Xi'an, formerly known as Chang'an, was the eastern starting point of the Silk Road and capital for 13 dynasties including the Western Zhou, Qin, Western Han, Sui, and Tang, spanning over 1,100 years of dynastic history. The Terracotta Warriors of Emperor Qin Shi Huang are hailed as the "Eighth Wonder of the World," with thousands of individually crafted figures testifying to the military organization and craftsmanship of the Qin era. The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, built under the supervision of the Tang monk Xuanzang, stands as a Buddhist sanctuary from an age when Chang'an was the world's greatest metropolis. The Ming-era city wall remains the largest and best-preserved ancient city fortification in China, stretching 13.74 km in circumference.
