1 Day Mini Group Xi’an City Tour, No Shopping

It’s an honor to have you onboard our mini group Xi’an city tour covering must-see gems often under the radar. At the appointed time, meet your guide at the hotel lobby, who will get you on a luxury car to meet your fellow travelers and to our first destination. With a knowledge guide who knows how to tell engaging stories, get your fix of Chinese history and culture today in a unique way!

The first stop on our proposed agenda is Stele Forest. Here, appreciate nationally-treasured ancient stone slabs carved with Chinese calligraphy and philosophies and listen to the story behind every stele. Intriguingly, from a cursive script, you get to know an eccentric calligrapher who, every time he got stuck by a stomachache, instead of going to the bathroom, would pick up his brush to create the wild art. Another example is one usually acclaimed as the crown jewel, on which the text was a work of synergy of Confucius and two Tang (618 - 907) emperors and some characters have strokes intentionally missing to achieve balance and beauty for calligraphy. Your guide will also illustrate to you the architectural aesthetics, as the museum is housed in a carefully-designed temple that once worshiped Confucius.

Then, let’s go far, far back to prehistoric China at Banpo Museum, which is based on the site of a typical matrilineal clan village from the Neolithic era of 6,000 years ago. The life traces as well as daily-used tools and artifacts will provide you insights to the dawn of Chinese civilization. This is where the famous Painted Pottery Basin with Fish and Human Face Design stored in the National Museum was unearthed. There are also many potteries with the same motifs and with your guide’s explanation, you will see into the aesthetic taste and wild imagination of the Chinese ancestors.

At noon, we will take you to the Yongxingfang Food Street, literally “the lane of eternal prosperity”, and leave you a lunch break at your own expense. You might be interested to know that the food here covers local dishes and snacks from all over Shaanxi. Whether it’s the iconic Chinese Hamburger or Biang Biang Noodles or Steamed Sticky Rice Cake, it has it all!

We will then take a dip in the Muslim Bazaar and then escape the secular hustle and bustle to the Great Mosque. The mosque is not of the typical Islamic style you normally expect; instead, you will see a beautiful architectural complex reminiscent of classical traditional gardens with ornate carvings. This cultural hybrid born from Islamic and local traditions will give you a look into China’s most inclusive era Tang, when the construction of the mosque began. The green-blue glazed roofs are something to behold.

Go on to admire the Bell Tower that sits at the heart of Xian. As the Ming-era (1368 - 1644) heritage and the most magnificent of its kind in China, it radiates a pride among the modern landscape that beckons you to capture. We will also visit the interior and climb the tower to discover Chinese aesthetics through architectural details.

After the visit, you can either choose to be escorted back to your hotel or ask for insider advice from your guide on evening activities. Maybe linger awhile to see the Bell Tower lit all over in the evening. Take care!

► Recommended Evening Activities: Enjoy Dumplings and Tang-Themed Dance
We couldn’t recommend it more that you should enjoy a dumplings banquet and then a Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show at the Tang Dynasty Palace! The music is live and orchestrated with traditional Chinese instruments, the dances choreographed to tell stories of and demonstrate the unparalleled prosperity of the Tang Empire. A group of up to more than 50 classical artists are invited to perform it. The show costs just a quarter of the price of any European theatres, so it’s a chance not to miss. If you need transportation and ticket booking service, your guide and driver are there to offer and you can just pay them in person. The dumplings banquet is between 18:00 to 19:30. The show time lasts from 19:30 to 20:30.