I should have known better.

As the largest city in NW China, Xi’an isn’t a cow (or camel) town, but I was nevertheless startled at how modern and cosmopolitan it is. On many of the tree-lined major boulevards you’ll find expensive and stylish shops, hotels, and restaurants.

The other big surprise for me was the large size of the original walled city. The Inner City is surrounded by a wall which is over 13 km (8.5 miles) in total length. From where we climbed onto it (at the South gate), we could not see either end of the wall.

If you want to see more than a fraction of it, the best way is to rent a bike and ride around the wall.