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Sunday, August 11, 2019

Things we did in Xi'an, China

For our 2 days, 2 nights stay at Xi'an last July 2019, these were the things we did:

1. The Xi'an City Wall Walk



Entrance fee =  54 CNY for adults.

We were fortunate that the hostel we stayed at was really close to the South Gate of the Xi'an City Wall. It is said that it is the most complete city wall that has survived in China. It is around the city center of Xi'an and is around 13 kilometers walk.


We did the city wall walk just before sunset because we saw that the sun could be so harsh while up there. There were solo bicycles and couple/double bicycles for rent. We saw stalls selling snacks and drinks, too. It had a great ambiance. Very relaxing to watch the city life from above. We loved just  watching the flow of traffic and the people from the top of the city wall. We planned to come back the following day to do the whole walk but we weren't able to because we decided to watch the Chang'an Impression.


2. Chang'an Impression



Entrance Fee = 260 CNY for adults

We did not know about this show until we were walking at the city wall and heard that there is an ongoing show within the city gates. It looks impressive and it really made us curious on what it is about because we tried to peek through the enclosure from the top of the wall. It was pricey but we could still stretch our budget so we had a go the following day.


This show is held at the Yongning Gate which is about 10 minute walk from the bell tower. After exploring the Muslim Street, we walked as fast as we could to the Yongning or South Gate. The first act was done outside the gate and in the open space. Another wise technique to pique interest from the people outside. From here, they made us realize that we are guests visiting the old Xi'an which was the old capital of China.


Our tickets had seat numbers and we had to look for them inside. Not long after, the show started. We saw more dancing with the performer's elaborate costumes. I can say that the production was really good and the money spent is not wasted. The lights that served as a backdrop kept on changing as well. The whole show lasted for an hour. At the end, the guests were allowed to have their photo taken with the dancers/performers.

3. Terracotta Warriors and Horses

Entrance Fee= 150 CNY for adults

This was the main reason why we headed to Xi'an. We did not want to join any tour groups because we wanted the adventure. After reading some blogs on how to DIY, we headed to Main Railway Station and looked for Bus No. 5. Fare for the trip was 7 CNY and 1 hour for the travel towards the Terracotta Warriors Museum. The drop off was a huge parking lot and we had to walk for about 10 minutes towards the entrance. We bought our tickets via klook.com and headed to a designated window where we showed our vouchers to exchange for a physical ticket.


A lot of tour guides offered us for their service but we refused them and headed on our own. This was quite a mistake because we did not know where to go and we cannot find a map. We just followed the crowd. The walk towards the first Museum was about 10 minutes. Here we saw the photos of the excavation of the 3 pits. It was nice staying inside as it had air conditioning on. Then we headed to pit No. 2. It was founded in 1976 and is the most spectacular one for the variety of divisions including infantry, crossbow, cavalry and 80 chariots.


We then headed to pit. No. 3. It appeared as the smallest of the pits but it was the command post of the armed forces. It is said that it contained 68 warriors and a chariot with 4 horses.


We purposely left pit no. 1 last because it was the biggest and as per advise of the travel bloggers. Truly it was massive and the array of infantry was impressive.


 The work of restoration is still on going and we can see that it was tedious. Most of the horses and warriors were broken and like pieces of a puzzle, they were fit one by one.


Travelling to Xi'an? Here are our tips:



1. There are options for the subway trains: one day pass or 3 day pass card. For us, since we stayed for 2 nights and 2 days, we just purchased one way tickets each time we had to use the subway.

2. City wall walk was very worth it.
-You can pack snacks to bring while on the wall. There are stalls selling snacks but they are expensive.
- Bottled water at convenience stores are only 2 CNY while in tourist areas, it can cost as much as 6 or 5. Evian water is expensive at 28 CNY each.
- Options to see the whole wall are walking, biking or shuttle bus
-Time your visit for sunset as the views are nice and the sun is not too hot. It is also nice to see the buildings light up during the night.
- City wall is open until midnight. You can buy tickets on the day as it does not have a maximum ticket limit.

3. Muslim St is best for street food and cheap souvenirs. It is very near to the drum and bell tower and it can get pretty crowded in there.

4. When travelling by train to other provinces (in our case, Chengdu) the ticket for the high speed train can only be redeemed from the railway station and not at the subway stations.

5. Arrive at the High Speed Railway Station about 1.5 hours prior to departure. Food options are available at the station. Expect a very long line when queuing up for food or for boarding.

6. Buy your Terracotta Warrior entrance ticket in advance. In our case, we purchased it from the Klook. There is a limit of 65,000 tickets sold per day.

7. Bus 306 (or Bus No.5) goes to Terracotta Warriors. We used google translate to inform the bus staff that we wanted to go to the site. Cost per way is 7 CNY.

8. Don't forget to bring hats, umbrellas, sunscreen, water and snacks while at the Terracotta Warriors and Horses site.

9. Visit pit B first then pit C and A the last while at the Terracotta Warriors Site.

10. Restaurants outside the site can be skipped as their prices are costly. We were so hungry and we gave in to temptation to eat at one of the restaurants. We paid for almost 100 CNY for just 2 meals! Also,  a man offered us some souvenirs for 50 CNY and we just walked past him, he shouted that he is offering down to 10 or 5 CNY even.

I hope this helps! Thank you for reading and 'til next blog :)

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