Xi’an City is home to some of rich cultural relics both under and over the ground. With over 3,100 years of history a visitor to the city will quickly come to know there is a lot more than one can probable digest in one vacation.

Today Hey-Xian shares with you some interesting facts about Xi’an, some will blow your mind and some with give you an insight into different perspectives.

1.

The Terracotta Warriors of Xi’an are a collection of over 8800 statues representing the brave and impressive army of China’s first Emperor – Qin Shi Huang. In total, 8000 soldiers,500 horses, 150 cavalry horses and 130 chariots remain buried with the emperor with the belief that this army would protect the emperor in his afterlife.

2.

The Xi’an City Wall was built in order to protect the city, which is why the thickness of the wall is greater than its height and has 18 gates!
西安城墙厚度大于高度, 西安城墙共有城门18座.

The southwest corner of the city wall is architecture to be round whilst the rest are square. 西安城墙西南角楼是圆形的，别的角楼都是方形的。

3.

Have you wondered why the Yongning Gate (south gate) is always closed?
永宁门（南门）为什么老不开？

According to Chinese beliefs, the south is where the god of fire resides therefore in households, the stove would not face the south to avoid fire. With the Yongning Gate (meaning long lasting peace) remaining closed suggests a sign of praying to the god of fire to keep peace and no fires.

4.

Xi’an has its own leaning tower of Pisa. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda leans to one side as it dips about one meter to the west due to lacking ground water. The structure was heavily damaged in the 1500s by an earthquake. However, in the recent years the replenishment of groundwater is slowly bringing the pagoda back to its original position.

5.

There are around 200-700 Japanese words that sound similar in pronunciation to Xi’an’s’ dialect. For example, “yes or no” is pronounced as “dei si ga” in Japanese and “dei si” in Xi’an dialect.
日语中有200-700个音接近西安方言读音。比方日语中把“是不是”念：dei si ga 西安人叫：dei si。

6.

Located in Qianxian county, Xianyang City, the Qianling Mausoleum is the only tomb that has not been stolen and has been preserved the best of the eighteen tombs of the Tang Dynasty. It is the joint tomb of Emperor Tang Gaozong Li Zhi and Empress Wu Zetian.

7.

Xi’an Beilin Museum houses the national first-class cultural relic – Tang Jingyun Bell. This bell rings on every New Year’s Eve.

8.

The witty words on a Taoist epigram “Ni Lai Le Me” attracts many tourists to the City God Temple on West Street. The epigram means “Have you got your just deserts?” implying that justice has long arms.

9.

Ever wondered why the subway construction in Xi’an takes so long?

It is because there are very many cultural relics! Over 130 ancient tombs were discovered along the Metro Line 2 and over 200 artefacts were unearthed.

10.

Xi’an current name is from 1369 and means Western Peace. Xi stands for Western and An stands for peace.

From architecture, culture to history, Xi’an has it all.
 Xi’an city is one of the only cities with a history spanning over 3 millenniums making a visit to this city a must!

The post Interesting Facts about Xi’an appeared first on Hey-Xian.com.

Do you remember those days when the only coffee drinks you could enjoy were the good old Nescafe cans that you would find in your local chain store? Well, do not worry, those days are long gone for Xi’an! Even though we have a Starbucks on every corner (we even got a Starbucks Reserve!), it isn’t that easy to get a good, delightful cup of coffee that isn’t full of powdered creamer or may even cost you more than you’d pay at home.

The traditionally tea-drinking country is now trending towards becoming the world’s most promising coffee market for Chinese coffee growers and international coffee chains. Coffee in China is becoming more of a cultural icon, presenting urban Chinese consumers a new lifestyle choice of hanging out at coffee shops with the newest drinks in their hands. Coffee in China was originally introduced by a French missionary in Yunnan as early as 1892 but its only recently that it has been growing on a large scale as it becomes fashionable amongst the middle class and the fast paced city lifestyles.

That being said, the culture of growing coffee is slowly making its way from the East coast of China to further reaching provinces, thus bring us and you the best coffee fixes. Here is a list of some of our favorite coffee joints in Xi’an:

Starbucks Reserve Xi’an 西安星巴克臻选

Address: No.30, South Street, Beilin District, Xi’an City西安市碑林区南大街30号
Style: Leisure.
Main products: Coffee, snacks, cultural and creative products.

