We flew to Xi’an from Chongqing as the next to last stop on our land tour.  The main reason anyone goes to Xi’an is to see the world famous Terracotta Warriors complex.   It certainly is everything you would expect, but the city has a lot more to offer.

The complex itself is not that old since they are relatively a recent discovery.   They have built massive structures over the different dig sites to protect everything and are working with a number of groups to determine the best way to preserve the statues once they are exposed to the air after being buried for over 2000 years.   The whole place was found by a couple of farmers digging a well.  The location of the find was right at a corner of the whole place and a few more feet digging in a different place and it may never have been found.   The warriors sit a couple of miles in front of the entrance to the Mausoleum of the first Qin Emperor to protect him in the afterlife.  That Mausoleum has never been opened

The city is one of the oldest in China and is the only city in China with an intact city wall around the entire center city.

We stayed at a hotel inside the wall and no buildings can be more than a couple of stories tall.