China: Xi'an

Xi'an, near the confluence of the Wei and Yellow rivers, was China's capital during the Han Dynasty, when it was called Changan, again during the Tang Dynasty, when it was still called Changan, and again during the Sui Dynasty, when it was called Daxing.  Its most striking relic from imperial times, however, is its great wall, which was built by the Ming, whose capital was in Beijing.  Unlike Beijing, Xi'an has managed to keep its wall and put it to good use as a tourist attraction.  At the same time, Xi'an has grown far beyond that wall and welcomed, even within the old city, both the residential blocks of the Communist era and the emblems of the consumer society that has virtually replaced it.  Finding anything of Old China within the walls is a challenge.