Characteristics:

• A large coffee wall with the word “Xi’an” spelled with Starbucks bean cards.
• Creative coffee which is sold only in Starbucks Reserve.

SET

Address: Dahua Er Fang, Xincheng District, Xi’an City 西安市新城区大华二坊
Style: Literary and artistic
Main products: New concept flagship store of Xiangwang bookstore: bookstore, boutique coffee, cultural and creative products, and art exhibition.

Characteristics:

• High quality coffee beans.
• Roasted by the world champion coffee roaster.
• various extraction methods

Ye Cafe 冶咖啡馆

Address: 31 Zhongliu lane, Beilin District 碑林区东侧中柳巷31号.

Characteristics：

• The coffee cup has the Chines characters meaning “Xi’an” on it, so lots of people like taking a picture of it, often with the bell tower in the background.

North Café 北方小咖啡馆

Address: 32 Gunpowder Bureau lane, Hanguang meli，Lianhu District莲湖区含光门里火药局巷32号
Style: The store is small, exquisite, and nostalgic, and the layout is very warm.

Characteristics:

• This shop specializes in coffee and cake, the last one using seasonal ingredients for the cake. 
• We recommend trying their pour-over coffee

1702 Cafe

Address: 2F, outdoor pedestrian street, zone A, China Trade Plaza, Beilin District.  碑林区中贸广场A区室外步行街2层
Style: literary and restoration
Main products: Coffee and furniture.

Shanyou Xiaoshi 山由小食

Address: 43 Tianshuijing street， Lianhu District莲湖区甜水井街43号
Style: Rock and fashion
Main content: coffee and traditional pastry

Shudao Café 树岛咖啡

Address: No.7, West Lane， Beilin District\ 碑林区开通西巷7号
Main content: coffee special drinks and desserts
Recommended menu: Bubble Coffee

Characteristic: 

• Comfortable coffeeshop that makes you feel like you’re back in time. 
• Enjoy the rooftop scenery, and play with the cute kitten named Babao

Me coffee Art Space Me Coffee艺术空间

Address: 21 / F, building 5, momoparks， Yanta District 雁塔区MOMOPARKS5号楼21层
Style：European style decoration, retro and nostalgia
Recommended menu：Princess CICI’s afternoon tea set

Characteristic：

• This coffee shop is like a small private museum, with many jewels and porcelain displays in the owner’s collection.

Langmu Coffee Bar 朗慕咖啡Bar

Address ：Ground floor shopping mall, maker street, 1688 Cuihua South Road，Yanta District. 雁塔区翠花南路1688号创客大街底层商场

What is special (and weird!): You can play with alpacas and ducks in the shop

Recommended drink: “Knock coffee” (Before drinking, use a small hammer to open the chocolate covered on it)

The post Coffee in Xi’an – The Daily Grind appeared first on Hey-Xian.com.

We have picked 7 nearby camping spots for you to help you escape the city…

Camping at Qinling Scenic Spot 秦岭风景区

Qinling Mountain is the back garden of Xi ‘an. If you camp here, you can enjoy the stars, sunrise and sunset. Camping at Antler Beam is recommended. Hanzhong’s Longchi is also a popular campsite.

Address：

Xi ‘an Section of National Highway 210, Chang ‘an District, Xi ‘an, Shaanxi

陕西省西安市长安区二一零国道西安长安区段

Huanbaiyuan Scenic Area 黄柏塬

Huangbaiyuan scenic area as the most central hinterland of the Great Qinling, is a natural oxygen bar. There was only one campsite, an abandoned forest farm, and you had to go up the hill towards The Dudu Gate, and then you could go down and find the campsite. At the campsite, you may meet other teams and have a bonfire party. The temperature in the mountains is very low, there will be frost in the morning, pay attention to keep warm.

Address:

Taiyang Highway, Taibai County, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province

陕西省宝鸡市太白县太洋公路

Price （Ticket of Forest Park）: 

From 60RMB/ per person

Camping at Cuihua Mountain 翠华山

You can camp by tianchi or set up camp on a boulder. If you want to cross the meadow from the Cuihua Moutain Ski resort, you need to find an experienced guide. After visiting the mountain, we recommend to get out at the entrance and walk the whole way to the lakes, then go up to the rocks and check out the cave. After that, you can take a hike to the top point to enjoy the view.

