Visiting Xian in China (2)  


Xian's City Wall (Cheng2 qiang2) at the South Gate (Nan2 men2) was built by China's first emperor, Qing Shi Huang, who also built the Great Wall of China. Be prepared for a bit of walking when you are up on the wall.


And if you have an interest in Chinese paintings, calligraphy or engravings walk to the neighbouring cultural street through the Shu1 yuan4 men2 arch. There you will find yourself in a number of alleys full of shops selling all kinds of Chinese paraphernalia as well as souvenir items.


The Huaqing Hotspring (Hua2 qing1 chi2) is another of the attractions in Xian.


The Bell Tower (Zhong1 lou2) is in a very popular area that also includes the Drum Tower.


The Small Wild Goose Pagoda (Xiao3 yan4 ta3) is a park not too far from the City Wall.


The Xian Museum is to be found in the grounds of the Small Wild Goose Pagoda.


If you want to try a local dish ask for Yang2 rou4 bo2 mo2, a soup made up essentially of beef and noodles.


A man practising tai chi chuan alone early in the morning along the pavement in one of the principal avenues of Xian.

One place that I have not covered but which might be of interest to some is the Han Yang Ling Museum. However this museum is located in a sort of "no-man's land" so if you don't have a car or cannot afford to book a taxi all to yourself for 4 hours or more then you should just forget about this place. You could easily be stranded here (I was!) as there is only one bus coming to (and leaving from) this place that runs every one-and-a-half-hours from outside the city centre.
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