A Three-Day Trip to Chang'an, the Thousand-Year-Old Ancient Capital

Chang'an, a magnificent name, a place that takes you back in time. Chang'an is the past tense of Xi'an. Back then, Chang'an was resplendent and prosperous, especially during the Han and Tang dynasties when it served as the capital—a holy land everyone yearned to visit. At that time, the north was called the Northern Di barbarians and the south the Southern Man; only Chang'an was the center of the empire. The Guanzhong Plain it sits upon was known as the "Land of Abundance." Yes, that's right! The "Land of Abundance" title for the Sichuan Basin was borrowed by Zhuge Liang. Of course, with its vast fertile fields, Sichuan has long deserved the name. But after the Song and Yuan dynasties, as the capital moved east and north, Chang'an became lonely, desolate, and cold... Eventually, even its name was changed.

When was the name changed? During the Ming dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang founded the Ming dynasty and set the capital at Nanjing. In the third month of 1369, he sent General Xu Da to march on Chang'an, changed Fengyuan Circuit to Xi'an Prefecture, and renamed Chang'an to Xi'an. From then on, Chang'an became Xi'an. It's never been changed again.

Every backpacker has a dream of Tibet; every nostalgic soul has a dream of Chang'an.

After the pandemic was brought under control, Xi'an rolled out a three-month (February to May) free admission policy for scenic spots—truly a generous gesture! My first post-pandemic trip had to be to my beloved Xi'an. Since I'd been before, I skipped the Terracotta Warriors, Huaqing Palace, Qianling Mausoleum, and Famen Temple this time.

This was my second visit to Xi'an. In 2017, my university brought us here for a sketching trip; this time I came on my own, with two days of independent travel and one day on a group tour.

The trip went a bit over budget—aside from the pricey high-speed train, I spent quite a bit on entrance fees. University students can get special discount tickets, but graduate students and above get no discount. So students should have their IDs ready.

Xi'an Museum

During my three days in Xi'an, I stayed at the Xi'an Bell Tower Sunde Hotel.

I chose this hotel mainly for its superb location, right next to the Bell Tower. The Bell Tower is the exact center of Xi'an, so it's close to many ancient city sights—just a few minutes' walk to the Ancient City Wall, the Forest of Steles, and even the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda isn't far. Plus, the hotel entrance is right at a subway station with two metro lines. In short, the location couldn't be better.

Also, exit C6 of Metro Line 2 is literally ten steps from the lobby. It's a 10-minute walk to Huimin Street (where Gao Family Courtyard is) and a 10-minute walk to Luomashi. A half-hour metro ride from the entrance gets you to Datang Everbright City and Yongxingfang. A Didi from Yongxingfang to Huimin Street costs about 6 yuan.

Staying here meant I didn't have to worry about getting up early and rushing to catch buses—most places were just a stroll away. I'd assumed a hotel in this location would be expensive, but it turned out to be excellent value.

We booked a Bell Tower View King Room, beautifully decorated with both hard and soft furnishings that were so comfortable. The color schemes were very pleasing. At night, you can enjoy the Bell Tower's nightscape from the room—it's gorgeous.

The room was spacious, the mattress just right—not too soft or firm—so I didn't feel tired after a night's sleep. Good lumbar support too. Perfect for two people.

The overall style is simple European, with tasteful furnishings. Famous photography adorns the walls. The room has many smart devices—lights, curtains, TV—all controllable. Complimentary bottled water is in the hallway, free to take as needed.

All the room's toiletries and disposable items were brand-name products, not the kind you find in budget hotels. They felt nice.

A buffet restaurant on the first floor serves breakfast included in the room rate. It's open until 10 a.m., so you can sleep in and still enjoy a good meal—a thoughtful touch. The breakfast was great, with lots of choices and tasty food.

Day 1: Huimin Street, Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Ancient City Wall, Bell and Drum Towers

After freshening up, I went downstairs for breakfast and then headed to the museum.

Xi'an Museum

The Small Wild Goose Pagoda and Xi'an Museum share the same site. Since it was baking hot at noon, I ducked into the museum first to escape the heat. Both the pagoda and museum are free; just scan your ID at the entrance.

Small Wild Goose Pagoda (Jianfu Temple)

I'd heard the Small Wild Goose Pagoda was a quiet retreat amid the bustle, serene and peaceful. But the heat was so intense that day I couldn't really soak in that calm atmosphere.

From Xi'an Museum, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda is just past the back.

Late in the afternoon, I went to the Ancient City Wall, taking a bus that was only a few stops away. But to reach the wall area, I had to go through an underground tunnel (I later found out it wasn't necessary). Being a hopeless direction-challenged person, I went through three different underground tunnels before finding the right one. When I finally reached the ticket office, I was so hot and tired that I sat down on a step for over half an hour. Mustered the energy to keep going, I wanted to visit the wall and the Forest of Steles, which are next to each other. They have a combo ticket for both at 100 yuan. I tried to buy it, but the stele forest ticket sales had already closed—tickets stop at 5:30 p.m. So I just bought the city wall ticket, 45 yuan for adults.

I'd hoped to watch the sunset from the wall, but I was too wiped out to wait. I took the bus back to Huimin Street before the sun had completely set.

