Most travellers who see anything of XIANYANG , a nondescript city eclipsed by Xi'an 60km southeast, usually do so only from the window of the CAAC bus, as this is the site of Xi'an's airport. A good highway connects Xi'an and Xianyang, so the bus journey from Xi'an takes only about ninety minutes.

 

Today the city is a pale shadow of its southern neighbour, but a couple of millennia ago, this was the centre of China, the site of the capital of China's first dynasty , the Qin. Little evidence remains of the era, however, except a flat plain in the east of the city that was once the site of Qin Shi Huang's palace. Relics found on the site, mostly unspectacular architectural details of more interest to archeologists - roof tiles, water pipes, bricks and so on - are in the city museum (daily 8am-5.30pm; ¥17) on Zhongshan Lu, a converted Confucian temple. From the Xianyang bus station the museum is about 2km away: turn left on to Xilan Lu, then immediately left on to Shengli Anoing Lu, which turns into Zhongshan Lu when it crosses Leyu Lu - the museum is on Zhongshan Lu, on the left. Star of the collection is a miniature terracotta army unearthed from a tomb, probably of a high official, 20km away, a lot less sinister than the real thing as each of the nearly three thousand terracotta figures is about 50cm high. The mass-produced figures are of two types, cavalry and infantry, some of which have heavy armour and a cap; others have light armour and a bun hairstyle. Some also still have traces of their original bright paint scheme, which show that the designs on their shields varied widely. The warriors are fairly crude, but the horses are well done.

The adequate Qindu Fandian (¥100-150) is on Xilan Lu, on the right as you exit the bus station, though there's little reason to stay in the city.