Xian History

Xian is has a very important part in Chinese history. It served as the imperial capital for 12 ancient imperial dynasties from 1,000 BC to 1,000 AD. Xian’s history began in the Stone Age, 3, 000 years ago when the Western Zhou Dynasty founded its capital at Haojing, today’s Xian. Western Zhou Dynasty was famous for its bronze, some of which is now displayed in Shaanxi Provincial Museum.

Barbarian invader caused the collapsed of the Western Zhou Dynasty in 771 BC. The Eastern Zhou Dynasty began and made its capital at Luoyang. In 221BC, emperor Qinshihuang unified the country and built a strong feudal society, with its capital at Xiangyang, north of Xian. The Qin was soon sacked and Han took the power. The Han rulers followed Qin and also based their rule in Xian. The Han ruled in Xian from 206 BC to 220 AD, when the city began to flourish. Xian was served as the starting point of the world famous Silk Road, a significant trade route linking ancient China and the central Asian and European countries. But it wasn’t until the Tang Dynasty that Chang’an(today’s Xian)came into its own. Chang’an was one of the biggest international cities at that time, a great metropolis of the equal importance with Great Rome. The Tang Dynasty witnessed advances in many fields and the capital city boomed. It was built with grand, symmetrical layouts and became a model for city design at that time. After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, Xian went into a decline and its tenure as capital of China came to an end.

Although Xian still played an important role as a commercial center on the Silk Road in the later dynasties, it never regained its political or cultural importance.

Xian History

Xian Food

Xian is not a city of historic attractions but also a city full of delicious cuisine and snacks. There are many local food that tourists should not miss.

Jiaozi

Xi’an is famous for its jiaozi, a sort of dumpling.  Jiaozi is a kind of newly created well-known feast of local flavor on the basis of the traditional dumpling recipe.  It’s a beautiful version of Ravioli with different ingredients like chicken, seafood, vegetables or various kind of meats.  It is indeed a mixed combination of good-looking, good smelling and delicate good taste – sweet and rich in nutrition.

If you’re hungry, go for it in the famous restaurant at Jiefang Road.  Also you could try the food stalls located at Dong Shi Er Dao Xiang, the 12th Lane East.

Baked Bun Soaked in Mutton Soup

The most famous folk foodstuff of Xi’an is Baked Bun Soaked in Mutton Soup.  Particularly a restaurateur will first offer the kind of hard dried pancake and you will break the pancake into small pieces, then give it back to the restaurateur for cooking the shredded pancake with mutton in delicious soup.  The finished dish which is steaming hot will only motivate your appetite with an unusual sweet smell.

Qishan’s Saozi Noodles with Minced Meat

As early as in the Qing Dynasty, Qishan’s saozi noodles of ShaanxiProvince were famous for a spicy, sour and delicious taste, thin noodles and a good smell. Such noodles are prepared with high-quality flour, pork, eggs, day lilies and edible funguses, in addition to a wide variety of seasonings.

Lao Tong’s Cured Mutton

A well-known snack in Xi’an City, cured mutton is prepared with selected meat stuff, the cooking artistic means and the subsidiary seasoning ingredients, so the cured mutton is ready and delicious.  The mutton stewed in soy sauce looks bright and lustrous, tastes crisp and delicious.

The Chang’an Gourd Chicken

One of Xi’an’s traditional local flavor, the Gourd Chicken’s characteristics lie in its golden rich color, crisp skin, tender meat, good smell and soft through cooking.  This dish is rich in protein and with saturated fatty acid necessary for your body.

Xi’an Huis (Muslim) Food Street

Situated at the north of Middle Section of West Street at Da Mai Market Street, Xi’an Huis (Muslim) Food Street is a place of the Huis (Muslim) exquisite food and drink with a long history, a number of food of various descriptions and strong national flavors in ancient Xi’an city.

Xian Food

Jiankou Great Wall

Jiankou Great Wall is located in Huairou District, Beijing, China. It connects Mutianyu Great Wall in the east and Huanghuacheng Great Wall in the west. This section of the Great Wall was built in Tang and Ming Dynasty, which is more than 20 kilometers.The shape of the wall is a “W”.

