Shanghai and Beijing have been on my bucket list for quite a while. Shanghai, because it is one of the fastest developing metropolitan cities in the world right now. Beijing, because of the Great Wall. I had Huangshan and Xi’an on my list because I wanted to go see the Yellow mountain and the Terra-cotta army respectively. I planned to spend most of our time in Shanghai and Beijing with just a few days at the other two cities, but what I experienced was definitely different from what I expected.
I had the best time in both Xi’an and Huangshan. I met the best people in both cities. Huangshan’s Yellow mountain was so beautiful. For decades, Yellow mountain has been the main subject for many Chinese paintings and writings for good reasons. You can read more about our experience with Yellow Mountain here. Another great activity to do in Huangshan is to check out the hot springs. We had a great time at a hot spring, where we spent about 4-5 hours. Read more about the hot spring here. For accommodation, we stayed at a hostel that was owned by a young couple whom were very friendly and helpful. Everyday we were greeted with happy “Hello!”. We enjoyed this city so much that we ended up extended our stay.
Xi’an surprised me the most. I thought Xi’an was a smaller city compared to Huangshan. But I was completely wrong. Xi’an was just as sophisticated as Beijing and Shanghai. You can easily get around the cities with it’s modern subway and bus systems. There were brand name shops intertwined with historical architectures. I can also honestly say that I have stayed at the best hostel ever in Xi’an. If you are ever in Xi’an, do yourself a favor and stay at Han Tang Inn hostel. This hostel offers nightly activities for visitors to meet other travelers and locals. It is also very conveniently located close to the heart of the city.
There was so much to do in Xi’an. Some of the main activities included:
- Bike or walk around the city wall: You can pay to get up to the city wall, rent a bike for two hours and bike around the city. We ended up not going up to the wall, but just walking around it which was also very pleasant and FREE
- Muslim market: located right next to the drum tower. This market is a must for food lovers like myself. The prices for the food are reasonable. I wouldn’t say the cheapest, but worth the try.
- Visit the Drum and Bell tower: which cost 50 Chinese Yuan per person (about 7 US Dollar) for both towers.
- Visit the Terra-cotta army: we paid for a tour provided by our hostel. We got a discounted price because it was after December 1st (which is the low season). The price was about 230 Chinese Yuan (about 33 US Dollars) per person. The tour did not include lunch (which cost 35 Chinese Yuan per person).
- Water show at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda: the show started at 8pm every night and it was FREE.
If you have limited time in China and cannot decide where to visit, take my advice and visit these smaller cities. I cannot express enough how much I loved these two cities and I hope you will love it as well.
Happy Travels!
