Xi'an

I finally made it to Xi’an, one of the most ancient cities in China.

The city served as the beginning of the Silk Road in China and flourished during the Han and Tang dynasties. While today it’s a fairly modern city, much of its history is preserved. And well, unlike so many other places in China.

The massive fortress walls enclose the old town center. You can walk or bike along the massive fortifications, each of its four corners marked by massive turrets. You could spend an entire day just wandering the wide cobblestone expanses, pausing occasionally to take in the panoramic views of the city or peer down at the merchants and their customers below. And here you’ll still find the delightful knockoff stores which used to be so commonplace throughout the country. I must’ve counted ten different versions of 7/11 and Family Mart stores with creative names like Everyday Mart. This is the real China you no longer encounter much of in the big international cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen.