When it comes to Xian, the attraction on the tip of any travel guide’s tongue is of course the great Terracotta Army. Providing one of the most exceptional insights into ancient China to date and only discovered in 1974, this UNESCO World Heritage Site certainly knows how to wow. For those of you oblivious to this eighth wonder of the world, thousands upon thousands of life-size terracotta figures have both secretly and silently stood watch over the late Emperor Qin Shi Huang for the past 2000 years in what is probably one of earth’s most intriguing mausoleums – hello, bucket-list sights.
And from one standout landmark to another, the – how should we put it – uniquely named Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, that lies in one of the city’s southern suburbs, is somewhat of an icon. Originally built in the year 652 during the reign of the Tang Dynasty, again, Xian is throwing it right back as far as the sights are concerned. A picture with this significant Buddhist building is a must.
When it comes to Silk Road history, boy does Xian have a story to tell – and luckily for us, most of it can be read through its architecture. Head to the Great Mosque to uncover some of the city’s most fascinating Arab influences that you’ll find in the whole of China in one of the largest sacred sites in the land. But, for some living and breathing melting pot culture today, it doesn’t get better than Xian’s Muslim Quarter. Paved with blue and grey flagstones and shaded by leafy trees, these streets still have as much of a buzz about them now as they did in the height of the Silk Road enterprise.
