Xian, formerly known as Chang'an was China's ancient capital and is best known for the Terracotta army -- an 8000-strong underground army buried in front of the Emperor Qinshihuang's tomb to protect him in the afterlife and only discovered by accident in the 1970s.
The Emperor's mausoleum is still sealed but some of the clay soldiers are now housed in a nearby museum and are a major tourist draw. The imperial city of Chang'an stood on the old Silk Road and its grid-iron street plan of criss-crossing streets served as the model for other Chinese cities, such as Beijing as well as Kyoto in Japan.
Images © Daniel Allen
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