Xi'an

Once the terminus of the Silk Road and a melting pot of cultures and religions, as well as home to emperors, courtesans, poets, monks, merchants and warriors, the glory days of Xi'an (西安, Xī’ān; pronounced 'see-an') may have ended in the early 10th century, but a considerable amount of ancient Chang’an, the former city, survives behind the often roaring, modern city. Xi'an’s Ming-era city walls remain intact, vendors of all descriptions still crowd the narrow lanes of the warren-like Muslim Quarter, and there are enough places of interest to keep even the most amateur historian riveted.