When visiting Xi'an, one must surely make a trip to the Xi'an City Wall, right?

Upon visiting Xi'an, one cannot help but mention the Xi'an City Wall, the best-preserved ancient city wall in China, bar none. Built on the foundation of the Tang Dynasty imperial city, it was expanded in the early Ming Dynasty and has undergone numerous restorations during the Qing Dynasty, the Republic of China, and the post-establishment of the People's Republic of China. Today, it stands as a testament to over 600 years of history, exuding an aura of solemnity and grandeur. In fact, until the Republic of China era, the Xi'an City Wall served a crucial role in military defense. After the establishment of the People's Republic, the renovated wall regained its ancient charm and welcomed a new lease of life, becoming a popular tourist attraction for visitors from home and abroad to experience the ancient Chinese civilization. The main city wall of Xi'an has four gates: the South Gate, known as Yongning Gate, symbolizing eternal peace; the North Gate, known as Anyuan Gate, signifying peace in the distant Western Regions; the West Gate, known as Anding Gate, and the East Gate, known as Changle Gate, both representing harmony. These four gates are the original gates of the ancient city wall. Since the Republic of China era, for the convenience of entering and exiting the ancient city, several new gates have been opened, and to date, there are 18 gates on the Xi'an City Wall. It is recommended to ascend the city wall from the South Gate (also known as Yongning Gate). As ancient architecture often adheres to the principle of facing south, the South Gate is the most majestic and well-preserved gate, with its gatehouse, arrow tower, and main building all intact. On my visit to the Xi'an City Wall, I started from the North Gate as I was staying nearby. Renting a bicycle allowed me to freely explore the wall, although the uneven surface made the ride somewhat bumpy. A complete circuit of the wall took approximately two hours. 1⃣️How many entrances are there to the Xi'an City Wall? There are eight points of ascent to the Xi'an City Wall: East Gate (Changle Gate), South Gate (Yongning Gate), West Gate (Anding Gate), North Gate (Anyuan Gate), Peace Gate, Wenchang Gate, Hanguang Gate, and Shangde Gate. You can choose the nearest one to purchase a ticket and ascend the wall. 2⃣️Ticket price for the Xi'an City Wall: 54 yuan, half price for students 3⃣️Opening hours: Open all year round from 08:00 to 22:00 (ticket sales and entry stop at 22:00, the opening hours of the ascent points vary, so plan your itinerary accordingly) ✅Recommended routes: 📗Route One - East Line: Yongning Gate ➡ Wenchang Gate ➡ Peace Gate ➡ Jianguo Gate ➡ Changle Gate Start from Yongning Gate (South Gate), where most of the performances and activities on the Xi'an City Wall take place. It is also a popular spot for taking photos in Xi'an. Heading north, you can capture a great shot of the Bell Tower. 1. Wenchang Gate: The city wall at Wenchang Gate is home to the Kui Xing Tower. [Nearby attractions: Stele Forest] 2. Peace Gate: The Peace Gate is on the same north-south axis as the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the train station. However, the distance is quite far, so the effect of photos taken with a mobile phone might be somewhat lacking. 3. Jianguo Gate: Jianguo Gate is the easternmost gate on the southern city wall. [Nearby attractions: Old Vegetable Market Cultural and Creative Block, Xi'an Incident Memorial] 4. Changle Gate: After passing the southeast corner of the city, you can reach Changle Gate. From here, you can also go to the Bell Tower and Drum Tower. [Nearby attractions: Wangji Temple, Eight Immortals Temple, Yongxing Fang] —— 📗Route Two - West Line: Yongning Gate ➡ Zhuque Gate ➡ Hanguang Gate ➡ Southwest Corner ➡ Anding Gate ➡ Northwest Corner Ascent Point ➡ Guangren Temple 1. Descend from Anding Gate. [Nearby attractions: Moon Bridge, within walking distance to the Drum Tower and Bell Tower.] 2. There are many delicious foods inside Hanguang Gate, which is also the very popular Xiaonanmen Morning Market [In the afternoon, go to Sun Temple Gate, Xiangzi Temple] 3. If you descend from the Northwest Corner Ascent Point, you can go to Guangren Temple. —— #Xi'an