So Many Great Things To Discover In Xian China

Heading North From Chengdu

We had a great visit to Chengdu but left early in the day to visit the panda bears. After lunch, we were taken to the train station for a 3 hour high speed train trip to Xian. We arrived late in the day to see what we would discover in Xian China.

While it was high speed trip, the rest of the train ride had nothing to recommend it. The bathroom was filthy. I moved seats 3 times until I found a seat that was not broken. The 2 and 3 configuration of the train also had couples split up for the train ride. But it was still far better than the long bus trip of the day before. We moved around a lot on our 4 week trip in China. But this was one of our worst transit days!

Checking Out A New Hotel Brand

Our hotel for 3 days was the Wyndham Grand Xian South. During our 4 weeks in China, we stayed at so many five star hotels. And at most of these we had loyalty status. But we had no loyalty status with the Wyndham brand. So we were not sure what to expect from this hotel stay.

When our group arrived in the massive lobby, we were quickly picked out of the group and welcomed. They had been waiting for us. It was great to be personally greeted. We paused to admire the statues in the lobby. It was a reminder that one the great things to discover in Xian is the Terra Cotta Warriors excavation site!

We had a nice room with a view out over the broad walking street. The night lights flashed brightly in our window. And one night we explored yet one more China night light show in Xian.

When we arrived in our room, we were welcomed with a great surprise. On our stay in Xian, we visited the Terra Cotta Warriors. So we were delighted to find a Terra Cotta Warrior statue waiting in our room. Not to leave it at that, the next night we got a sweet welcome with chocolate treats and a chocolate Terra Cotta Warrior. What a great way for this hotel to recognize one of the great things to discover in Xian.

It was wonderful to get a special welcome at the Wyndham Grand Xian South. This was a very large hotel with lots of facilities. It was close to the the night fun. The buffet was extensive and a great option to ensure you have fuel for all the walking you will do.

A Visit To The Terra Cotta Warriors

Our early morning start the next day got us to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. The first view of the massive field of statues was stunning. As we explored several of the pits, we saw the breadth of the excavations that have been done to date. But there is still so much more to uncover.

The wooden chariots had all decomposed or burned in a fire. But the exhibition hall had a great display of bronze works. Included in that group were two small chariots.

We were so glad we got to visit the Terra Cotta Warriors. Certainly one of the amazing things to discover in Xian

Walking The Wall In Xian

Our first walk on a city wall was in Jingzhou on our Yangtze River cruise. After our visit to see the Terra Cotta Warriors, the bus pulled up underneath the gate of the Xian city wall. It was raining and the stone stairs were slippery. So most of us stayed on the bus while others went up to the top. David was a gentleman and let me stay behind when he went to climb the wall.

The wall was complete and went around what used to be the centre of Xian. When we walked walls of Obidos in Portugal, we had to walk single file. But the city walls in Xian were wide. A pagoda sat up on the wall. And you could even rent bikes on the wall to ride around the whole perimeter!

David was glad he braved the weather to walk a part of of this city wall. Just one more of the great things to discover in Xian China.

Another Amazing Night Light Show

We saw so many great night light shows in China. The buildings on the Bund in Shanghai and again in Wuhan lit up and provided a show. From our hotel window, we saw the flashing neon lights that came from the walking street close to our hotel. On our second night in Xian, we went to check it out. As we approached we saw the streets all decorated with colourful signs. We knew we were headed in the right direction.

The first thing we found was the large red fountain. As we watched, a light show played danced on the pillars. The giant red pagoda and the warrior statues seemed to glow in the sky. As we walked closer, we saw more of the detail.

Several times we stopped to listen to the musicians along the street. Some were solo and played familiar melodies. In a few spots, small groups were set up. We didn’t recognize all of the music. But it was fun to stop and listen.

The colour and lights on the walking street kept us walking. Even when we were exhausted. It was one of the great things to discover in Xian China. And we didn’t want to miss a part of it.

Neon Lights Delighted Us

The giant bird cage drew us down the walking street. A colourful light show captivated us as we watched from the front and then from the back.

Two different displays of infinite triangles were placed in the centre aisle of the walking street. The triangles themselves changed colour to create quite a psychedelic display. Between the triangles we found interesting statues.

A colourful neon display caught our eye. And then we saw the Chinese Lantern display. On our last weekend at home in Toronto, we saw an amazing display of Chinese Lanterns. So the Xian display definitely caught our eye.

There was so much to see as we walked along the pedestrian street. It had been a long busy day and we finally gave up before we reached the end. So we missed the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda at the end of the walking street. But we were told by others that it was not as bright or lit as the rest of the street. Don’t miss the chance to catch this colourful and fun night light walk. It was definintely one of the great things to discover in Xian China that would draw us back.

So Many Great Things To Discover in Xian China

Most people head to Xian to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. This was definitely one of the great things to discover in Xian China. But we were so glad we stayed in Xian for two nights and saw a little more. The Wyndham Grand Xian South was a great base to explore the city from.

We really liked the vibe of this city and would definitely like to return. It was a large city but everywhere we looked there were green spaces, colour and art. One of our favourite city stops on our 4 weeks in China.

From Xian, we headed to the airport for our flight to visit Beijing! We had more iconic sites of China to see in this capital city.

Did you find many great things to discover in Xian? Did we miss something that you discovered?

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