Xi’an

Xi''an, once called Chang''an, the City of Long-lasting Peace, tops the list of China''s six ancient cities. The world-renowned ancient Silk Road starts here. To stand on this land is to be on the very soil where merchants from empires long relegated to the annals of history once moved, and many facets of its past as a trading post still live on in various forms. The variety of folk handicrafts that greets the visitor is bewildering. Just outside the city is the steepest mountain in the world, Hua Mountain. Here is where the pre-historic Lantian man was found, proving that human existence here dates back 500,000 years. With all this heritage behind it, Xi''an stands proud even in the face of its modernization, a spectacular testament of the magnificent legacy the Chinese are so proud of.