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Xi'an, the historical city, was called Chang'an in ancient
times, and is now the capital of Shaanxi province.
Xi'an is situated in the centre of Weihe Plain with the towering
and verdant Mt.Qinling in the south, with the meandering and
rolling Beishan mountain system in the north and eight rivers
around it, all of which are at Guang Zhong Plain (the centre
of passes). Historically, it was famous for being called "a
gold city stretching a thousand li" with its fertile
soil, mild climate, adequate rainfall and rich products.
Xi'an has a long history. Since the earliest societies, humanity
lived and multiplied here. It served as a capital for twelve
dynasties, including the Western Zhou, Qin, Western Han, Sui
and Tang dynasties, spanning over 1120 years. It became the
oriental cultural centre of the Silk Road.
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Located in the very center of China and long a prime destination
connecting the east and west, Xi'an is today one of the best
connected cities in China in terms of travel. There are numerous
national and international flights in and out of the city
airport and the rail and bus services operating in the city
are also good.
Airport
The city airport, Xiguan is approximately 40 km northwest
of Xi'an. Northwest Airways, China United Airways and Dragon
Air all operate out of the airport. There are daily flights
to and from Xi'an to Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Guilin and
Qingdao. There are a few flights a week to Lhasa and flights
are now running to Hong Kong, Macau and Japan.
Railway
station
The train station in Xi'an is situated in the northeast of
the town and is just outside the city walls. This is a major
stop for trains heading either west or east and the line actually
splits here. Some trains head north to Beijing and others
east to Shanghai. There are direct trains from Xi'an to Beijing
(16 hours), Shanghai, Guangzhou (27 hours), Chengdu (17 hours),
Hefei, Qingdao and Urumuqi. There is a foreigners ticket office
on the second level of the train station which is open from
8.30 -11.30 and 2.30 -5.30. Make sure you bring your passport
with you as you need this document to register. You can also
buy hard seats at an office on Lianhua Lu and most of the
major hotels will book train tickets for you, although they
will charge for this service
Bus
station
The main long distance bus station is opposite the railway
station in the northeast of the city. There are buses from
here to Huashan Mountain (12 hours), Zhengzhou (12 hours)
and Yinchuan (15 hours).
city
transport
The easiest way to see the sights around Xi'an is either
to join an organized tour (ask in CITS or your hotel) or to
take the excellent (and cheap!) Green Bus tour. These buses
leave from the Bell Tower in Xi'an at regular intervals throughout
the day. Riders purchase one ticket which allows them to hop
on and off as many of the buses as they choose in one day.
Buses pass through the major sites approximately every ten
minutes and this is a great way to see the sites at your own
pace. The Eastern trip can be done in one day and includes:
the Ban Po Remains, the Huaqing Springs , Qin Shi Huang's
Mausoleum and the Terracotta Army. The Western trip is further
so allow a long day for this one! To the west the Green bus
passes through: Xianyang City, the Imperial Tombs, Yang Gueifei's
tomb and the Famen Temple.
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