Address：

Taiyi Palace Town, Chang ‘an District, Xi ‘an, Shaanxi

陕西省西安市长安区太乙宫镇

Cuihua Mountain entrance ticket:

64RMB per person

Tip:

Bring your own picnic or if not eat at the local noodle place in the village which is about one and a half hours from the starting point.

Shaohua Mountain 少华山

Inflatable mattresses are recommended for camping in The Shao Hua Mountains. For a more comfortable camping experience, you can also bring a damp proof mat. Camping at night near the springs where the locals get their water is a good idea. But in places like this, you encounter the noise of a herdsman’s horse grazing all night.

Address:

Yuan Zhai Village, Lotus Temple Town, Huazhou District, Weinan city, Shaanxi Province

陕西省渭南市华州区莲花寺镇袁寨村

Price：

Ticket：50RMB/per person

Horse riding：35RMB/h

Time: 

8:30 am on Saturdays and 13:00 pm on Sundays

Bus Ticket Price:

 95 yuan for one way, 180 yuan for round trip

（Xi’an bus station has a two-day tour between Xi’an and Guanshan ranch）

Zibai Mountain紫柏山

Walking into the mountain, you can prepare enough food, along the way there are shops to buy food. Arriving at the top of the mountain will be a vast and misty scene. You can visit Zhangliang temple on the first day, camp in the courtyard of the hotel on the left of Zhangliang temple in the evening, camp in Xifeng on the second day, and see sunrise in the morning of the third day.

Address：

Liuhou Town, Feng County, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province

陕西省宝鸡市凤县留侯镇

Tips

Don’t forget to bring essentials with you, like toilet paper, hand sanitizer (if that sort of thing worries you), bug spray and battery packs – but most things (like instant hot pot) can be picked up in transit from the bigger towns. Most importantly, take everything with you when you leave. 

The post Camping Near Xi’an appeared first on Hey-Xian.com.

But, if a stroll down the average hotpot riddled street leaves you wanting more diverse and exciting vegan options, then this list is for you. The vegan restaurants below have devoted themselves to providing a myriad of tasty vegan options that we think will reinvigorate your lacklustre diet and prove that being a vegan in Xi’an can be easy and exciting．With this list you will have plenty of options of vegan restaurants in Xi’an to eat at therefor, you will not have to struggle with food. You can enjoy the bliss of delightful dishes whilst enjoying the rest of Xi’an.

1. Anduo安多素食

Anduo vegetarian food is near the Guangren Temple in the city walls of Xi ‘an. The surrounding is quiet, and the environment is comfortable. Its decoration is elegant and bright, giving you a feeling of zen. This restaurant offers an extensive menu of began and vegetarian options to suit all. Excellent location, really good services from the attentive staff and a good ambience make this place stand out.

Address: 136 Northwest Road
Chinese Address: 西北路136号
Opening hours: 10:30-14:30 16:30-21:30
Tel: 029-87365585

2. Chajian Xiaoyuan茶见小院

This is one of the vegan restaurants in Xi’an that comes with a unique style of retro with a tea room courtyard but still very lively. with a variety of vegan dishes to chose from a lot of their dishes are made from mushrooms. Did we mention they cook all the food using fresh ingredients adding the extra meaning to vegan dishes. This vegan restaurant is ideal for business meetings or a casual hangout with your friends.

Address: 3F, Baihualinju Commercial Street, Wenjing Road
Chinese Address: 文景路白桦林居商业街3楼
Opening hours: 9:00-24:00
Tel: 029-86215223

3. Pusu Tea House普素茶房

The shop was owned by a Buddhist therefore representing a strong sense of Buddhist culture and the mesmerising Buddhist sounds filling the space making the atmosphere pleasant. Pusu Tea House has been open for over ten years and this vegan restaurant in Xi’an proves to be a great place for friends to hangout and for others to discuss business due to the quiet environment. It is an ideal eatery for a date or simple afternoon tea.