Jiankou Great Wall is located in Huairou District, Beijing, China. It connects Mutianyu Great Wall in the east and Huanghuacheng Great Wall in the west. This section of the Great Wall was built in Tang and Ming Dynasty, which is more than 20 kilometers

It is the most primitive section of the Great Wall. It has not been restored and takes on its original appearance. Some part has been weathered and eroded by nature. So the wall is dangerous steep and takes much effort to climb the wall. Jiankou Great Wall have not been open to the public. However, there are many tourists and explorers who have been attracted by its fame come to visit the wall.

If you would like to travel to Jiankou Great Wall, it is advised to rent a car and hire a tour guide. We ChinaTour.Net offer car rental service and tour guide service. We have knowledgeable tour guides and experienced drivers. We will pick you up from your hotel, airport or train station according to your require. After the tour, we will drop you off at your hotel.  Book a Tour Guide Service Rent a Car

Jiankou Great Wall

Huanghuacheng Great Wall

Huanghuacheng Great Wall is located in Huairou District in Beijing, which is 65km away from the downtown. It is one of the few walls which are connected with mountains and waters.

The name Huanghuacheng literally means Yellow Flower City. It is named for the sea of yellow wildflowers that bloom in the late spring and early summer, giving sudden exhilarating life to this aged portion of the Wall.

The wall was first built in North Qi Dynasty, and restored in Sui, Tang and the following dynasties. The wall was widened and bacon towers were added in Ming Dynasty. It is 12.94 kilometers long. There are 40 hollow bacon towers and 9 solid towers. There are some unique features of Huanghuacheng Great Wall. It is the only section of the Great Wall that connects with the water. It has attracted more and more visitors to explore the unique charm of the wall.

If you would like to travel to Huanghuacheng Great Wall, it is advised to rent a car and hire a tour guide. We ChinaTour.Net offer car rental service and tour guide service. We have knowledgeable tour guides and experienced drivers. We will pick you up from your hotel, airport or train station according to your require. After the tour, we will drop you off at your hotel.  Book a Tour Guide Service Rent a Car

Huanghuacheng Great Wall

Xi"an Xianyang Airport

Xian Xianyang International Airport is located about 30 kilometers away from the downtown. Both international flights and domestic flights are available. There are international flights between Xi’an and Seattle, Helsinki, Seoul, Toyko, Singapore, Bangkok and so on. Domestic flights are available between Xian and most major cities in China. Therefore, it is quite convenient to travel to Xian by air.

There are airport buses and taxis available between the airport and the downtown.

Airport bus

The location of the ticket offices

Terminal 2: Passenger Service Center (next to Exit 2)

Terminal 3: Located in the Arrival Hall and in the Ground Transportation Center (GTC)

There are 8 bus lines available. The destinations are Xi Shao Men, Railway Station, Hi-Tech Development Zone, Jianguo Hotel, Xianyang Rainbow Hotel, Xian Hotel, Xian South Intercity Bus Station and North Railway Station. The running hours is different according to different bus lines. The ticket fare ranges from CNY16 to CNY26.

Taxi

Location of Taxi Stands:

Terminal 2: After leaving the baggage claim area, please proceed to Exit 2 and make your way across to the taxi station. Terminal 3: After leaving the baggage claim area,please proceed to Exit 314 and make your way to the Ground Transportation Center (GTC). Then cut across the hall and leave the building through Exits G08 or G09 to arrive at the taxi stands.

For more information, please refer to the official website of Xi’an Xianyang Airport.

Xi"an Xianyang Airport

Watching Cole Flower-Enjoy Spring in China

Spring is a season when trees begin to turn green and flowers start to blossom. With large areas of cole farms in rural places, China is a good place to watch cole flowers. The flower season is usually from February to April aacording to different places. The following is a few places worth visiting.

1. Luoping

Luoping is located in the east of Yunnan Province. The Cole Flower Festival of 2015 is from February 8th to April 23rd. The landscape of Luoping is typical Karst. When the flowers blossom, the mountains and the bright yellow cole farms form a picturesque scenery. Book a Yunnan tour.

2. Wuyuan

Located in Jiangxi Province, Wuyuan is said to be the most beautiful village in China. It is also a constituent part of ancient Huizhou. The residence of the village is the typical architectural style of Ancient Huizhou. Each house is built with black tiles and white walls. There are exquisite carving on the wooden windows, pillars, tables and stones. The best time to watch the cole flowers is from mid-March to late April. The back and white houses and yellow flowers set each other off beautifully.

3. Hanzhong

Hanzhong is located in the southwest of Shaaxi Province, which is about 270 kilometers southwest of Xian. The flower season lasts from late February to early May. The cole flowers are at their best during mid-March and mid-April.

