Xi'an and Yao Ware Town - China Culture Center

Xian is 1200 kms southwest of Beijing (1hour and forty minute flight); 1084 kms northwest of Shanghai (2 and half hours flight). Xian had long been the capital of ancient China. The emperor Qin Shihuang went on to establish the first imperial capital of China in Chang'an (present day Xi'an). For centuries, the Chinese Empire was governed from this location, and Chang'an remained largely its political hub until the end of the Tang dynasty around 900 AD.

Located at the eastern end of the Silk Road, Xi'an is home to some of the most spectacular sights in China, including the UNESCO-listed mausoleum of Emperor Shihuang with its thousands of life-sized terracotta warriors and their horses. Xi'an's excellent museum is one of the best in China, with Tang Dynasty pottery figurines and other relics. The Muslim Quarter, the Great Mosque, and the spectacular City Walls are all great historical sites.

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Day 1 Arrive in Xi'an

Beijing--Xi'an by soft-sleeper train (20:30--08:00) or fly to Xi'an in the next morning.
Shanghai to Xi'an by air in the evening and stay the night in Xi'an.

Day 2 Xi'an City
Visit the famous Terracotta Warrior Site; Shaanxi Museum (the best museum in China), and then the Great Mosque and Muslim Street (food and crafts).

Day 3: Chenlu Village of Yao County, Beijing
This day will be the off-thebeaten path tour, exploring Chenlu, the least-known ancient village hidden in high plateau, which remains the manufacturing site for Soong Dynasty Yaozhou Ware (few or no clues can be found about the town either in English or Chinese on the internet or books available in China, and few people from Xi'an ever hear or know of it). Drive to Xi'an airport and fly out. Xi'an to Beijing (19:40-21:10)

About Village Chenlu
It is a 3 hour drive from Xi'an at Yao County and the last hour is on dirt road up and around mountain and plateau.It is a charming village with cobblestone paths from one place to the other in and out of people's homes and small factories. The walls and houses along the slope are built with pottery jars and kiln bricks .

You can even have a try at the potter's wheel in one place and buy vases and unique and fency wine pots and cups and others.