Xi'an has a long history and was the starting point on the Silk Road for Chinese silk heading West. Trade with Muslims and the Middle East allowed a "Muslim" Quarter to develop around the city center - mostly Xi'an's Muslims are not of Middle Eastern descent but rather Chinese who have adopted the religion (at least from what I could visually see) vs. say the Uyghurs or Middle Eastern or Southeast Asian immigrants. There's a large wall that runs around the outside of the historical center and further away are several pagodas built in the 600-700s. The Muslim/Chinese fusion food, city walls, and pagodas are nice, but everyone who visits Xi'an came for the same thing...
TERRACOTTA WARRIORS
The Terracotta Warriors are a recent discovery. In 1974 farmers digging a well for water struck a few terracotta figurines. They notified Chinese archaeologists who expanded the dig and eventually unearthed 1,000s of life-sized soldiers - each with different facial features - some with chariots and horses. The excavation continues to this day and estimates put the total number of figures at 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses. All of the figures were part of the tomb complex for Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China - supposedly the soldiers would protect the Emperor in his after life. The tomb was completed sometime during the 3rd Century BC. It's estimated that 700,000 workers contributed to the construction once again demonstrating the size and scope of China even ni the 3rd Century BC.
The Warriors are about an hour east of Xi'an and easily reachable on your own by catching a bus near Xi'an's City Wall Area train station. I would recommend going with the catching the bus or at least hiring a driver route than signing up with a tour group. It's not enough to arrive here early; you want to arrive first. I caught an early morning bus arriving just as the ticket office opened at 8:30. I got lucky that there were no issues with the bus ride but if I had to do the trip over again, I'd catch an earlier bus and wait in line at the ticket office.
The Warriors are about an hour east of Xi'an and easily reachable on your own by catching a bus near Xi'an's City Wall Area train station. I would recommend going with the catching the bus or at least hiring a driver route than signing up with a tour group. It's not enough to arrive here early; you want to arrive first. I caught an early morning bus arriving just as the ticket office opened at 8:30. I got lucky that there were no issues with the bus ride but if I had to do the trip over again, I'd catch an earlier bus and wait in line at the ticket office.
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With my ticket in hand I raced (figuratively but I was power walking faster than anyone and if running was necessary, I would have broken into a sprint) to Pit 1 - which is about ten minutes away from the entrance. When I arrived there were less than 100 tourists at the site but it felt empty given that Pit 1's about the size of a football field. The rounded roof gives the effect that you've entered a large airplane hangar. Down below are the rows of Warriors standing as spectacular as you've imagined - although the warriors do not extend for as far as it looks in photos. If the site is a football field in length the standing warriors extend to about the 25 yard line. From the viewing balcony the site of all the warriors is overwhelming but once you start zooming in with your camera and see the distinct faces you gain an even greater appreciation for the expertise level of construction.
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Parts of Pit 1 are still under excavation and you can see crews clearing away dirt from partially revealed Warriors. In the back are groups of removed warriors for archaeological observation.
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Every angle is a new vantage point, a take on the warriors. The sun would shift and accentuate new features.
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From Pit 1 it's a short walk to Pit 2, another large but emptier pit. Pit 2 contains the “generals” of the Terracotta army and you can see figure samples in glass cases around the pit. Pit 3 is behind Pit 2 - it’s the smallest of the pits but a few items remain in the pit. After touring Pits 2 and 3 I went back for a second round at Pit 1. This time Pit 1 was much more crowded but I was patient and able to get up to the railing for a few more photos. I went to the museum building next and compared to the crowds Pit 1 the museum was a complete mad house with multiple tour groups which was a site to see. After the museum I caught a brief but terribly aged video that didn’t have much of anything to do with the Terracotta Warriors or provide useful information. If you go to the Terracotta Warriors without a guide it would make sense to read up on the site before arrive as there's not too much information or background provided - that said once you see the warriors you'd stop reading an information signs and just stare at the impressive soldier formation.
There are other sites in the area that are supposedly worth seeing - most notably the actual tomb of Qin Shu Huang - l but I passed and returned in the early afternoon to Xi'an.
There are other sites in the area that are supposedly worth seeing - most notably the actual tomb of Qin Shu Huang - l but I passed and returned in the early afternoon to Xi'an.
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OTHER XI'AN SITES
Xi'an may not have other individual sites that compare to the Terracotta Warriors, sites that would cause you to travel to the middle of China, but if you are here it's worth checking out what else the city has to offer. The city's most prominent feature is the wide (40 feet), tall (40 feet), and long (nearly 10 miles) square shaped wall that protects the old city area. The wall has been reconstructed several times and the latest incarnation feels built to last - assuming it can handle all of the present day bike traffic. Since the wall is nearly ten miles in length, the most practical way to see it is by bike in the morning before the sun heats up the city. The southern section of the wall has a museum inside that shows how the wall has grown in size over the past few centuries. In the morning you can catch Chinese retirees performing their daily exercise routine. Other old people were dancing, practicing tai chi, and playing ping pong.
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One of the older sites in Xi'an is the Big Wild Goose pagoda - the symbol of Xi'an - which was the city's main draw before the discovery of the Terracotta Warriors. No offense to City Wall or the Big Wild Goose pagoda but I'm guessing Xi'an wasn't included on many tourists itineraries until the Terracotta Warriors were discovered. The Pagoda was decent but the cost of seeing minor attractions (for me on a long haul trip) were starting to add up. Further compounding the cost issue is that there are typically add-on fees not included in the base ticket price. In this case it was an additional 50Y to climb to the top of the Pagoda on top of the 50Y entrance fee.
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The Muslim Quarter is in the south / southwestern section of Xi'an's old city. There are a few main streets offering Middle Eastern inspired food - breads, dates, different variations of noodles, etc. The most reknowned local meal is Biang Biang noodles, which a thicker than normal Chinese noodles. The Muslim Quarter has a Great Mosque but it's a bit of a stretch to call it Great. Overall it's an impressive complex that was neither Chinese nor Middle Eastern but a combination of both. On the North side of the Muslim Street is a fancy ice cream place.
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There is life outside the Old City area - there's malls, restaurants, and cafes - I found a cozy cafe nearby a local university to enjoy an afternoon in the city vs. at the sites.
For additional Xi'an photos see FLICKR ALBUM.
For additional Xi'an photos see FLICKR ALBUM.