A 2024 Spring Festival Trip to Xi'an
After putting it off time and again, I finally completed my Xi'an journey in 2024. With limited vacation, I had to travel during Spring Festival, and as expected, I ran into huge crowds, couldn't get a reservation for Shaanxi History Museum, and many shops were closed. But overall, I felt it went pretty well.
Day 1: Gao Family Mansion, Xi'an City Wall
I took a sleeper train and arrived in Xi'an in the morning. Right outside the station was the city wall. After a long wait at the bus stop, a short ride later I reached Guangji Bridge. By the time I dropped off my luggage at the guesthouse, it was already noon. The Muslim Quarter was buzzing with noisy crowds, and many internet-famous shops had long queues.
My first meal was lamb paomo (crumbled bread in mutton soup). I found a place tucked away in Guangming Alley with not too many people. The owner saw the camera around my neck and asked, "One bread will be enough, right?" Thinking about my appetite, I nodded, and so I only got one piece of bread. I found a seat and started breaking the bread into small pieces — it felt very therapeutic. After finishing, I brought it back to the counter, and a little while later, the fragrant paomo arrived. It had lamb, vermicelli, and dried tofu, and it was really delicious!
After eating, I went to Gao Family Mansion. There didn't seem to be many people buying tickets at the entrance, but once inside, it was quite crowded. I queued for the shadow puppet show; I had also wanted to see the Huayin old tune performance, but the next show was already sold out, so I gave up. Maybe because it was crowded, after one shadow puppet show finished, they took a ten-minute break and then started the next. Each show could seat over a hundred people, so we didn't have to wait too long. The queue first went into the Huayin old tune performance area, then as the audience left after that show, we entered the inner hall for the shadow puppets. While we sat waiting, the Huayin old tune performance started outside. The staff wouldn't let us open the curtain, so I listened through the wall and got a taste of it. Then the shadow puppet show began, lasting about 15 minutes, with subtitles so you could understand, and it was a nice experience. Afterward, you could stroll around the courtyard, but it was packed and the ordinary old residence wasn't much to see. I checked the time for the bell and drum tower's bell performance — it had already passed, and if I waited, it would be in the afternoon, so I gave up and went to the Xi'an Incident Memorial Hall (Zhang Xueliang's Former Residence) instead.
On my way out of Gao Family Mansion, I conveniently picked up a box of "Jiabo Sweet Shop" double-style cold rice cake. When I tried it in the afternoon, I found the cakes had little sweetness on their own — one was like a plain zongzi, and the other had a slight pine flower fragrance. They only tasted good when you poured on the accompanying rose jam.
I waited a long time for the bus. On the walk from the bus stop, I passed by "Housan Vegetable Box" and saw it wasn't open, then headed to the memorial hall. The memorial required online reservation — it was free but tickets were needed, and you probably wouldn't fail to get one. Inside, it was quite large, with detailed introductions to the Xi'an Incident. There were also three Western-style buildings to visit, though they were fairly modest, being government offices.
After leaving, I continued on foot to Jianguomen Comprehensive Market, a combination of a food market, trendy shops, and the city wall. There was a down-to-earth market where people were actually selling vegetables and sundries, along with various photo-op spots and stylish boutique shops. Just ahead, looking up, was the city wall. On a sunny afternoon, finding a shop to have afternoon tea was a very pleasant experience.
With time to spare, I hopped on a shared bike and cycled from Jianguomen along Huancheng South Road to Zhuque Gate, and then along Shuncheng South Road to Xiangzi Temple. Then I walked through Yongning Gate, Shuyuanmen, and Wenmiao to Wenchang Gate, since my city wall lantern show ticket was for Wenchang Gate. The road from Shuyuanmen to Wenchang Gate was bustling, with food stalls, calligraphy and painting sellers, street performers, and most of all, tourists taking photos.
Maybe because I went up the city wall a bit early, there were fewer people than I expected. As I walked, the lanterns gradually lit up as the sun set, and the crowd grew. A trip to the restroom involved a 20-minute queue, and it was tough to get a solo photo on the wall. I walked from Wenchang Gate to Zhuque Gate, then turned back to Yongning Gate. Feeling that I didn't want to push through the crowds and was a bit hungry, I followed the stream of people and descended the wall at Yongning Gate after a long winding route. The path was one-way, packed with people; even photos were mostly of heads.
After finally squeezing out, I found a nearby eatery and had a serving of raw meat stir-fried paomo. It felt richer and more flavorful, suiting my taste better. I continued biking back, passing the Catholic church and taking a photo. Feeling a bit tired, I decided to head back to the guesthouse early and save the Bell Tower for tomorrow.
