Xi'an

Xi'an is appoximstely 5.5 hours from Beijing via bullet train. The city has over 3,000 years of history including 1,100 years as the capital city of ancient dynasties and the eastern terminal point of the silk road. 

We arrived on May 30th, checked into the dated but well located Grand Noble Hotel, and set out for Three Sisters Dumplings. Another hole in the wall find, they offer several types of dumplings along with countless other dishes. 

We strolled home through the busy nightlife, but turned in early for the 7:30am pickup for our China Highlights Terracotta Army tour. 

The Terracotta Army, also known as the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, is an underground collection of thousands of lifesize sculptures produced to guard the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang (259 - 210 BCE).

We had a fantastic lunch including middle eastern influenced dishes, which is due to Xi'an's connection to the middle east via the Silk Road. The day ended up with a relaxing bike ride along the ancient city wall.

On to Shanghia!