The food on Huimin Street is really pricey—small potatoes 10 yuan, pomegranate juice 15 yuan, and neither tasted good.

I bought some snacks and returned to the hotel, rested a bit, then went out looking for a hair tie. Huimin Street has no accessory shops, so I checked the map and found a Sanfu store about a ten-minute walk away.

After buying the hair tie, I headed to Gao Family Courtyard to have a look and watch a shadow puppet show and Qinqiang opera.

The courtyard at night had a real atmosphere. During the day, it might feel like a tourist stop, but with the lanterns lit, I felt like I actually lived here—a wonderful sense of belonging, haha.

After wandering around, it was time for the shadow puppet show. I caught the last performance; there weren't many people.

There are several rows of chairs for the show, but the front two rows require a minimum purchase of 10 yuan. I bought a 10-yuan zodiac shadow puppet figurine—pretty decent, no regret. I sat in the front row but on the very edge.

The play was "The Peddler." I was too busy recording video to take photos. It was interesting, and luckily I like the TV show "My Own Swordsman," so I could more or less understand the Shaanxi dialect.

After that, I listened to Qinqiang opera at the outdoor theater.

By the time I was done, it was almost 9:30 p.m., and I went back to the hotel to rest. As soon as I saw the bed, I was dead tired. I'd walked 20,000 steps that day—so exhausting.

Day 2: Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, Tang Paradise

In the morning, I went to the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda first, hoping to beat the heat. Wishful thinking—I started sweating the moment I stepped out.

I took a bus to the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda stop.

I bought tickets on site; climbing the pagoda requires a separate ticket.

The staircase inside the pagoda is narrow and steep.

From the top-floor windows, you get a fairly expansive view.

After lunch, I called a car to the Shaanxi History Museum, but when we arrived, I discovered you need a reservation. There was a long queue out front, and checking online, all the time slots for the near future were fully booked. So, I didn't wait and went straight to Tang Paradise. A bit of a shame. Anyone planning to visit should definitely reserve a day or two in advance.

The park... well, it's hard to describe. A third of the attractions were under renovation, and combined with the heat, I was wiped out after just a few sights. I'd suggest coming in the evening—at least it's cooler, you'll be in a better mood, and there are lights to see. During the day, there's really not much to look at.

I finally found a little bridge over the water and tried to cross it, only to find the other end was broken.

I only caught one performance: it depicted Li Longji's first meeting with Yang Yuhuan and their later wedding.

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda North Square Music Fountain

After leaving Tang Paradise, I went to a popular restaurant, Chang'an Grand Restaurant, which was pretty good.

The total was 109 yuan, and the two of us couldn't finish everything. With more people, you could try more dishes and the per-person cost would be even lower.

After dinner, I walked to the music fountain at the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda North Square, which starts around 8 p.m. I strolled around, bought a few things—two small terracotta warrior figurines, 20 cm tall, 10 yuan each. But near the Terracotta Warriors scenic area, they're sold even cheaper, so if you want to buy, compare prices.

Watching the fountain was an unexpected delight. A day's worth of heat and exhaustion melted away by the fountain. The fountain itself was beautiful, but that's not the most important thing. What mattered was that when the breeze carried the fountain's mist onto the surrounding visitors, everyone broke into the purest smiles, untouched by any worldly concerns. It felt like returning to childhood and experiencing that simplest kind of joy.

Day 3: Huaqing Palace, Terracotta Warriors

I booked a one-day tour on Qunar for 208 yuan, which included admission to Huaqing Palace and the Terracotta Warriors, plus lunch. It turned out cheaper than buying tickets on my own, and we had a guide and bus transportation—pretty good.

We first stopped at Lintong Museum, where we saw the three terracotta warriors that are said to be the earliest discovered.

The weather wasn't cooperative—just as we arrived at Huaqing Palace, it started to rain.

The bathing pools of the imperial consort and the emperor.

The bottom was paved with natural jade.

The emperor's bathing pool.

The guide told us that the two broken bricks are original; the rest were patched up in a later dynasty.

The hot spring water from Mount Li is ranked number one in the world.

Apparently, there used to be a spot where visitors could wash their hands in the spring water, but it was closed because of overwhelming crowds.

Many, many celebrities have bathed here.

It was so hard to get a photo without people in it. Because of the rain, everyone had umbrellas, the crowd was thick, and even walking was difficult.

After entering the Terracotta Warriors scenic area, a professional guide took over and led us through, and I learned so many things I hadn't known before.

I was deeply moved after hearing the guide's explanations. Three weeks ago, this area was just a pile of fragments—you couldn't tell what they were. Three weeks later, they knew it was two horses. It shows how hard the restoration workers have been working. And this pit has no central air conditioning; it's freezing in winter and sweltering in summer—truly admirable dedication.

This is a robbery tunnel dug by grave robbers.

After the tour dispersed, I went to Yongxingfang, which is more worth visiting than Huimin Street. It's not as big, but it's less chaotic and the food selection seems richer.

The famous bowl-breaking wine—5 yuan a bowl, minimum three bowls. It's not actually wine, but a drink, and barely any flavor.

From Yongxingfang, I returned to the hotel, and that basically wrapped up my Xi'an trip.