Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The long
Spirit Way
(Yu Dao) here is lined with enormous, lichen-encrusted
sculptures of animals and officers of the imperial guard, culminating with 61
(now headless) statues of Chinese ethnic group leaders who attended the em-
peror's funeral.
The mausoleum is 85km northwest of Xi'an. Tour bus 2 (¥25, 8am) runs
close to here from Xi'an train station and returns in the late afternoon.
Tours
One-day tours allow you to see all the sights around Xi'an more quickly and
conveniently than if you arranged one yourself. Itineraries differ somewhat, but
there are two basic tours: an Eastern Tour and a Western Tour.
Most hostels run their own tours, but make sure you find out what is in-
cluded (admission fees, lunch, English-speaking guide) and try to get an exact
itinerary, or you could end up being herded through the Terracotta Warriors be-
fore you have a chance to get your camera out.
Hua Shan
One of Taoism's five sacred mountains, the granite domes of Hua Shan used
to be home to hermits and sages. There are knife-blade ridges and twisted
pine trees clinging to ledges as you ascend, while the summits offer tran-
scendent panoramas of green mountains and countryside stretching away to
the horizon.
Sights & Activities
There are three ways up the mountain to the
North Peak
( Bei Feng), the first
of five summit peaks. Two of these options start from the eastern base of the
mountain, at the cable-car terminus. The first option is handy if you don't fancy
the climb: an Austrian-built
cable car
(one way/return ¥80/150; 7am-7pm)
will lift you to the North Peak in eight scenic minutes.
The second option is to work your way to the North Peak under the cable-
car route. This takes a sweaty two hours, and two sections of 50m or so are
