Having done the terrifying Plank Walk of Huashan, seen the Terracotta Warriors lined up in massive pits, and biked the entirety of the ancient wall surrounding Xi’an, you’d think that there’d be nothing left to see.  That’s where you’re wrong because on our last day we were able to squeeze in a little more that really rounded out our amazing time in what used to be Silk Road’s eastern end.

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Want to pick up a bit of Mandarin before you go?

  • Rosetta Stone Mandarin is a great online language program that simply works. I’ve used it to learn Japanese as well and it’s great at getting you right into everyday language instead of being stuck on the nuances of grammar and rules.

Wrapping Up Xi’an – A Visual Journey

Tomb of Emperor Jingdi (Hanyangling)

You’ve probably never heard of this place and I wouldn’t blame you because I only found it after doing a little research on TripAdvisor.  What most people don’t realize is that this idea of the afterlife lived on for dynasties beyond the Qin Dynasty.  The Hanyang Mausoleum is actually a joint tomb between the fourth Emperor Jing and his queen in the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC – 24 AD).

In contrast to Emperor Qin’s mausoleum (Terracotta Warriors) this is by far a much less developed excavation site.  What makes it unique though is that it’s the only fully underground museum in all of China.  One of the advantages of being lesser known is that there are less people that go there (yay to smaller crowds).

What’s most startling is the massive reduction in scale of the terracotta people and animals unearthed.  The biggest “oh what that’s crazy” moments came when we learned through our guide, Michael, that the reason why there seemed to be a regression in sculpture craftsmanship was the fact that Emperor Qin pretty much killed off every single craftsman that was involved in the building of his tomb to keep it a secret.   In essence he pretty much set the art of clay moulding back a few hundred years and when it came to the Western Han Dynasty, it meant that they had to re-learn it all over again.  That’s why the figures accompanying the Emperor aren’t as impressive.

Side note:  The figurines weren’t originally nude.  They were all dressed in silk but of course that has all rotted away.  They are also armless because those were made of wood instead of clay.

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Michael doing a great job at giving us all the background information and little anecdotes along the way.
Michael doing a great job at giving us all the background information and little anecdotes along the way.
To the left you can see a recreated gate for the tomb and that giant mound in front of you is the actual tomb for Emperor Jingdi which hasn't been opened.
To the left you can see a recreated gate for the tomb and that giant mound in front of you is the actual tomb for Emperor Jingdi which hasn’t been opened.
Slipping on the shoe covers before heading underground into the museum.
Slipping on the shoe covers before heading underground into the museum.
This is a model of the tomb site. The mound is represented by the half pyramid and the area we're accessing are all those perpendicular lines that spread out from it that represent different hierarchies and servants of the Emperor.
This is a model of the tomb site. The mound is represented by the half pyramid and the area we’re accessing are all those perpendicular lines that spread out from it that represent different hierarchies and servants of the Emperor.
The underground museum takes you through all the different columns that make up this part of the tomb. Each is made up of different groups of people to escort the Emperor to the afterlife.
The underground museum takes you through all the different columns that make up this part of the tomb. Each is made up of different groups of people to escort the Emperor to the afterlife.
Being underground, the museum is not very well lit but once inside, you basically walk on top of glass floor and modern corridors built on top of the excavation site.
Being underground, the museum is not very well lit but once inside, you basically walk on top of glass floor and modern corridors built on top of the excavation site.
The miniature and naked figurines.
The miniature and naked figurines.
What I enjoyed seeing in this museum was the columns of animal figurines that represented the food stores.
What I enjoyed seeing in this museum was the columns of animal figurines that represented the food stores.
One thing we learned was that dogs with their tail up were wild dogs and ones with their tail down were domesticated dogs. We also saw horses, sheep, oxes and sheep. It was a full zoo!
One thing we learned was that dogs with their tail up were wild dogs and ones with their tail down were domesticated dogs. We also saw horses, chicken and sheep. It was a full zoo! In this one corridor there is 1400+ animals alone.
The very understated entrance to the underground tomb.
The very understated entrance to the underground tomb.
As you can tell, there's a lot less fanfare and development at the Tomb of Emperor Jingdi but nonetheless I was just as fascinated.
As you can tell, there’s a lot less fanfare and development at the Tomb of Emperor Jingdi but nonetheless I was just as fascinated.

Yuan Jia Cun

North of the city is a village known as Yuan Jia Cun.  We asked to have this included because we wanted to experience traditional culture and customs while also being mindful of the available time we had on our last day.  Fitting this into the itinerary was a great choice because we got to learn from locals about long forgotten crafts and there was so much delicious foods to try.

