Xian Wei River, China
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Xi'an lies on the Wei River plain, far north of the Yangtze: it is the classic land extension to Chinese river cruises. You leave the ship at Chongqing or Yichang, and a domestic flight or high-speed train takes you to ancient Chang'an.
One or two hotel nights replace the cabin. The detour is easily justified: few cities in the world pack so much history into so little space, and the Terracotta Army alone fills half a day.
About 40 km east of central Xi'an, near Lintong. Farmers digging a well uncovered it in 1974: the pits have guarded the mausoleum of the first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, for twenty-two centuries.
Under the vast hall of Pit 1, columns of infantry emerge from the ochre earth, rank after rank, every face different from its neighbour. Pits 2 and 3 show chariots, crossbowmen and the command staff, and archaeologists piece fragments together in a workshop open to view.
Yes, and it is one of the best ways to see the city. The Ming enclosure runs nearly fourteen kilometres of intact rampart, wide enough to ride along: moat and grey roofs on one side, modern buildings on the other.
The Hui quarter behind the Drum Tower, where the Muslim community carries on a trade inherited from the Silk Road, whose starting point was Chang'an. The lanes smell of cumin and grilled flatbread.
Biangbiang noodles, as wide as belts and stretched before your eyes, and yangroupao, a lamb soup poured over bread torn by hand. It is the comfort dish of northern evenings.
Its architecture is entirely Chinese: successive courtyards, ancient steles and timber pavilions, with no dome or minaret in the usual sense. Founded under the Tang, it hides at the end of a lane in the Hui quarter and remains one of a kind.
A Tang-era brick pagoda south of the walls, where the monk Xuanzang had the sacred texts he brought back from India translated after seventeen years on the road. The surrounding esplanades come alive in the evening as the pale brick lights up.
Spring and autumn, March to May and September to October. Shaanxi summers are hot and dry, winters decidedly cold; the dry northern light is a pleasant surprise after the mists of the river.