Address:138 Jianxi Street
Chinese Address: 建西街138号
Opening hours: 10:00-24:00
Tel: 029-87855677

4. Zen Freedom禅自在素食茶香

This restaurants comes with an elegant, quiet and tasteful environment. It is the perfect place to have meetings or go on a date. A bonus of this vegan restaurant in Xi’an is it offers meditation in store. A combination of meetings, public welfare classes and accommodation can be found here and it is all at an affordable price.

Address: Tiandiyuanjiezuo Plaza, No.4 Fenghui South Road, Yanta District
Chinese Address: 雁塔区沣惠南路4号天地源杰座广场
Opening hours: 10:30-14:30 17:00-21:30
Tel: 029-89623888

5. Nine Zen Room九禅间

Nine Zen Room is decorated in ancient colors, with light guzheng music playing in the background, and an faint aroma of sandalwood in the air.  You can choose to make your own tea or invite a waiter to make the tea and enjoy the tea ceremony. It is a good place for business negotiations or enjoy a leisure tea get together.

Address: 2F, Lai’an Yijing, No.1 Tangyan North Road
Chinese Address: 唐延北路1号莱安逸境2楼
Opening hours: 10:00-23:00
Tel: (029)83266688

 6. Tian Long · Bao Yan Vegetarian restaurant

天龙宝严素食馆

This restaurant in Xi’an is famous for its vegetarian meaty taste. Many tourists come here for its fame especially because it is only one of the few to perfectly replicate the taste of meat whilst being vegetarian. Its dim sum is distinctive, sweet but not greasy. The plus point of this restaurant is the portions of food are quite large, so be sure to ask your waiter before you order.

Address：1 Huanta West Road, Yanta District, Xi ‘an, Shaanxi
Chinese Address: 陕西省西安市雁塔区环塔西路1号
Opening Hours: 11:00-21:00
Tel: 029-85266990

7. Vegetarian Mansion素王府

Dining at Vegetarian Mansion comes with great service from the staff members who are warm and polite. The restaurant is elegant and has a quiet environment. A unique feature of this restaurant in Xi’an is that the condiments are with fungus as raw materials to make it healthy and nutritious. You can select from a variety of cold dishes, hot dishes, snacks, fruits or even soups and at the end of your meal you are given a coupon.

Address: Room 1038, Building A, 3rd Floor, Xingfu Yijia, 9 Dongguan Zhengjie, Beilin District, Xi ‘an, Shaanxi
Chinese Address：陕西省西安市碑林区东关正街9号幸福逸家三楼A座1038
Opening Hours: 09:35-20:30
Tel: 029-83222836

8. SUXIN 素心七碗茶

This large-scale tea house presents with ancient Chinese style decorations with small bridges and running water, giving the feeling of being in the mountains. The environment boosts relaxation and also provides a high sense of privacy with each compartment being separated by bookshelves.

Address：2nd Floor, Rongmin Longshou Square, Longshou Village, Lianhu District, Xi ‘an, Shaanxi
Chinese Address: 陕西省西安市莲湖区龙首村荣民龙首广场2楼
Opening Hours: 10:00-23:30
Tel: 029-68873677

 9. Tongxin vegetarian 彤心素食

This vegetarian cafeteria serves over 50 kinds of dishes and is popular amongst foreign customers. Some of the highly recommended dishes consist of; lotus root peanut soup, mushroom soup, pumpkin paste and tremella soup. The location of this restaurant makes it easily accessible by subway and bus.

Address：Shop No. 6, Kaixuan Community, Xinghua Lane, Beilin District, Xi ‘an, Shaanxi
Chinese Address: 陕西省西安市碑林区兴化巷凯旋城小区6号商铺
Opening Hours: 11:30-13:30；17:30-19:30
Tel: 18629086125；18602993170

 10. SU MANXIANG 素满香

This vegan restaurant in Xi’an offers various kinds of healthy soups. It has initiated the need for recycling by allowing one customer to only take one piece of tableware. It is a suitable place for office workers to enjoy their meal.