From the parking lot, we walked through a street with stalls set up on both sides. Most of it was quite touristy there was some good finds in the "Lost in Translation" section below.
From the parking lot, we walked through a street with stalls set up on both sides. Most of it was quite touristy there was some good finds in the “Lost in Translation” section below.
This is the main courtyard that leads into Yuan Jia Cun
This is the main courtyard that leads into Yuan Jia Cun
One of the first houses we visited was one that showed us how they did print back in the day.
One of the first houses we visited was one that showed us how they did print back in the day.
Learning how to make cloth with an ancient loom.
Learning how to make cloth with an ancient loom.
Super excited to learn the art of handspinning threads of wool.
Super excited to learn the art of handspinning threads of wool.
Milling flour though they kind of cheat now with motors and all. I forgive.
Milling flour though they kind of cheat now with motors and all. I forgive.
Local craftsman delicately cutting through leather to create those shadow puppets we saw in Xi'an.
Local craftsman delicately cutting through leather to create those shadow puppets we saw in Xi’an.
Pressing oil out of flowers.
Pressing oil out of flowers.
A look down one of the very old streets of Yuan Jia Cun
A look down one of the very old streets of Yuan Jia Cun
Local musicians playing
Local musicians playing and singing traditional Chinese opera.
Food stalls galore
Food stalls galore
Chinese pancakes made from the same flower oil that we saw pressed earlier.
Chinese pancakes made from the same flower oil that we saw pressed earlier.
My sticky rice snack on a stick.
My sticky rice snack on a stick.
Salty tofu flower. Wasn't my fav but the tofu was silky smooth.
Salty tofu flower. Wasn’t my fav but the tofu was silky smooth.
Traditionally made spices. Shaanxi people sure like their food spicy.
Traditionally made spices. Shaanxi people sure like their food spicy.
Noodles out for drying.
Noodles out for drying.
Yes they had live and fried scorpions here. I can do things like Plank Walk but this...
Yes they had live and fried scorpions here. I can do things like Plank Walk but this…

Overnight Train Back to Shanghai

I should probably write a separate post for this but for continuity and laziness reasons, I figured I’d keep it all here since this did happen on the same day.

Shanghai to Xi'an Train
Outside of our Shanghai -> Xi’an train.
Boarding the train
Boarding the train

Overall I’ll be honest in saying that the train ride back to Shanghai wasn’t the greatest experience.  Coming from the bullet train experience, this was a far cry away from any sort of modern comforts.  Luckily we booked the soft seat sleeper car which perfectly fit our group of 4 in a room but overall everything was in desperate need of an overhaul.

The boarding process is pretty straight forward.  Since we had “soft seat” tickets we were allowed to sit in a more exclusive area of the old Xi’an train station.

Tight quarters in our soft seat sleeper car.
Tight quarters in our soft seat sleeper car.

Lost in Translation

Some of my favourite discoveries I just had to share.

I learned that China is all about bringing old fads back. Remember this hopper ball pogo thing?
I learned that China is all about bringing old fads back. Remember this hopper ball pogo thing?
This guy was the Slinky master. Long live the Slinky.
This guy was the Slinky master. Long live the Slinky.
Kid-sized excavator. Now this one's actually quite brilliant.
Kid-sized excavator. Now this one’s actually quite brilliant.
This reminded me of the Taiwan Night Markets and the carnival games they set up.
This reminded me of the Taiwan Night Markets and the carnival games they set up.
I don't know what this 3 wheeled car is but I WANT!
I don’t know what this 3 wheeled car is but I WANT!

Know Before You Go

  • Tomb of Emperor Jingdi
    • Hours
      • Mar – Nov: – 8:30AM – 7PM (tickets available from 8:30AM to 5:30 PM)
      • Dec – Feb: 8:30AM – 6PM (tickets available from 8:30AM to 5PM)
    • Price
      • 90 RMB (Mar -Nov) and 65  RMB (Dec – Feb)
    • Tips
      • This tomb is located extremely close to the airport so this is great to schedule at the end of your time in Xi’an
      • This is not a particularly big site so you can easily finish it in 1.5 hours
  • Yuan Jia Cun
    • Hours
      • I couldn’t find any information about this but since this is a village with real locals living there and running the shops, it’d be open early morning to early evening.
    • Price
      • No admission
    • Tips
      • There’s really not a whole lot of information about Yuan Jia Cun at all but for anyone that can fit it in, I’d highly recommend it.  There is a ton of food to try (especially the adventurous ones) and if you know where to go, you can see locals performing their special crafts which includes everything from spinning fabric to pressing oil and traditional print
      • I’d recommend going with a guide (details of our guide Michael) because they’re able to take you to all the special houses along the street that have demonstrations of traditional crafts and explain what’s going on.
  • Trains
    • Price
      • Z94 soft seat (sleeper car) – 2016 RMB for 4 (504 RMB per person) + 20 RMB service charge
    • Purchasing Tickets
      • As a foreigner, buying train tickets in advance is more or less impossible.  We tried to book tickets through Ctrip but even there we were stonewalled when they realized we weren’t Chinese citizens.
      • We ended up getting our guide to book the tickets for us and we simply paid him back (another incredible benefit of having a guide).  I’m still amazed at the fact he trusted us enough to book it with his own money before even meeting us.
      • If a local is going to purchase tickets for you, they will need scans of your passport photo page.  Note that there is a 20 RMB service charge added on top.
      • A great place to search for train schedules is through Travel China Guide and Ctrip.
    • Hours
      • The total trip time from Xi’an to Shanghai is 15 hours
      • Departs at 5PM and arrives in Shanghai at 8AM
    • Bullet Train vs. Non Bullet Trains
      • Bullet trains are of course a lot faster but they don’t operate on all routes so you need to do your research beforehand.
      • As far as I know there isn’t a bullet train from Xi’an to Shanghai but I could be wrong.
      • Bullet trains are much newer and also much more comfortable as I experienced from Luoyang to Xi’an.
      • Overnight trains are going to be on the older trains from the 1980’s.  They’re not disastrous like some of the outdated trains from the 60’s that I’ve been on but they’re not modern by any stretch.
    • Tips:
      • If you look early enough, flying may be cheaper than taking the train so never rule that out
      • Having gone through this overnight train experience, I would personally recommend flying over taking the train.  Next to that, I’d look at finding a bullet train that wouldn’t require any overnight
      • If you do end up taking an overnight, I wouldn’t book it with any class less than the “Soft Seat” which simply means you have a bed in a room of 4 instead of the economy sitting seats.
      • Use the bathrooms very early on in the trip because it only gets worse throughout the trip
      • For meals, head to the food car early as well because the locals in Economy know that the seating there is way more comfortable so they’ll end up loitering there for hours.

