We visited the city of Xian that is about 700 miles southwest of Beijing from 7/19 -7/22. It’s also commonly compared to Egypt in terms of its ancient history being the capital of China for the longest time – over 1000 years. The Terracotta Warriors converted the city into international fame since they were discovered in 1974. These amazing warriors were meant to protect the burial site of the First Emperor of China which to this is day remains unexavated because of unknown mercury level and possible deadly protection by elaborate weapons
Xian itself is a walled city – its wall is the best preserved wall in China. Beijing used to be surrounded by a more elaborate wall but most of it was torn down to expand the city. The population of Xian is about 3 million. Beijing’s is ~13 million and these walls will only mess with the flow of traffic, commerce and expansion.
Our tour guide was fantastic. Not only did he speak English but actually went everywhere with us, including climbing the strenuous Mt. Huashang which is an amazing place but crowded due to steps built into the paths to make it easier to walk up the mountain.
The city of Xian is special and very vibrant at nights. Wished we could have stayed longer – too hot and humid in summer but very lively and unique
Sedna 