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Photo: xiquinhosilva, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The traffic island is almost ringed by a subway, enter from north side next to Metro entrance. Great tower with ancient bells to toll the time for the city. Short musical performances every hour or so.
The Bell Tower of Xi'an, built in 1384 during the early Ming dynasty, is a symbol of the city of Xi'an and one of the grandest of its kind in China and lays on the axis of the Imperial Way. The Tang-dynasty Jingyun Bell formerly housed in the tower was moved to the Stele Forest Museum in 1953; a replica was installed at the tower in 1997. The tower base is square and it covers an area of 1,377 m2 (14,820 sq ft). The tower is a brick and timber structure and close to 40 m (130 ft) high. It is located in the center of Xi'an, at the intersection of the four streets of the east, west, south and north. It is the largest and most preserved one amongst the many bell towers left over from the history of China.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Huimin Street (回民街 Huímínjiē)
Walk through the Muslim quarter sampling food and buying souvenirs. The Hui Muslim Quarter (回民街 Huí mín jiē, hwei-min-jyeh) is a series of small alleys located in a high-density Hui community (very much like Chinatown in North America) inside the city walls, where the residences open up small restaurants and food shops like street food. Some of these restaurants are among the most famous ones in the city, regarded as the "true Xi'an cuisine" by the locals. However, visitors from outside the city may dislike the environment while the locals may not, because garbage can be seen almost everywhere on the street. Price is high here (some time more doubled) without matching the quality. It is recommended to try only the Huimin food here while keeping other Xi'an delicacies elsewhere in the city.
鼓楼; Gǔlóu
Great tower with drums to toll the time to the old city. Short musical performances every hour or so.
陕西美术馆
Not to be confused with the Shaanxi Province Art Museum (listed below). The Shaanxi Art Museum is the smaller of the two museums and mainly displays paintings and calligraphy.
大清真寺; Dàqīngzhēnsì, 化觉巷清真大寺; Huàjué Xiàng Qīngzhēndàsì
Uniquely built in a traditional Chinese architectural style during the Ming Dynasty, with room for 1,000 worshipers. Built by the Muslim community who is settling in China for the Silk Trade. It is still an active place of worship for the local Hui community, and only Muslims are permitted entry to the main prayer hall. As with all mosques, visitors should dress conservatively and avoid revealing clothing, though non-Muslim women are not required to wear the hijab.
西安城墙; Xī'ānchéngqiáng
The world's largest city wall, it has been restored and is 12 m high, 18 m wide at the bottom, 15m wide on the top, and 13.7 km long. Bikes (including two- or three-person models) can be rented for ¥40 per 120 minutes/bike (or ¥80 for a tandem) plus a ¥200 deposit. You can hire one at the top of the South or East gate; you may return it to other stations on the wall (there is one at each of the four main gates), but be sure to verify this before starting your ride, and remember that most gates close at 18:00 or 19:00 and the Zhongshan Gate shuts at 21:00. Only the south gate is open till 23:00. Bikes will not be rented if there is any chance of rain, because the top of the wall becomes slippery. Check the weather forecast before you buy a ticket to enter the wall. If you want to foot it though, a complete loop of the walls takes 4-5 hours. The landscaped park around the base of the exterior walls and moat also makes for a pleasant stroll and gives a different perspective on the battlements and towers. The wall is lit up at night and makes for a pleasant stroll. The present city wall was built in the Ming dynasty (AD 1368-1644) on the foundation of the Chang'an Imperial city wall of Tang dynasty (AD 618-907). The Xi'an City Wall International Marathon is held each year in November since 1993, with athletes from more than 50 countries running on top of the wall. Also, the Xi'an city wall Cycling Race is held on top of the wall since two years ago. There is a small museum inside the city wall at Hanguang Gate, about halfway between the southwest corner and the South Gate, accessible from the top of the wall. Look for a staircase down inside a covered structure. Inside are the unrestored remains of a gatehouse and a calligraphy collection.
西安碑林博物馆; Xī'ān Bēilín Bówùguǎn
Remarkable collection of 4000 inscribed stone tablets, covering scripture, poetry, classic Chinese texts, triumphs of rulers, family history, and practical affairs such as instructions to rebuild a school. The 7th century Nestorian Stele (Showroom 2, first exhibit on the left) depicts the coming of Nestorian Christianity to China.