Itinerary Snapshot

  • Tomb of Emperor Jingdi (9-10:30AM)
  • Yuan Jia Cun (with lunch/random snacking in the village)
  • Overnight train to Shanghai (Z94 @ 5PM ->8AM)

If you haven’t seen the rest of my journey throughout China, make sure you see the full itinerary that is packed with details about places like Mount Hua, Luoyang, Shanghai, Terracotta Warriors, Shaolin Temple, and Yuntai Mountain.

What you should read next

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If you need more help planning your trip, make sure to check out our Travel Toolbox where we highlight all of the gear, resources, and tools we use when traveling.

William Tang of Going Awesome Places
About The Author

Will Tang

Will Tang, founder of Going Awesome Places, has traveled to 51 countries. He shares his insanely detailed itineraries, travel guides, and packing lists. Will’s travels have been featured on Huffington Post, Men’s Journal, and Entrepreneur.

Read More About Will

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The Discussion

  1. Dear Will

    Good to know there is this website that I could tap on your expert advice on planning a trip.

    Our group of 6 adults are planning to start our trip in Xi an and then move on to the West of China but am not sure places that shld be included. In the trip we would like to include to taking China amazing fast speed train ….

    If you could provide some suggestions or advice would appreciate.

    We are planning to go 2020 prob third week April to May (guess this would be spring and nice to see eg the grassland in Mongolia? or whatever it is appropriate.

    Thank you.
    Joanne

    Reply

    1. Hey Joanne! Have you had a chance to take a look at all of the content about Xi’an and did that help?

      Reply

  2. Hi Will,
    Really enjoyed reading your travel blog to Xi’an! Am planning a trip with my family end of the year.
    May I know how are the fees for your tour guide to Hanyangling (Tomb of Emperor Jingdi) and Yuan Jia Cun.
    Can his vehicle accommodate a family of 5?
    Many thanks!

    Reply

    1. Thanks for reading Catherine!

      He charged us 700 RMB to do Hanyanling + Yuan Jia Cun before dropping us at the train station at 4PM. This of course is for the sedan. I do believe he has a van a well but I would assume the prices would be a bit higher. Hope that helps!

      Reply

  3. Hello, Will! Thank you for your great posts about Xian, especially on the village Yuan Jia Cun which we would have never known about if it wasn’t for your post. My husband and I have been traveling slowly around the world for over 10 years and just recently started to blog about it. At the moment, we live in China as English teachers and we try to explore as much of China as possible. There are not a lot of bloggers who have been to China so that’s how I stumbled upon your blog. We found your posts on Xian were very helpful and ended up doing allot of the same things you did. We had a lovely vacation. Greetings from a fellow blogger and traveler.

    Reply

    1. Hi guys!! Oh my gosh this truly made my day. I wasn’t sure if too many people would follow the stuff we did in Xi’an but I’m so glad this was able to affect your travel plans. Were you able to find the little stores here that provided insight on how the locals live and their craft? Safe journeys!

      Reply

      1. Hi there Wil, yes we found the stores but we had no guide with us like you had so we mostly looked around. The village was amazing though lot’s to see. Cute little shops with artisan products and not too expensive. We had a pulled pork sandwich on our way out which was so delicious and freshly made right before our eyes. Grateful for your post about the village otherwise we would never have known about it. Greetings

        Reply

  4. I’m definitely hitting up the tomb when I go visit in about a month. But is it the real tomb or a replica? China, they completely rebuild tombs as they were to look authentic. Caught me a few times and didn’t notice until I read the smallprint.

    Happy travels man!

    Reply

    1. Haha I totally know what you mean. A lot of things in China are all reconstructions just because everything was destroyed/looted/neglected over time. From what I know, this is a pretty new discovery and was excavated in the late 90’s. I can’t see why the tomb itself would be reconstructed. I know the gates outside and those things are replicas though.

      Reply

    1. Hi Caroline! It was. Terracotta Warriors were definitely the highlight but I was pleasantly surprised with what we squeezed in our last day.

      Reply