2022 Post-Pandemic Xi'an Budget Travel Guide for a 3-Day Trip in March

March brings warm spring flowers, making it the perfect time to visit Xi'an. First, let's talk about Xi'an's epidemic prevention policies:

Travelers from medium/high-risk areas need a green health code and a 48-hour nucleic acid test certificate. Those with an asterisk on their itinerary code also need a 48-hour nucleic acid test certificate. Upon arrival at the hotel, you'll have your temperature checked, scan the itinerary code and venue code, report your information, and then check in. Visitors from other low-risk areas can check in as normal.

Xi'an, the ancient capital of six dynasties, is not only a millennia-old city but also a vibrant modern metropolis, rich in historical relics and cultural heritage.

When traveling with children, it’s not just about letting them run wild and have fun—it’s also about combining education with entertainment. As the saying goes, “Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles.” Learning on the road enriches their experience. In Xi'an, the must-see highlights for little ones are the historical witnesses that bear the marks of time.

**Meilihao Hotel (Xi'an Xiaozhai, Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, Datang Everbright City Branch) – A Great-Value Hotel with Easy Access**

- **Address:** Building A, Changfeng International Plaza, No. 86A Chang'an South Road, Xi'an

- **Price:** Around 300–400 CNY per night

- **Features:** Airport pickup service, free parking, warm service, and various complimentary services

**Xi'an Ming City Wall**

The city wall of Xi'an has become a symbol of the city. No matter your age or where you're from, a trip to Xi'an isn't complete without a visit to the wall. When people talk about the Xi'an City Wall, they usually mean the Ming Dynasty City Wall, the largest and best-preserved ancient city fortification in China.

Throngs of visitors come just to admire this masterpiece of ancient architecture, or to take in the view from the top—contrasting two neighborhoods inside and outside the wall. On one side are centuries-old houses with flying eaves and Dougong brackets, while on the other is the ever-changing modern Xi'an with its high-rises and busy traffic. Here, you'll feel the magical meeting of past and present.

The main gates of the Xi'an City Wall are four: Changle Gate (East Gate), Yongning Gate (South Gate), Anding Gate (West Gate), and Anyuan Gate (North Gate)—the original gates of the ancient wall. This time, we headed to the locals' most beloved South Gate, Yongning Gate. Not only is it a primary entrance to climb the wall, but within walking distance you'll find the landmark Bell and Drum Towers, plus the legendary snack street—Muslim Street. That's why it's a top choice for visitors.

The Xi'an Ming City Wall stands 12 meters high, with a top width of 12–14 meters and a base width of 15–18 meters. It forms a closed rectangle with a perimeter of 13.74 kilometers. The area inside the wall is often called the old city. Stroll on the wall and glance down at those century-old houses below—one look can take you back a thousand years. In that moment, Xi'an becomes Chang'an once more.

**Terracotta Warriors**

The Terracotta Warriors, or the Qin Shi Huang Terracotta Warriors and Horses, are located in the pits 1.5 kilometers east of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor in Lintong District, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. They are among the first batch of national key cultural relics protection sites and China's first World Heritage Sites. In 1987, the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors pits were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List and hailed as the "Eighth Wonder of the World." More than 200 foreign heads of state and government have visited, making them a golden calling card of ancient Chinese civilization and one of the world's top ten rare tomb treasures.

The Terracotta Warriors are a product of the ancient burial system. Social changes during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods led to a shift in funerary customs, giving rise to the use of figurines—pottery, wooden, etc.—instead of human sacrifices. The original meaning of "yong" (figurine) was human sacrifice. When human sacrifice gradually faded, "yong" became the term for pottery sculptures, stone carvings, and human likenesses in tombs. The Qin Terracotta Warriors represent the peak of using figurines in place of human sacrifices. Their scale and realistic detail, achieved not only by the craftsmen's wisdom but also by the will of Qin Shi Huang, China's first feudal emperor, are astonishing. The emperor, determined to commemorate his resplendent achievements, built himself a magnificent underground palace, which gave rise to this vast subterranean army. After more than 2,000 years, they have become our priceless treasures.

The pits housing the Terracotta Warriors face east, with the three pits arranged in a "品" shape. The first pit discovered was Pit 1, rectangular with sloping entrances on all four sides. On its left and right are Pit 2 and Pit 3.

The pits are subterranean wooden-and-earth structures. A large pit about 5 meters deep was dug, and in the middle, parallel earthen partition walls were built. Wooden pillars lined both sides of these walls, supporting horizontal timbers. Dense roof timbers were then laid across the horizontal timbers and partition walls, covered with a layer of reed mats, and finally sealed with loess to form the pit roof, which rose about 2 meters above the original ground. The pit floor was paved with blue bricks. The interior space from roof to floor is 3.2 meters high. After the pottery warriors and horses were placed inside, the entrances were sealed with upright timbers, and the passageways were tightly packed with rammed earth, creating a fully enclosed underground complex.

Pit 1 is the most completely displayed. There are over 8,000 life-sized warriors, each uniquely posed and vividly lifelike, arrayed in neat battle formation. Even though many now appear broken and worn, you can still imagine the grandeur of the original scene.

**Shuyuanmen (Academy Gate)**

Shuyuanmen is located east of the South Gate, reaching east to Anju Lane and connecting to Sanxue Street. In 1592 (the 20th year of the Wanli reign in the Ming Dynasty), scholar Feng Congwu, having lost a political struggle with the eunuch faction, resigned and returned home to teach at Baoqing Temple. Later, a new site was chosen, and the Guanzhong Academy was built on the north side of the street, attracting up to a thousand students and becoming a renowned institution. Today, Shuyuanmen refers to the pedestrian street stretching from the Stele Forest to the entrance of the Guanzhong Academy, and its name originates from the academy within.

The present-day Shuyuanmen was restored in 1991, preserving the original Ming and Qing architectural style on both sides. It’s an antique culture street specializing in calligraphy, paintings, and the “four treasures of the study” (brush, ink, paper, and inkstone). Little Dingdang, who seemed to have traveled back from the flourishing Tang Dynasty, was probably captivated by the street’s cultural atmosphere, carefully picking out her favorite calligraphy brush. Could this be the start of her journey into the world of calligraphy?

**Muslim Street**

Xi'an Muslim Street is a famous food and cultural district, the most concentrated area for Xi'an’s specialty snacks. The street is not long—about 500 meters from north to south, paved with bluestone and shaded by trees. Along both sides stand buildings in imitation Ming and Qing style, housing restaurants and shops, all run by Hui people and strongly characterized by Islamic culture.

Muslim Street’s reputation has spread nationwide. Probably every tourist to Xi'an feels compelled to stroll through it, so the bustling lanes and flowing crowds are a hallmark of this place.

**Stele Forest Museum**

The Stele Forest Museum, located at No. 15 Sanxue Street, Beilin District, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, is the oldest museum in Shaanxi. Focusing on collecting, displaying, and researching ancient steles, epitaphs, and stone carvings, it stands as a unique art museum in China.

Founded in 1944, the museum was built on the foundation of the "Xi'an Stele Forest," which has a history of over 900 years, and expanded using the ancient architectural complex of the Xi'an Confucian Temple. It holds more than 11,000 cultural relics, including 134 pieces from 19 groups of national treasures and 535 first-class relics. Four of the famous "Six Steeds of the Zhao Mausoleum" are housed here.