Day 2: Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and Small Wild Goose Pagoda
I woke up more or less naturally, headed out, and first had a bowl of youcha (fried dough twist soup) with mahua. The savory-spiced toppings were piled high, and the fried dough sticks were soft and glutinous.
I couldn't find the little path to the City God Temple, so I had to go around via Daxuexi Lane to West Street and enter through the main gate. There was a tall decorated archway and imposing lion statues. Passing through a commercial street lined with red flags, I first saw the God of Wealth Hall, then the square, and looking back, the stage. At the far end was the City God temple. What drew me here wasn't that this is the highest-ranking City God temple, but the witty sayings on the memorial arch.
Slipping out a side door, I couldn't find Granny Hua's sour plum drink, the rose nang bread wasn't out of the oven yet, and I only managed to have a hot persimmon paste cake. Then I gave up on Shaan Shi San ice cream because I simply couldn't eat any more.
While looking for a bus, I saw many tour groups entering the Muslim Quarter from Beiyuanmen. The bus to the South Square of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda was also packed. I got off and walked back, first going to the Tang Daci'en Temple Ruins Park to capture the reflection of the Buddha statue with the pagoda, then back to the South Square to photograph the Jianzhen statue together with the pagoda. Next, I found Gate 3 of Joy City on the west side of the pagoda, took a photo by the red wall, and then took the direct elevator to the observation deck for more photos. Except for the South Square, which was very crowded, the other spots only required a ten-minute wait, and people were orderly, forming queues. There were a few other spots like a café terrace and a parking lot platform I didn't visit. After finishing my photo tour, I went down and saw the queue for Daci'en Temple had already stretched to the Peony Pavilion. By then, large crowds filled the area, but thankfully the square was spacious, so it wasn't too cramped.
I walked straight to the center railing at the far end of the North Square to wait for the musical fountain show. I heard that during holidays it only runs in the daytime, and online info said there would definitely be one at 11 a.m., so I patiently waited it out. More and more people gathered. Around 10:45, music and fountains suddenly burst on, startling me. But it kept repeating the same pattern, making me wonder. I was still hesitating whether to leave when, right after 11, the official announcement started, and the grand fountain show began. So the earlier part was just a warm-up?! Because the spray was so powerful and I stood right at the front, I inexplicably got drenched from head to toe. When I tried to step back, a mass of people blocked me — it was quite a mess.
After finally watching it all, soaking wet, I eventually found a restroom to tidy up. I couldn't find a blue shared bike, so I took a bus one stop to the Shaanxi History Museum. Unfortunately, I hadn't managed to snag a ticket for the museum, so I just took a photo as a consolation. Can anyone tell me why the plane trees in Xi'an streets still hold so many dead leaves?
I had mainly come here to eat the Ziwu Road Zhang Ji's meat sandwich (roujiamo), but it wasn't open. So I went next door and tried the lazhirou jiumianpian (braised pork pulled noodles), which turned out to be really delicious, and I also bought some of their oil-splashed chili.
In the afternoon, I booked a guided tour group for the Xi'an Museum and Small Wild Goose Pagoda. At first, I weaved through the crowds with the guide. After the tour ended, I went back into the museum on my own to revisit the exhibition halls I hadn't seen and to look more carefully at exhibits I'd missed. The Xi'an Museum primarily narrated the historical features of "Ancient Capital Xi'an," covering city wall construction, the material and spiritual lives of common people, and so on, letting you feel the changes over history. The northern-style gardens weren't much to stroll through, but the Small Wild Goose Pagoda looked very weathered and had a truly fascinating story.
After exiting via the Small Wild Goose Pagoda's north gate, I had planned to bike to the Bell Tower to photograph the night view. Unexpectedly, by the time I reached the South Gate, the rain had become heavier and I had to stop. I found a biangbiang noodle shop to eat while waiting for the rain to ease. Since the famous ones were closed for the New Year, I went to a chain branch. Apart from a set meal, I also ordered a cold dish, but unfortunately the taste was mediocre and the noodles weren't chewy enough.
After eating, I noticed the rain had lightened a bit compared to before, so I hopped on a bus to the Bell Tower stop. Even in the rain, I saw many young guys and gals taking beautiful photos with fill lights. Worried about the rain and not wanting to spend 10 yuan on an umbrella, I thought better of going to the Kaiyuan Shopping Mall observation deck for a photo check-in, so I just snapped a few photos by the roadside and headed back to the hostel to rest. After all, tomorrow would be another late-return day.
Day 3: Huaqing Pool, Lishan Garden, and the Terracotta Army of Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum
In the morning, I went to Sajinqiao to buy zenggao (steamed glutinous rice cake). There weren't many people queuing at Mawenzhang, so I first got a cured beef roujiamo from Yang Tianyu's Cured Beef and Lamb Shop, then lined up for a small portion of zenggao and also bought two vacuum-packed bags to take home. The roujiamo was a bit too dry, so I grabbed an old-style yogurt and fermented rice wine from a roadside vendor. After eating, I was completely stuffed, so the zenggao ended up being dinner.
