Xi’an Tasting & Historic Foodie Tour

Welcome to Xi’an! Your local tour guide will be waiting for you at the airport, holding a sign with your name. Then you will be transferred to the hotel to have a good rest. Our guide and driver are both professional and passionate. They are always ready to help you. Wish you a happy journey!

Located in the Northwest of China, Xi’an is the capital city of Shaanxi Province. Xi’an covers an area of 10,108 square kilometers with a population of more than 12 million people. As one of the world’s four ancient capitals, it was the capital of 13 dynasties (for more than 1100 years) in ancient China. It is a well-known historical and cultural city at home and abroad. There are many famous tourist attractions here such as the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Great Tang All Day Mall, and so on. From all these tourist attractions, you can experience its prosperity in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

In addition, many folk arts such as paper cutting and shadow play originated in Xi’an. For their attractive design and unique cultural meaning, they are the best choices for gifts. Besides, if you are interested in northern China food, our foodie tour is the best choice for you. Here you can feast on much well-known food like Paomo (Mutton and Bread Pieces in Soup), Roujiamo (Chinese Burger), Jinggao (Rice and Jujube Cake) and so on. You will definitely enjoy yourselves here and have a nice experience!

Optional Activity:

You can choose to enjoy a Tang Dynasty Dance Show which starts at 19:00 and takes you about 90 minutes. This show tells the story of Wu Zetian, the only empress in the history of China. Before the show, you can sample Xi’an Dumpling Feast at 18:00. There are various dumplings in Xi’an with unique tastes and shapes.

After breakfast, we will drive northeast for about 1 hour to visit the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. It’s about 43 kilometers away from Xi’an downtown. It is where the funerary pits of China’s first emperor-Qin Shihuang are located. He unified China in 221BC and ordered the creation of this terra cotta army. There are three pits there. I’d like to introduce several types of terra cotta warriors and horses for you. The first kind is the general of terracotta warriors. They are tall, with special tuingas on their heads, armor on their bodies, and sword in their hands. It seems that they are thinking about how to defeat the enemy. The second kind is the normal warriors. Wearing war robes and holding the sharp weapon, they look mighty. The third kind is the terra cotta horses. They are about the same size as real horses. They are all strong and muscular. It seems that they are eager to run and help the warriors who ride them win the war.

After lunch, we will drive southwest for about 1 hour to visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. It is about 48 kilometers away from the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum and was built in the Tang Dynasty. It is said that the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is the place where Monk Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty stored and translated the Buddhist scriptures he brought back from India. Here’s how it got its name. Imitating the design of the Indian Wild Goose Pagoda, it is named the Wild Goose Pagoda. Later, a smaller pagoda also named the Wild Goose Pagoda was built. To distinguish them, people called the former one the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the latter one the Small Wild Goose Pagoda.

Then your gude will take you to the Great Mosque which  has built during the Tang Daynasty. It is a worthwhile trip to visit the Great Mosque where centuries-old history and mixed architecture design, namely traditional Muslim and Chinese styles, can both be seen.

Then we will go to the Muslim Quarter, which is the hub of the Muslim community in Xi’an. Delicious food is one of the features of this area. If you are a gourmet lover, you cannot miss the Muslim Quarter! You can walk around and taste various street food here. Some of the most distinctive foods in Shaanxi such as Paomo (Mutton and Bread Pieces in Soup), Roujiamo (Chinese Burger), Mutton Shashlik are recommended. When you choose to eat Paomo, it needs a lot of patience. You will be given a big bowl and need to break the steamed bun to the size of your fingernail. After that, the bun pieces will be soaked in highly seasoned mutton gravy, which makes them smell and taste great. If the weather is cold, this dish is sure to warm you up!

Then your local guide will take you to the hotel and you can have a good rest!

Big Wild Goose Pagoda

Great Mosque

This morning, after having breakfast and checking out from your hotel, we will visit the Xi’an City Wall. Xi’an City Wall is 13.74 kilometers long and was built in the Tang Dynasty and then reinforced in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It is the largest and most complete ancient city wall in China. The main function of it is to defend against invasion. Please don’t be surprised if you see some people wearing Tang Dynasty warrior clothes and walking on the city wall. They are the staff who work on the city wall. If you are interested, you can even take a picture with them.

Today your 3-day China food tour comes to an end. Your tour guide will accompany you to the airport to catch your flight back home.

Xi’an City Wall

Xi'an City Wall

Author: Jiang Lindi

Proofreader: Li Yiwen