Stone carvings engraved with the valiant record of Zhang Qian, envoy of the Han Dynasty from the capital Chang’an to the western regions and countries.

Xi’an is a city of inclusiveness. Throughout the ages, a variety of cultures have been exchanged and interwoven here, shaping Xi’an’s culture into a combination of compatible antecedents.

Deep Cultural Heritage

Xi’an is the cradle of traditional Chinese culture and an important node city in the world’s cultural landscape. As Sima Qian recorded in China’s “Homer Epic” Historical Records, Zhang Qian went to the western regions from here, enabling the age-old Silk Road civilization. Xuanzang, a renowned monk of the Tangy Dynasty, embarked on a long journey to India from Xi’an to pursue his faith; Li Bai, one of the greatest poets in China, left hundreds of classical poems for the city; and it was here that Zhang Zai proposed that “for nature, for the people, for the saints, keep learning and make a peaceful age for later generations”.

Xi’an is also an important birthplace of religions. The Louguantai Temple enjoys a reputation as the “Head of Taoism’s seventy-two most blessed places." Six of the eight major sects of Chinese Buddhism have their ancestral temples in Xi’an. It’s also where Christianity was introduced into China more than 1,300 years ago. Xi’an is therefore figuratively called “a city of culture and immortals”.

 A statue of Master Xuanzang in the south square of the Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an.

Xingjiao Temple is inscribed in the World Heritage List

The Louguantai Temple , with a reputation as “the most famous place of 72 blessed Taoism Temples” 

The forest of Stones Tablets Museum -- the treasure house comprises the culture and the art of the Han ethnic group with the earliest ancient monument, the most famous one, and the “Multi-pagoda-inspired monument”.

Surrounded by clear water, the Xi’an city wall is the largest and best perceived ancient city wall in China. 

Qin Opera (Qin Qiang), sometimes called Shannxi Opera after its place of origin, , is praised as the foundation of Chinese Operas. Xi 'an Yisu Theatre with a century-old history is enrolled on the National Key Cultural relics List and is a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

2018 brought more fine works of literature and art and other great achievements. For example, "White Deer Plain" won the best Chinese TV Drama Award of the 24th Shanghai TV Festival and the excellent TV Drama Award of the 29th China TV Golden Eagle Award. 

In 2018, there were 840 new physical bookstores in Xi'an, bringing the total to 1,972 and giving the city another title: "the capital of Chinese bookstores".

 The Combination of Diverse Cultures

As early as the Tang Dynasty, Xi'an was a world-famous international metropolis. Foreign envoys, scholars, businessmen, monks and priests numbering about 100,000 had a profound impact on the interaction between and integration of Chinese and western civilizations. The Italian traveler, Marco Polo, came here in 1275 and spread Eastern culture to Europe. At present, there are more than 10,000 foreigners living in Xi’an, and the city welcomes more than 1.5 million foreign visitors each year. Xi'an continues to play an important role as a bridge between eastern and western civilizations.

Broad-minded City

"Inherit traditions and incorporate the new, be open-minded and inclusive” is an important expression of Xi’an’s spirit. On the one hand, Xi'an culture has been continuously spread abroad, and Xi'an has been used as a “photo-graphic plate” to show the history of China to the world and a "business card" of Chinese culture. On the other hand, efforts have been made to make the urban environment more suitable for traveling，studying, working and living, and to build Xi' an into a valley where talents converge and a plateau  providing top-level conditions for them. In 2018, the number of newly arrived businesspeople was 550,000 and new members of the general population numbered 800,000. The net inflow of talents ranks among the top for metropolises nationwide and “Xi attraction” (the allure of Xi'an) continues to increase.

Beautiful landscape scenery

Blue sky and white clouds, green mountains and clear water are among the main features of Xi'an, which attract a large number of tourists. In 2018, Xi’an received 247 million tourists from home and abroad, and its tourism revenue totaled 255.48 billion yuan, ranking first among the top ten popular domestic tourist destinations.

The Qinling Mountains, to the south of Xi'an, are one of its landmarks. They stretch from east to west, and, with the Huaihe River, constitute the dividing line of climate between southern and northern China. The Zhong Nan Mountains, covering a total area of more than 2.98 hectares, have been designated a "World Geological Park" by the United Nations.

Originally built in the 4th year of Yuanshou of the Western Han Dynasty (119 BC), Kunming Pond is located in the west part of Xi'an city，covering an area of about 10 square kilometers. Near the pond are stone sculptures of a pair of figures: the Cowboy (Niulang) and and the Weaver Girl (Zhinu). It is the birthplace of the well-known Chinese myth of Niulang and Zhinu. In 2018, it won the honor of being named among the top 100 "Magical Northwest Scenery" sites, and included in the 1st group of national ecological tourism resorts. The Qixi special program of "All Lovers under Heaven" and "Qixi Evening Party "were recorded at Kunming Pond.

The Xi'an World Expo Park, a national AAAA-Level Tourist Attraction, is located at the convergence of the Bahe and Weihe rivers. It is adjacent to the Jingwei Wetland Provincial Nature Reserve. The total planned area is about 5.81 square kilometers, and features typical estuarine wetland characteristics. The reserve is an important component of the Chanba Ecological Wetland system.

The Lotus Palace of the Tang Dynasty, located in Qujang New District, was constructed at the site of the original palace of the same name and time. It covers an area of over 1,000 mu，including 300 mu of water area. Its overall structural area is nearly 100,000 square meters, reproducing the splendid civilization of the prosperous Tang Dynasty from the perspectives of emperors , poets, civilians, and women, with attention to tea culture, religion, science and technology, diplomacy, imperial examinations and songs and dances. It is the first large imperial garden-style theme park with a cultural theme showing the all-round style of the prosperous Tang Dynasty in China, and is also the World's largest building group and a national AAAA tourist attraction.