I signed up for a small group day tour. We didn't set off until after 9 a.m. and returned to the Bell Tower at 8:30 p.m., which could be considered traveling outside peak hours. Our guide was Wang Gang, not too old but with plenty of opinions. He relentlessly dissed Huaqing Pool as a "chicken rib" attraction — meaning it's unimpressive but you can't skip it. Indeed, it was shoulder-to-shoulder crowded inside. But since we were already there, at least the Xi'an Incident sites inside were authentic.
For lunch, I had another round of my stir-fried paomo. Worried about time, I didn't ask to break the bread myself, and it still tasted pretty good.
The afternoon was the main event — circling Qin Shihuang's mausoleum to see his burial objects. First, we went to Lishan Garden and decisively took the scenic shuttle.
Pit K9901, the acrobat figurines — a court entertainment troupe from the Qin-Han period, featuring performances like lifting tripods, wrestling, and comic acts. The pottery figures varied from plump to thin with super realistic details.
The Bronze Chariots Pit site — two painted bronze chariots were unearthed, each drawn by four horses and driven by a bronze charioteer. The chariots, figures, and horses are all half the size of the real ones and are known as the "Crown of Bronzes." The actual display includes one replica and one original. The Qin dynasty's meticulous craftsmanship was truly breathtaking.
Pit K0006, the civil official figurines pit, the most recent excavation, is unusual because it hadn't been burned. The 12 pottery figures have wide sleeves and are paired with carving knives and bamboo-polishing stones, indicating this is a burial pit representing Qin dynasty government offices. It's said that Qin officials were super intense — if not at work, they were on their way to work. Actually, Lishan Garden has many more pits; some were test-excavated and then refilled, and others, like the stone armor pits, are still kept secret. In the future, there may be more new exhibits gradually unveiled, since this is the heart of Qin Shihuang's mausoleum.
Next, we took the bus to the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, which contains Terracotta Army Pits 1, 2, and 3, plus two special exhibitions. We arrived around 5 p.m., close to the last entry, but there were still many people. We continued with the scenic shuttle — it didn't really matter whether we took it, but there was little queue to board, and spending 5 yuan to save time and energy felt worthwhile.
The first stop was a special exhibition: "More Than Terracotta Figures" — the first concentrated display of artifacts from Pit K0007 of the Qin royal garden, including 46 bronze waterfowl, 15 pottery figures in seated and kneeling postures, plus fragmentary animal bones, silver artificial nails, bronze sticks, and over 260 small objects.
A new exhibition "I Am a Soldier" and the "ID cards" of two "little people" — kneeling archer figurine No. 6155 and standing archer No. 2533 — told their stories. Both special exhibitions were very interesting, way more so than the actual pits.
Finally, we visited the three pits. Actually, these are on the periphery of the mausoleum; the soldiers buried here were a garrison force guarding outside the capital, not elite troops — you can tell by their little bellies. Pit 1 was the first discovered, found when digging a well, and is the largest. Inside the massive hangar, rows upon rows of neat formations of soldiers were arrayed imposingly; there were infantry, horses, and chariots. Walking around, you're surrounded by terracotta figures glaring at you — very awe-inspiring.
Next we went to the smallest, Pit 3, divided into south, central, and north sections — the "command tent" (the army's command headquarters). Photos on the wall showed the vibrant colors of the figurines when they were unearthed; it's said the colors here were better preserved, but sadly we could only see the pictures.
Finally, we passed the unfinished pit to see Pit 2. It wasn't much to look at because most figures are still buried underground, and you can only see the remains of the shed roof on top. Here, five different ranks and postures of terracotta soldiers were displayed for close viewing.
By the time we finished the tour, the moon had risen. Around 7 p.m., we left the museum right when they announced closing. What I didn't expect was that the final walk to the bus was the real longest stretch. We had to trek on foot through a long, long commercial street, and eventually, far, far ahead, we finally located our minibus. The return drive was also jammed with traffic, and it was past 9 p.m. when we reached the Bell Tower. I snapped a quick photo, with no energy for anything else.
Day 4: Departure
My train was in the morning. Before leaving, I made sure to check off meatball hulatang (spicy pepper soup) from my list, bought a vegetable and egg jiamo for lunch, and also got a jin of beef tendon vacuum-packed. With a touch of regret, I took the Xi'an metro — rumored to have unearthed lots of artifacts — to Xi'an North Station and caught the high-speed train, hoping to return someday.
