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Xian, the eternal city, is one of the best places to visit in China if you are a history buff. Called Chang’an in ancient times, Xian is one of the birthplaces of the ancient civilization in the Yellow River Basin area of the country. During Xian’s 3,100 year development, 13 dynasties such as Western Zhou (11th century BC – 771 BC), Qin (221 BC – 206 BC), Western Han (206 BC – 24 AD) and Tang (618 – 907) placed their capitals here. Along with Athens, Cairo, and Rome, Xian is one of the four major ancient civilization capitals. It also happens to be the burial site of my ancestors from the Han Dynasty.

Xian is the capital of Shaanxi province, located in the southern part of the Guanzhong Plain. With the Qinling Mountains to the south and the Weihe River to the north, it is surrounded by water and hills.

The cultural and historical significance of the area, as well as the abundant relics and sites, make Xian a Natural History Museum. The Museum of Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses is known by some as the eighth major miracle of the world, Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang is listed on the World Heritage List, and the City Wall of the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644) is the largest and most intact Ming Dynasty castle in the world.

In the city, there is the 3,000 year old Banpo Village Remains from the Neolithic Age (approximately from 8000 BC to 5000 BC), and the Forest of Stone Steles that holds 3,000 stone steles of different periods from the Han Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. Around Xian, the Famen Temple enjoys the reputation of being the ‘forefather of pagodas and temples in Central Shaanxi,’ because it holds the finger bones of Sakyamuni — the founder of Buddhism.

The natural landscape around Xian is also very picturesque as Mt. Huashan is one of the five best-known mountains in China. Traditional downtown Xian refers to the area encircled by the city wall, this has now been expanded to encompass the area within the second ring road (Er’ huan Lu).

The Bell Tower is the geographical center of Xian and the four main streets are respectively Dong Dajie, Xi Dajie, Nan Dajie and Bei Dajie which are also the main commercial streets.

Xian is also famous for food with Shaanxi snacks, Guangdong cuisine, and various foreign delicacies such as the Sichuan hot pot. Among all the delicacies, the most famous and popular one is the Muslim Snack Street. I ate some interesting lamb dishes here and it tasted pretty good.

Here is one of the most modern buildings I saw at the time that I visited (late 1990s). Probably now one of the oldest buildings. Its the Shaanxi Library.

The night life in Xian is decent and I took in a traditional performance. Its called a Tang Dynasty Dinner Show and included traditional food and music.