The City in Favor of History and Food

Have you ever been asked about which city do you know in China? And the top answers come up to your mind is Beijing, or Shanghai. Well, if you would visit China, I would definitely take you to Xi'an. Not Beijing, not Shanghai, not Hongkong, but the city in favor of history and food, Xi'an.

Xi'an, located in the north-east of China, is a place with beautiful scenery and fertile land. It has a history of more than 3100 years. In ancient time, Xi'an had been the capital of China for 13 times. It is definitely a city of historical legacy with numerous significant architectures fascinating hundreds and thousands of tourists every year. Therefore, I am going to introduce two main attractions explaining why Xi'an is the city in favor of history.

       Initially, let's have a look at the City Walls. It was built to fortify the city and unify other states during the old Tang Dynasty. Every 120 meters there is a rampart which extends out from the main wall. The 98 ramparts together were built to prevent enemies from climbing up the wall. Besides, the distance between every two ramparts is just within the range of an arrow shot from either side, so that they could shoot the enemy (Lu). 

On the outer side of the city, there are battlements for soldiers to outlook and shoot enemies. On the inner side of the city, parapets were constructed to protect the soldiers form falling off. 

That the ancient weapons did not have the power to break through a wall and the only way to enter the city was to attack the gate of the City Wall is the reason that complicated gate structures were built within the wall. 

Secondly, we are stepping into the Terracotta Army. It is also known as the Terracotta Warriors and Horses because it is a collection of 8,099 terra-cotta figures of warriors and horses located in the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. 

The Terracotta Army was discovered in March 1974 by local farmers drilling a well to the east of Mount Li. Mount Li is the name of the artificial necropolis of the First Emperor of Qin dynasty: Qin Shi Huang. The tomb had been constructing in 240 B.C. and it is believed to have taken 700,000 workers and craftsmen 36 years to complete (Roach). 







The Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang is established to serve as an imperial compound or palace. It is comprised of several offices, corridors and other structures. 








Although there are way more historical attractions such as the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the Bell Tower, the Lotus Palace of Tang Dynasty and so on, they are not that famous and essential as the City Wall and the Terracotta Army. Xi'an is not only a city of fascinating scenery but also is a city of various palatable dishes. Next week, I would take you to a tour of food in Xi'an. Hope you enjoy! 

Big Wild Goose Pagoda

Big Wild Goose Pagoda

The Bell Tower

Lotus Palace of Tang Dynasty

Work Cited 

Lu, Shen. "Xi'an City Wall: The Most Complete City Wall in China." CNN. Cable News Network, 6 Dec. 2015. Web. 29 Sept. 2016. 

Roach, John. "Emperor Qin's Terra Cotta Army - National Geographic." National Geographic. National Geographic Partners, LLC., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2016. 

All the photos are allowed to use by my friend Elly Zhou.