Destination: Xi'an – Xi'an's History as the Gateway to the Silk Road

Xi’an is usually a definite stop on most travelers' China itinerary. The Terracotta Warriors are on everyone’s must-see list, as they should be: they were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

But many people don’t realize there’s a lot more to Xi’an than just the Terracotta Museum. Xi’an is the capital of Shaanxi province in central China and is steeped in history as it not only was the cultural and political capital of China for hundreds of years, but also the beginning point of the Silk Road leading west. A crossroads for trade, Xi’an has seen dynasties come and go. Read more on the History of Xi’an.

Photos: above, the Terracotta Warriors in battle formation, © 2006 Megan Inman & Lincoln Schroth, licensed to About.com, Inc. Below, the Big Goose Pagoda, Xi’an, © 2007 Sara Naumann, licensed to About.com, Inc.