Xian, China, Asia

The old Chinese capital city where for 2 million years many Chinese dynasties came and went. A large city with a heavy mix of old and new, big brand new shops including Prada, Gucci etc... set amongst traditional Chinese monuments such as the Bell and Drum Towers.

The citys' biggest attraction for tourists is of course the Terracotta Warriors which were only discovered in the 1970's. We took the day to visit the Banpo Neolithic Village which dates back to 4500 BC, an example of Yangshao culture from which only 1/4 of the village has so far been discovered. This village gave us an insight into a long and complicated Chinese history before heading on to the Terracotta Warriors.

The Warriors date back to 2000 years but were only founded by 3 farmers who were digging a well jus 30 years ago. It is said that only 1% of the warriors have so far been excavated, and to find them all will take decades.

As well as the Terracotta Warriors, Xian has many other sights including being the only city in China to have its old city walls. A good way to explore them is by bicycle, and so a few of us took of and rode around the 14km of wall. Lots of fun and a great way to work off all the yummy dumplings we had been eating.

An interesting city with lots to keep us occupied, however, after 2 days it was time to move onto Chengdu, home to many Chinese giant pandas.