion, marine science pavilion, tropical rainforest pavilion, underwater tunnel, and underwater gardens, along with supporting facilities.Senling Wild Animal Park
Originally the Xi'an Zoo, it was transformed from the "Tengfa Zoo," established in 1954, and relocated to the foot of the Qinling Mountains in 2004. The park capitalizes on the excellent ecological environment of northern Qinling, positioned in the gentle hilly area at its north slope, about 28 kilometers from downtown Xi'an. It aims to protect large populations of wild animals and houses over 300 species and more than 10,000 animals, becoming the first wild animal park in northwest China.Guanzhong Folk Art Museum
The Guanzhong Folk Art Museum is located in the central area of the Qinling Zhongnan Mountain World Geopark and the Sui and Tang Buddhist sacred site of Nanshi Wutai Mountain. It is surrounded by Cuihua Mountain to the east, Wutai Mountain to the south, Caotang Temple to the west, and overlooks Chang'an city to the north, covering an area of 493.88 acres.Xi'an Expo Park
The Xi'an Expo Park is situated in the national-level Xi'an Chanba Ecological District and was originally the site for the 2011 Xi'an World Horticultural Exposition, approximately 10 kilometers from the city center and easily accessible. The total area of the park is 418 hectares, with 188 hectares of water area, featuring characteristic garden artworks, cultural classic architecture, and artistic treasures from various countries and regions.
