Xi'an

Former capital of the empire for a number of dynasties. This is also the Chinese end of the silk road. Xi'an differs from Pingyao in that much of the Xi'an old city has been replaced by modern buildings. The first pic is a look over the city from the top level of the Wild Goose Pagoda, that is seen in the 2nd pic. Third is in one of the temples around the Wild Goose Pagoda. 4th and 5th are the Bell tower and drum tower respectively. These are 600+ year old signal towers. Time was kept track of, and signals to close the city gates in the event of danger were given here. Last is the old city wall lit up at night.Read more