Address：Building 12, Minleyuan Wanda, 111 Jiefang Road
Chinese Address: 解放路111号民乐园万达12栋
Opening Hours: 11:00-13:30；17:00-20:30
Tel: 029-87363368

11. SHANGDAO  Vegetarian 上道素食 

The restaurant is hidden in the Palace of longevity and immortals. Its decoration is of primitive simplicity and elegance. The ingredients often come from temple dishes. This vegan restaurant serves desserts that do not include eggs or milk, making it suitable for vegan lovers. This restaurant can be called a summer resort in the hot summer months,

Address：12 Beihuo Xiang, Beilin District, Xi ‘an city, Shaanxi Province
Chinese Address: 陕西省西安市碑林区北火巷12号
Opening Hours: 09:00-21:00
Tel: 18629149618；18092590406

 12. LIANXIANGYUAN 莲香缘 

The storefront is exquisitely decorated and plays soothing Buddhist music. The menu changes depending on the season, offering varied a fresh dishes. There is also a buffet for 15 RMB per person at noon.

Address：33 Chang ‘an North Road, Beilin District, Xi ‘an, Shaanxi Province, China
Chinese Address: 陕西省西安市碑林区长安北路33号
Opening Hours: 10:00-21:00
Tel: 029-87871196

For some more suggestions of vegetarian and vegan spots in the city, we suggest you checkout www.sushileida.com and which has a great feature allowing you to search pretty much every city in the world for vegetarian and vegan restaurants.

The post Vegan Restaurants in Xi’an appeared first on Hey-Xian.com.

But, if a stroll down the average hotpot riddled street leaves you wanting more diverse and exciting vegetarian options, then this list is for you. The vegetarian restaurants below have devoted themselves to providing a myriad of tasty vegetarian options that we think will reinvigorate your lacklustre diet and prove that being a vegetarian in Xi’an can be easy and exciting．

Daxingshan Temple · Baoyan vegetarian restaurant

大兴善寺宝严素食坊 

This is a vegetarian restaurant in the temple, which tastes more like Sichuan cuisine. The hall of the restaurant is decorated in Chinese style, and you can admire the Buddha statue. The portions are large and cost effective. Many dishes are made from bean products. The service in the restaurant is also very warm.

Address：No.55, xingshansi West Street, Xiaozhai, Yanta District, Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province

Chinese Address: 陕西省西安市雁塔区小寨兴善寺西街55号

Opening Hours：8:00-20:30

Tel：029-85261181

Lotus 荷·上乘舒食空间 

This is a high-end vegetarian restaurant and the location is easy to find. Every set meal on the menu has a very detailed nutritional reference and the dishes are very delicate. The atmosphere was quiet and the waiters spoke softly. It’s a great place for entertaining and dating. There are partitions between each table, which provide good privacy.

Address: 2F, Hesheng Jingguang Center, Fenglin Road 

Chinese Address: 枫林路禾盛京广中心2楼

Opening hours: 10:00-22:00

Tel: 029-88810325

SUXIN 素心茶房 · 禅意素食 

This is a vegetarian restaurant with dhyana on the fourth floor of China Plaza. It is a quiet and elegant teahouse, as well as a private restaurant. It has a high level of privacy. Light music is played in the store to relieve stress and fatigue. It is a good choice for business negotiation and personal relaxation.

Address: 4th Floor, Unit 2, Building 6, Zhongmao Plaza, Youyi West Road

Chinese Address: 友谊西路中茂广场6号楼二单元四楼

Opening hours: 10:00-23:00

Tel: 029-63393117

Regional Branches:

1. SUXIN 素心茶房  素食餐厅

Address：Floor 4, Longhu Xingyue Hui, No. 888, Xinkai North Road, Yanta District, Xi ‘an, Shaanxi

Chinese Address: 陕西省西安市雁塔区新开门北路888号龙湖星悦荟四楼

Opening Hours：10:00-23:00

Tel：029-89552377

2. SUXIN 素心茶房 （小寨店）

Address: Room 392, 20th Floor, Dongfang Hotel, Xiaozhai West Road, Yanta District, Xi ‘an, Shaanxi

Chinese Address: 陕西省西安市雁塔区小寨西路东方大酒店20楼392号

Opening Hours: 10:00-23:00

Tel: 029-87654330； 13571876627

For some more suggestions of vegetarian and vegan spots in the city, we suggest you checkout www.sushileida.com and which has a great feature allowing you to search pretty much every city in the world for vegetarian and vegan restaurants.

The post Vegetarian Restaurants in Xi’an appeared first on Hey-Xian.com.