woman to ever assume the dragon throne outright (she actually took the title of Emperor Shengshen), Wu Zetian was a harsh ruler, ruthless in maintaining her power and even establishing her own dynasty, the Zhou, which lasted from 690 until 705, when she was forced to abdicate. Wu Zetian's tomb is perhaps the most geographically magnificent in China, located on the three peaks of Liangshan Hill. The north peak, in which her tomb is hidden, rises between the hill's two near-symmetrical smaller ones, nestling the empress's body and that of the Tang Emperor Gaozong in the bosom of the earth. (Wu Zetian was Gaozong's empress consort, seizing control as the emperor's health declined.) A wide path lined with guardian statues scales the mountain to about the halfway point, after which dirt trails continue up to the supposed entrance to the unexcavated tomb. (Horse-drawn sleds offer rides to the entrance for a negotiable fee but are not worth the time.) Be sure to note the headless statues of foreign dignitaries to the left and right of the halfway point; local peasants long ago decapitated the statues as retribution for a drought they felt was caused by foreign influence. The Qianling Tomb has seventeen satellite tombs, including those of the Princess Yongtai (Wu Zetian's granddaughter) and Crown Prince Zhanghuai (her son).Once you have seen where the imperial rulers now rest eternally, you can take in where they used to rest while alive. The Huaqing Hot Springs (huaqing chi,华清池), 30km east of Xi'an, were once the resort of the Tang emperors and their concubines. Here you can see the private bath of Yang Guifei, who so enamored the emperor Xuanzong that he neglected his duties and nearly lost the dynasty to a mutinous uprising. High up on a nearby hillside is a site of more modern importance: the site of the Xi'an Incident. At this spot in December 1936, Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek was kidnapped by his subordinates and later forced to agree to cooperate with Communist forces against the invading Japanese. The aged grandeur of the imperial baths and tombs can go to one's head. Providing a humbling sense of perspective are the hundreds of farmers' graves and cemeteries that dot the expansive fields outside of Xi'an, easily viewed along the roads leading to and from the imperial sites. Their tombs often marked by no more than a small earthen mound and a brick niche for incense, these farmers now rest in the same fields in which they spent their lives laboring. The journey to (and from) the West Not merely a center of trade, Tang Dynasty Xi'an was a religious omphalos as well, hosting followers of Daoism, Buddhism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, and Nestorianism (though not all of these groups were exactly welcomed by the Tang). Naturally, the city is home to a number of sites of religious significance. In 629, the Buddhist monk Xuanzang, seeking to collect important Buddhist texts, began a journey to India that ultimately lasted 17 years (fictionalized in the novel Journey to the West, one of the masterpieces of Chinese literature). Upon his return, the monk spent the remainder of his life translating the texts into Chinese, the results giving a huge boost to Buddhism in China. These texts and their translations were stored in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda (dayan ta, 大雁塔), built in 652 on the grounds of the Temple of Great Maternal Grace (da ci'en si, 大慈恩寺) not far from central Xi'an. Copies of the translations are on display in the temple. If you're in decent shape, make like the Monkey King and scamper up to top of the seven-story pagoda for sweeping views of the city. A convenient final stop for a visit to Xi'an is the Great Mosque (da qingzhen si, 大清真寺) in the city's Muslim quarter. First built during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) for Muslims merchants arriving in Xi'an along the Silk Road, the mosque is the cultural and religious center of the city's sizeable Muslim Hui minority population. Constructed in the style of traditional Chinese architecture (much of the mosque was rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty [1616-1911]), the mosque features some of the most breathtaking upswept rooftops you'll find in China. Due to the architecture and the Sinicization of Islamic symbols, it's easy to forget you are even in a mosque (until you notice the Arabic inscriptions). The Great Mosque wears her age better than many historical sites in China; it imbues the visitor with a deep sense of peace and spirituality, be you Islamic or not, which is a rare find in the urban environment. The narrow alleyways leading to the mosque's entrance are lined with stalls and antique shops, which offer the usual souvenir fare in an environment pleasantly reminiscent of a Middle Eastern market. A bite at nightWhen you think it might be time to put your jaw to better use than just hanging open in the face of some historical marvel, Xi'an boasts food that can easily overstuff even the heartiest stomach. One of the city's essential dishes is yangrou paomo, a tasty Xi'an specialty that consists of a mutton soup served with wheat flour flat bread. The hard bread is broken up and added to the soup. Then the mixture is eaten along with pickled garlic cloves. The process of preparing this sumptuous stew involves the diner, who must break up the thick bun of unleavened bread into tiny pieces and fill the empty soup bowl with his desired amount. The wait staff will then take the bowl to the kitchen to fill with tangy soup and tender mutton or beef. Another culinary highlight in Xi'an lies just across the street from the city's Drum Tower (gulou, 鼓楼): The Defachang Dumpling Restaurant (defachang jiaoziguan,德发长饺子馆). Here the starving sightseer can gorge herself on dumpling feasts, featuring steamed, fried, and baked dumplings with all manner of fillings. After a few hours at Defangchang, you'll stagger out into the night stuffed like a dumpling yourself.

But don't give in to sleep just yet. Nighttime is the best time for viewing Xi'an. Between the smoothing effects of the silken dark and the flattering lighting cast by the rotund, Buddha-belly moon, the city undergoes a transformation akin to an out-of-body experience. Wonder appears writ everywhere, as if in magic ink only visible in moonlight. The city's twin faces become definite, the modern Xi'an outlined in neon, remnants of the old city in a lunar glow, like ghostly incarnations that will fade come daybreak. And they will, in a way, as the sun exposes the rust of age and the stains of sooty progress. But that's okay. It might be a ruse, but the feeling is real.

(Source: That's China)

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