Ask most travelers heading to China about their itinerary and you’ll generally hear “Shanghai, The Great Wall, Hong Kong and that place with the Terracotta Warriors“. That “place” is Xi’an, home to the famed army, and is the impressive and cosmopolitan capital of the Shaanzi Province. However, there is much to do in this bustling city, besides the visiting the infamous army, which most visitors tend to miss. On my recent trip to China, I traveled with Intrepid Tours and surprisingly my favorite Chinese city was Xi’an, but not for the life-sized clay combatants. From day one, Jack, our quirky and enthusiastic tour guide, he began setting up major expectations about his hometown. And they lived up to every single one.
Many of China’s ancient cities have become modernized, but Xi’an has managed to retain a major piece of its history intact. Forming an enormous rectangle around the old imperial heart of the city, the Xi’an city walls date back to the Tang Dynasty, although several sections have been recently restored. You can either enjoy a peaceful stroll or leisurely ride on a bicycle (or a ride bicycle built for two!) with access provided at the major gates.
There are four main gates, although the South Gate is probably the most common starting point. The four gates form a twelve-meter high rectangle with a perimeter of twelve kilometers in length. Our perfect morning started by arriving at the South Gate with juice and pastries bought from a local bakery. After shelling out 40 Yuan for a two-hour bike ride, we spent the better part of the morning exploring Xi’an from the wall. My favorite part of the bike ride was the quiet and stillness of the walls.
China is a massive country with massive amounts of people, and Xi’an is no exception, so I was expecting to be fighting the crowds atop the city walls. However, I experienced a euphoric feeling of space being elevated from the daily grind of the city. After biking a bit away from the main gate we found a secluded and picturesque bench to break open our food goodies, and rest our weary legs.
Afterwards, as we rounded the last corner and saw the South Gate coming into view, my competitive nature got the best of me and I bet my bike buddy for a race to the finish. A perfect end to a fabulous bike ride – creamy, drippy, chocolaty ice cream cone bought on his dime.
The Muslim Quarter, comprised of a number of narrow and bustling streets in the vicinity of the Drum Tower, is home to Xi’an Hui population, one of China’s ethnic minorities. Xi’an is the start of the Silk Road which was the major trade route between Europe and Asia bringing wealth, power and Muslims in addition to goods.
While we wandered down through the stalls of the Muslim Quarter smelling the sweet smells of the food markets. We took in our five senses through the foods: the sizzling kebabs, spicy curry, colorful displays of dried fruit, various textures of nuts and enough tea samples to make the Irish jealous. All this unfolded before us like a variable smorgasbord. I had two goals here at the Muslim Quarter; I wanted to buy some authentic tea to take home, and an ornament for my eccentric Christmas tree. Jack, our enthusiastic guide, took those interested to a local tea house for a lesson in preparing and enjoying tea. We discovered that flower tea is not really drank by the locals, and is purely sold for the American tourists and that Oolong tea leaves are processed two different ways.
Nestled in the back alleys of the Muslim Quarter is the Great Mosque of Xi’an and dates back to 742 AD in the Tang Dynasty. The unique architecture is a blend of traditional Chinese and Islamic influences and is the largest and best preserved of the early mosques in China. The mosque has the layout of a Chinese temple with successive courtyards and pagodas adapted to suit Islamic religion. However, the great axis is aligned from east to west, facing Mecca. The narrow side alleys that surround the Great Mosque are packed with vendors selling souvenirs. You can get anything from Mao paraphernalia to jade jewelry – just make sure it’s real!
No matter where I travel, the main attraction, the neon sign of life blinking me toward experience after experience, is that most primal of desires – food. In other words, I like to eat, a lot. From the cliché to the unimaginable, the more authentic the dish the sooner I need to try it. The more genuine the dish – the more memorable it becomes. My quest for this trip (and most trips) is to try everything that isn’t readily available in Los Angeles, and I’ve lived through quite a number of stomach aches to prove it. However, I was a bit nervous about China. Shockingly enough, from the first meal through the last was fantastic.
One of the culinary experiences to be had in Xi’an is a Dumpling Feast. The cooking methods for these succulent delicacies include steaming, boiling, pan-frying and deep-frying all including a myriad of flavors from salty to sweet. Anyone who loves to cook knows that we eat with our eyes, and the presentation of this regional delight should be considered an art form. Our table of twelve devoured nearly thirty different types of dumplings. The dumplings were in the shapes of frogs, chickens and exotic flowers just to name a few. The Chinese dumpling has a long history and is an essential part of celebratory meals, and this ancient city is regarded as the birthplace of the dumpling tradition.
That night as I was lying on my train bunk feeling the bumps from the tracks and listening to the low roar of the people, I thought of my experience. It’s rare for a city with such high expectations to not end up disappointing on some level, but Xi’an far exceeded even Jack’s sales pitch.
More photos from the tour:
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