Travel Reference
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Xi'an & the North
A monumental trail of antiquity extends across North China. Affluent urban
Chinese may roll their eyes at the mention of earthy Henan, yet the province's
heritage takes us back to China's earliest days. Neighbouring Shaanxi boasts a
similar pedigree, when Emperor Qinshi Huangdi buried Confucian scholars
alive, torched their literature and left the Terracotta Warriors to posterity. Fur-
thermore, the Shaanxi capital Xi'an marked the beginning and end of the Silk
Road, evolving into a cosmopolitan, bustling Tang capital. Nearby Shanxi
province is a traveller's dream. If you only visited Pingyao and jetted home, you
may assume China was bursting with picture-perfect, ancient walled settle-
ments. The mountain vastness of Wutai Shan reveals a Buddhist leaning that
finds further expression in the astonishing Buddhist cave sculpture at Yungang.
East towards the Yellow Sea, Shandong's ancient bedrock is Confucius, the
Yellow River and sacred Tai Shan, while the breezy port of Qingdao can blow
the north China dust from your hair.
Xi'an & the North
