Xi’an Photo Gallery and Information Page

Tours Featuring Xi’an:

China Highlights 11-Day Tour (CIT001): Beijing – Xi’an – Guilin/Yangshuo – Shanghai

China Highlights 15-Day Tour (CIT002): Beijing – Xi’an – Guilin/Yangshuo – Shanghai – Zhouzhuang – Suzhou – Wuxi – Hangzhou

SEE COMPLETE LIST

Map of China showing location of Xi'an
Xi’an is a large, ancient city that served as the capital of numerous dynasties. Today it is most famous for the discovery of the terracotta army and the tomb of Qin Shihuang, the emperor who unified China, in the nearby town of Lintong.

BASIC FACTS:
Chinese Name: 西安 (pinyin: Xī’ān)
Population (2010): 8,252,000
Province: Shaanxi
Weather: hot, humid summers; cold, dry winters

Xi’an Travel Tips

While visiting the Xi’an City Wall, consider renting a bicycle to get around more quickly and see more of the wall and the city. If the timing is right, you might also see a free music and dance performance (link to our YouTube video) at the South Gate.

At Big Goose Pagoda you might also be able to catch a free fountain show (link to our YouTube video) featuring jets of water shooting high into the air, coordinated with the music.

Xi’an-Related Blog Posts

China Photos: Past Random Discovery Photos of the Month

Xi’an Photos

The photos below show some of the sights and attractions that you will see on our tours that include Xi’an. Please refer to individual itineraries for specific information about the attractions featured on each tour.

Click on any photo below to open a full-sized version in a separate window.


Big Goose Pagoda (photo by Kevin Poh)	The view from Big Goose Pagoda (photo by Ben Yanis)	A temple at Big Goose Pagoda (photo by Andrew Eland)


Big Goose Pagoda is lively at night (photo by “taylorandayumi“)	Big Goose Pagoda and Buddha statue (photo by Matthijs Koster)	The Xi’an City Walls (photo by Andrew Eland)


A watchtower on the Xi’an City Walls (photo by Andrew Eland)	Snow blankets the Xi’an City Walls (photo by Ginny)	A bell on the Xi’an City Walls (photo by Jakob Montrasio)

A panoramic view of a large pit where part of the First Emperor's terracotta army has been excavated near Xi'an (西安), China

Panoramic view of the main terracotta army pit
(photo by Kevin Poh)


Rank upon rank of terracotta soldiers (photo by CIT)	Terracotta archer (photo by David Dong)	“A wise man will only be useful as a man, and will not submit to be ‘clay’…” – Thoreau, “Civil Disobedience” (photo by Richard Fisher)


Traces of the figures’ original paint can be seen in this photo (photo by Kevin Poh)	Terracotta horses (photo by Bill Tyne)	Bronze horses (photo by Tom Thai)


Huaqing Hot Springs (photo by Michael Tyler)	Imperial mistress Yang Guifei, immortalized in both sculpture and poetry: “Allowed to bathe at Huaqing on a cold spring day,/ She washed her creamy skin with the warm, silky water…” (photo by CIT)	The carefully landscaped grounds of Huaqing Hot Springs (photo by Sam Haldane)


Crabapple Pool, a bathing pool more than a millenium old (photo by Kevin Poh)	Be mesmerized by a Tang Dynasty-style performance (photo by Kevin Poh)	The dancers’ beauty and grace will leave you breathless and googly-eyed (photo by Kevin Poh)