
Xian is situated in the center of the Guanzhong Plains, surrounded by Mountains in the south and the Wei River in the north.
The coldest month here is January, with an average temperature of 0 degree Celsius although Xian has only a minimal snow level. The hottest and most unpleasant month is June, with an average temperature of 26 degrees Celsius. The summers here can also be very dry so make sure you have plenty of drinking water with you when you go sightseeing! The average temperature for the year is 13 degrees Celsius.
Noodles and dumplings are the staples of the local food and these are almost always filling and warming. Some other Xi'an snacks and special dishes include: Sour Soup Dumplings and Guantang Steamed Baozi.
Shaanxi people have tried to research the imperial cuisine of Tang Dynasty making it possible for you to taste typical dishes of Tang Dynasty in some of the restaurants in Xi'an. These dishes are not only tasty, colorful and fragrant with well-selected materials, but also full of cultures and legends with ancient styles. The most famous venues for the Tang Dynasty banquets are Tang Dynasty Palace and Shaanxi Grand Opera Theatre where Tang Dynasty banquets can be combined with Tang Dynasty show.
Xian is known as the "Snacks Kingdom" in northwestern China. The snacks' styles are classified into Han, Uyghur (Xinjiang) and Hui (Chinese Muslim) etc. Some commons are: Mutton Paomo (crumbled unleavened bread soaked in mutton stew), Roujiamo (Griddle Steamed Bread with Mincemeat Fillings), Qishan Noodles, Chopped Buckwheat Noodles. A good place to eat these snacks is the Huimin Jie (a famous street closed to the Bell Tower).
Qingqiang is the typical opera of Shaanxi Province. This distinctive opera is actually more local yodeling than real opera! This type of singing originated in the fields and countryside surrounding Xi'an when locals who used to shout to one another across the fields gradually developed a system of song to enable them to communicate!
The Terracotta Army of Qin Emperor is regarded as the eighth wonder of the world. The Tomb of Yang Yuhuan and Huaqing Pool all date back to Tang Dynasty, the peak of China's federal period. Famen Temple in Xi'an is the only temple in mainland China storing true relics of Buddha Sykyamuni. The Xi'an City Wall is not only the most complete city wall that has survived in China, but it's also one of the largest and most complete ancient military systems of defense in the world.
Yangrou Paomo is a tasty Xian specialty that consists of a mutton soup served with wheat flour flat bread. The hard bread is broken up and added to the soup. Then the mixture is eaten along with pickled garlic cloves. It makes for a hearty, filling meal that is not very expensive.
Replicas of bronze wares, Qin Dynasty antiques, tri-colored glazed pottery of the Tang Dynasty are made purely in the old method and are almost the same with the real ones. Among those with strong Chinese traditional flavor and local character of the ancient city are rubbings of ancient tiles, works of famous calligraphers in various dynasties, Qin embroidery, artistic porcelain, lacquer wares, jade carvings, cloisonn¨¦, paper-cuts, leather-silhouette, replicas of Tang Dynasty murals, and farmers' paintings of Huxian County.