4. Xinghua

Xinghua is located in the center of Jiangsu Province. Its history dates back to two thousand years ago. The cole flowers start to blossom in late March and at their best in early April. One thing makes flower watching in Xinghua different from others is that the flowers are growing on the islands. There are hundreds of islets full of cole flowers on the lake.

5. Qinghai Lake

Qinghai Lake is about 130km away from Xining City, Qinghai Province. There will be cole flowers blossoming along the Qinghai Lake in July. Due to the climate of Qinghai, the flower season is much later than other places in China. If you didn’t catch the spring blossom of cole flowers, then Qinghai Lake would be your best choice. Another famous place for flower watching in Qinghai Province is Menyuan. The flower season is usually from July 5th to 25th.

 

Watching Cole Flower-Enjoy Spring in China

Mutianyu Great Wall

Located in Huairou County about 45 miles from Beijing, the Mutianyu Great Wall enjoys a long history and is part of the historic culture of China. It connects to the Juyongguan Pass in the West and the Gubeikou Great Wall in the East. The wall was first built during the Northern Qi Dynasty (550 – 557). During Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644), Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang, two famous patriotic generals, rebuilt it in order to strengthen its defensive potential as they regarded it as a strategic block for national defense. It served as the Northern area’s protective block, guarding the capital and imperial mausoleums for generations.

The fortifications and the Great Wall here are characterized by many watchtowers on overlapping mountain ranges. The wall was built with slabs of stones, is crenellated on both sides with bricks. Horsetrapping snares outside the wall offer better protection and ward off attacks. With Juyongguan in the west and Gubeikou in the east.

 

What makes Mutianyu Great Wall special?

Mutianyu Great Wall is the most beautiful section of the Great Wall. The vegetation coverage is about 96%. In summer, the mountains will be covered with green trees with the wall twisted and turned along the mountains. In late autumn, the leaves are turning yellow or red, the scenery is amazingly beautiful. The main pass of Mutianyu Great Wall is made up of three watchtowers. It is rarely seen in the history of the Great Wall.

The Structure of Mutianyu Great Wall

Mutianyu Great Wall is about 5400 meters long. It is the longest section of the Great Wall opening to the public.There are 23 watchtowers in Mutianyu Section. The Mutianyu Great Wall is of a special architectural style, as it is equipped with intensive watchtowers and perilous passses, battlements on both sides of the walls,and a main pass platform with three watchtowers standing abreast on the southeast side, which is quite rare along the whole Great Wall. The whole section streches and winds by following the terrains of the mountain, just rsesembling a huge dragon flying.

Opening Hours

Peak Season 7:00am-6:30pm

Low Season 7:30am-5:30pm

Entrance fee

Entrance fee: CNY 45

Cable Car One Way: CNY 60

Cable Car Round Way: CNY 80

Toboggan One Way: CNY 60

Toboggan Round Way: CNY 80

The Map of Mutianyu Great Wall

How to Get to Mutianyu Great Wall

Bus 867

Depart from Dongzhimen at 7:00am and 8:30am for Mutianyu Great Wall

Depart Mutianyu Great Wall Parking Lot 3 at 2:00pm and 4:00pm for Dongzhimen

Click here  for information of other Great Walls.

Recommended Mutianyu Great Wall tours:

1 Day Tour: Mutianyu Great Wall, Dingling, Olympic Stadiums from $35

2 Days Beijing Tour Package including Mutianyu Great Wall from $74   >> more Great Wall tours

 

Mutianyu Great Wall

The Dumpling Dinner

Dumpling is one of the most popular traditional Chinese food. It has a history of over 2000 years. It is made with flour wrappers filling with all kinds of stuffing. Xi’an Dumpling Dinner is famous for its many kinds of stuffing, different flavours and beautiful shapes. The stuffing can be vegetables in season, chicken, duck, fish and other meat. The stuffing may also be sea cucumber, hericium, seaweed and etc. It is called “a hundred dumplings with a hundred flavors”, which includes spicy, fish-flavored,curry, sweet-and-sour and so on. The basic methods to make the dumplings are steam, fry and boil. The methods specifies according to different stuffing and flavors. The dumplings shapes different such as fish, flowers, pearl, butterfly and etc. They are delicious as well as good-looking. The Dumpling Dinner is very popular among both domestic and foreign tourists.

The Dumpling Dinner