Following the Traces of History by Bike

Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi Province and with a history of over 3,000 years one of the oldest cities in China. Apart from the world famous Terracotta Army which is a must see for many visitors going on China Tours the city has many other places of interest to offer. One site most people who travel to Xi'an are interested in is the well known City Wall. Although the existing wall has a history of about 800 years it is the best preserved fortification from ancient times in China. The first city wall in Xi'an, formerly called Chang'an, was built as early as 194 B. C. but the existing walls are from the Ming Dynasty. They served as a military defense system and Xi'an's City Wall remains one of the greatest examples of fortifications of that time. The Wall is 40 feet (12 meters) tall and up to 46 feet (14 meters) wide at the top; it has four gates, one in each direction. With a length of nearly nine miles (14 kilometers) surrounding the old part of the city in a continual rectangle including numerous towers and ramparts it still marks the ancient borders of Xi'an (Chang'an). The regular entrance fee for the City wall is 40 RMB which is a very reasonable price if you consider the historical importance of this place and you can take the opportunity to go on a bike ride around the city on top of the wall. From there you have a wonderful view on the ancient center of Xi'an inside the wall and the more modern parts on the outside of the wall. It creates a special atmosphere including both, the old and the new Xi'an. The two main roads going from north to south and from west to east meet in the center of the old part. Right in the middle the Bell Tower is located which you can see from the main gates of the wall. A bike ride round tour takes between one and one and a half hours if you don't take too many breaks to take pictures or to rest. Given that the wall is quite old it's a little bumpy in some parts but that adds to the feeling of this historical place. Best times are, as with so many other activities, the early mornings and evenings to avoid the hottest part of the day during summer and those are usually the times when not too many people come for a visit. You can rent regular bikes and tandems; the cost for a regular bike is 40 RMB for about one and a half hours and the deposit is 200 RMB per bike. You can't just access the wall anywhere; the easiest and most popular entrance is at the south gate. Many bus lines go there so you can ask the friendly staff at your Xi'an Hotels which bus number you can take and where the closest bus stop is. Or you can take a taxi where it's always a good advice to have someone write the place you want to go to in Chinese which you can simply show to the driver. If you ask for the approximate price before you get into the taxi you can avoid unpleasant surprises when you get off. Some taxi drivers assume that you have no idea about the regular price and charge you more than locals but in general taxis are a lot cheaper than in Western countries and it can safe time as long as you don't get caught in traffic during rush hour. from China Travel Blog http://blog.chinatraveldepot.com

puts the internet to work for you. via task 701337