Xian November 2006

FROM THE AIRPORT

Bus: Airport shuttles to downtown Xi’an depart every 50 minutes, cost 20 yuan and take one hour.

Taxi: A metered taxi costs around 150 yuan. Make sure you have your destination hotel written in Chinese, or ask someone to write it down for you first.

TABLE TALK

Cheap chic: Dong Da Jie (East Avenue)
Five minutes along the main East Avenue near the Bell Tower Square is the Chinese version of fast food, announced with huge yellow and red signage. Grab a minced lamb fritter, steamed dumplings and filled steamed buns – or just marvel at the myriad flavours and smells! Food stalls open from morning until night. Each dish costs about 0.50-2 yuan. Just point and purchase.

Mid-range magic: Lao Sun Xiao Shao Pao Mo Restaurant
Xi Yang Shi lane, off Beiyuanmen (Muslim Food Street) Dozens of traditional sidewalk restaurants line this busy lane off the main “Muslim Food Street”; every eatery carries the name of its founder. Here, it is “Lao Sun” who is the chef who specialises in the famed Xi’an dish: xiao chao pao mo. Locals love his breaded soup with roast lamb and tomato. Dishes start at around 2 yuan. Beiyuanmen and Xi Yang Shi are open 10am-1am, with a food night market open from 6pm-2am.

Gourmet: Le Chinois
Cantonese and local Chinese cuisine served in a historic 1950s building. Top-notch food includes the full range of Chinese delicacies from abalone to sharks’ fin – and some local Xi’an favourites. Sofitel on Renmin Square, Renmin Square, tel (0)29 892 8888

AFTER DARK

Cocktail hour: The Terrace
In the summer, this quiet compound converts to a casual café serving light meals, refreshments and local-styled barbequed items in a pretty piazza. Sip a cold beer while the live band plays Chinese favourites. Main entrance, Renmin Square, Beixin Road. Open 5pm until late.

Live entertainment: Habana Club
This stylish, dual-level club’s Colombian band which pumps out Latino and ’80s dance rhythms. Business executives and locals mingle with European guests down on the dance floor while upstairs, private rooms are available in the spacious walk-in wine lounges. Cigars available. Sofitel West Wing, Renmin Square, tel (0)29 892-8888

Late night: Gu Lou Guang Chang
Who says sightseeing has to stop at nightfall? This huge public piazza between the end of Beiyuanmen and the Drum Tower (Gu Lou) remains busy until late in summer. There are huge telescopes here for viewing the night sky (5 yuan a go), paper-cut vendors or kite-flyers with 200m-long paper kites. Free access to Gu Lou Guang Chang.

HOT SPOTS

Great Goose Pagoda Dancing Fountains: A not-to-be-missed public show of acres of coloured lights and water jets which rise and fall to vertiginous heights in time to rousing Western or Chinese music. This is said to be the largest show of its kind in Asia. Go early to avoid the crowds and choose a spot upwind so you won’t get too wet! Nearby coffee bars and fast food joints keep peckish spectators happy. It’s a spot for family fun that entertains young and old. Starts nightly at 8.30pm. Free admission.

From Zhongshan Men to Changle Men: Close to the main eastern city gate known as Chang Le Men, a newly-renovated shopping parade contains a bevy of small antiques shops in a low-rise mall. Look out for calligraphy, paintings or antiques, which must carry red wax stamps that not only prove authenticity, but also allow for export, (vital in a place where many fakes abound). Burial objects over 200 years old require permits to be taken out of the country.

INSIDER TIPS

Dust is one of the climatic hazards of Xian, so contact lens wearers may do well to pack glasses, cap or a light headscarf. Pack eye drops for relief and bring a camera blower or brush to keep grime off your equipment.

BODY & SOUL

A foot massage at Jiao Rong: just west from the KFC on South Street (look for pictures of feet) is the perfect antidote to a long day of sightseeing and shopping. After you’ve had a 15-minute soak in a hot herbal bath, masseuses then apply pressure along various nerve endings using highly specialised foot refl exology techniques.

DAY TRIPPING

Han Yang Ling: Near Xian Yang, 45 minutes’ drive from the city, Hanyang Ling must rate as one of China’s best archaeological sites. An older museum shows impressive artefacts, while the brand-new subterranean museum provides hitherto unseen views down onto pits containing hundreds of metre-tall terracotta warriors and funerary objects, illuminated in situ. Entrance costs 45 yuan per person, open daily.

IN THE KNOW

Holiday masses: Chinese were not allowed to travel within China until fairly recently, so during the holiday periods – Lunar New Year (January-February), 1-5 May and 1-5 October – millions head for popular tourist spots, causing delays and traffic jams. Avoid visiting famous sites during public holidays!

Compiled by Charlie Winterman and Mikey Leung