by Le Concierge Orient
Xi'an china
The Destination
Sitting on the site of some of China’s oldest imperial capitals, Xi’an is a storied city that boasts of history and heritage spanning over 2000 years. Better known as Chang’an through antiquity, the city was the bastion of power for several of the Chinese empire’s greatest dynasties including the Western Zhou, Qin, Western Han, Sui, Northern Zhou and Tang. Given its long and illustrious history, it is a pity that not many emblems of dynastic splendours survived into the present day but whatever did are monuments highly worth a visit. The most famous attraction of Xi’an is the Qin Terracotta Army, a sensational display of the awesome might and majesty of the First Emperor that is palpable even today. The most monumental relics from the Tang dynasty, often revered as China’s golden age of artistic resplendence, are the pair of Wild Goose Pagodas that have stood their grounds for over 1,300 years. The surviving fortress walls that surround the old city are actually later additions from the Ming dynasty and offer a glimpse into what Chang’an might have looked like at the height of its glory. The collections on display in the Xi’an and Shaanxi History Museums will similarly offer peeks into the city’s grand imperial past.
The Launchpads
