What are the fun things to do in Xi’an? Xi’an has experienced several dynasties

When I came to Xi’an, my understanding of this place was limited to “the ancient capital of thirteen dynasties.” I didn’t know much about other aspects. I had seen a food program about Xi’an by chance before, so I was quite looking forward to the food. After all, you need to eat to have the energy to have fun.

As the plane slowly landed at Xi’an Xianyang International Airport, I looked out of the window at the beautiful night view. A dense Milky Way of colorful lights rushed towards me.

It is said that economists have a new statistical method recently called “stand tall, see far.” It refers to analyzing the overall economic development of a country or region by using satellite data on the brightness of lights at night. The brighter the lights at night, the more developed the economy, the more advanced the social infrastructure, the more affluent the people, and the more time and convenience they have for entertainment and nightlife.

On this trip to Xi’an, I am looking forward to the “13 ancient capitals” bringing different stories.

At the end of the An-Shi Rebellion, Tang Suzong recovered the capital Chang’an and the Eastern Capital Luoyang. He made an agreement with the Huihe soldiers who lent their troops: “On the day the city is captured, the land and people belong to the Tang, and the gold, silver, and women belong to the Huihe.

This is one of the origins of the Muslim Street.

Muslim Street – Shuyuanmen is located east of the South Gate. In the seventh year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, scholar Feng Congwu established the Guan Zhong Shuyuan, a famous academy, on the north side of the street. For convenience and cleanliness, I stayed in a nearby chain hotel.

Walking in the street, you can see business outlets everywhere that blend Chinese traditional architectural styles with Muslim architectural styles. National costumes, handicrafts, halal food, restaurants, and Muslim snack shops are dazzling; the sound of people shoulder to shoulder and the sound of shouts are intertwined, bustling with activity.

I ate my way through a lot of snacks: Mutton and beef soup with steamed bread, braised mutton offal, honey-glazed chilled glutinous rice dumplings, spicy soup, cold noodles, mirror cake, steamed glutinous rice cake, mutton minced meat noodles, and yellow gui persimmon cake. My stomach was round from all the eating.

I went to the Bell and Drum Tower. Looking up, I saw a round moon. Under the cold moonlight, the Drum Tower was particularly solemn. I suddenly felt a little sad. It is said that thousands of years ago, this was a bustling commercial street, with merchants gathering and prosperity. Today, the prosperity remains, and the Moon and Drum Tower remain, but the people are different. Where are the talented people who recited “The Emperor of Han loved beauty and wanted to conquer the country, he ruled for many years but couldn’t get what he wanted”? Where are the poets who were “Spring breeze is proud, my horse is running fast, I see all the flowers in Chang’an in one day”? The world has changed, and only the poets have left their names.

Terracotta Army Museum

I usually make a plan online before I go out and then go to verify it.

Since the discovery of the Terracotta Army on March 29, 1974, there have been ten unsolved mysteries about it. Since it’s unsolved, there are no answers. Mr. Yuan Zhongyi, the former curator of the Terracotta Army Museum, once said, “Why is the Terracotta Army a miracle? I have summed it up in three words: big, many, real. Big means the terracotta warriors and horses are the same size as real people and horses, many means that more than 8,000 Qin terracotta warriors have been unearthed from pits 1, 2, and 3, with more than 6,000 in pit 1 alone. It’s magnificent. This is the kind of lineup I wanted to experience in person.

Although I was prepared, I was still amazed when I entered Pit 1. Looking down from the railing, what a sight! An ancient army formation from 2,000 years ago. They are armed and ready, with strict military formations, majestic and unstoppable. In a flash, you feel the disappearance of historical distance. You feel like you are reviewing the mighty lions in person, ready to lead them to conquer the world!

I won’t repeat the information you can find on Baidu.

Chang’an has always been the capital of emperors. Thirteen of the most glorious dynasties in Chinese history, including Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang, established their capitals here. This is also one of the important areas where the Chinese nation has lived and reproduced, and where the Chinese civilization was born and developed.

The Shaanxi History Museum (hereinafter referred to as the Shaanxi Museum) was formerly known as the Shaanxi Provincial Museum. It has a collection of more than 370,000 artifacts, ranging from simple stone tools used in the initial stages of ancient humans to various artifacts from social life before 1840. It is known as the “Pearl of the Ancient Capital and Treasure House of the Chinese Nation.”

How could I miss such a wonderful and interesting place?

At 9 a.m., I arrived at the museum entrance, and a double line of ticket holders, 50 meters long, appeared in front of me. Luckily, there were ticket scalpers, and I bought a ticket for 20 yuan to enter.

The Shaanxi Museum is divided into three exhibition halls and seven units, following the timeline of history. Under the guidance of a tour guide, I took a quick look around in two hours. Afterwards, I toured again on my own and visited the other two exhibition areas, “Relics of the Tang Dynasty” and “Bronze Culture of the Two Zhou Dynasties and the Princely States of Qin, Jin, Yu, and Ji.”

This day, I was often immersed in the ancient and majestic bronzeware of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the diverse terracotta warriors of various dynasties, and the exquisite gold and silver ware of the Han and Tang dynasties. It was like traveling through time to experience the brilliant ancient culture that spanned more than a million years, filling in some of the historical anecdotes that I didn’t know.

In every city I go to, I prefer to wander the streets and alleys and chat with the locals. What makes a city lively and interesting is the people there. As for the historical materials and culture mentioned in books, they are not my main goal.

Overall, Xi’an is a good city. Ancient civilization and modern technology are intertwined and gathered here. The city’s prices are not high, and the people are simple but hospitable. Here, for the first time, I met a beautiful woman who offered to take a picture for me when she saw me taking a selfie. The tour guides, drivers, and passersby here all left a good impression on me. There were tour guides who were responsible and meticulous, a brother who blushed when I asked him to recite Tang poems in Shaanxi dialect, and a Xi’an lady I met at the Beilin Museum who was taking her child with her. She not only asked for my autograph, but also insisted on taking me to Shuyuanmen and San Xue Tang for a stroll. The sense of vigilance and distrust between people is relatively weak here.

Due to time constraints, I didn’t have time to go to Qianling Tomb to see Wu Zetian and her inscriptionless stele. This is a small regret of this trip. But it’s good to leave some suspense. Maybe it will attract me to come back. I have no immunity to people or things I genuinely like.

This Xi’an trip has come to an end. Actually, the food here is really not to be underestimated. I didn’t use any beauty filters for the pictures, so come and taste it for yourself!