Xian offers many attractions and activities that are suitable for families travelling with children and some opportunities for the young ones to try out their creative talents, such as in producing clay sculptures, making paper cut-outs and designing and building kites.

Fengxiang Colour Clay Sculpture
The intriguing clay sculptures hand-made in Fengxiang County have a history going back over 600 years. Their unusual shapes, bright colours and exquisite craftsmanship can be found in the form of animals, birds and characters from folk tales, historical events and Chinese dramas. The process involves several steps: firstly, a craftsman prepares a model; then a rough cast is made from the model; a special type of clay is applied to the cast; when this dries, the rough-cast model is taken out and a white clay is applied; and then, finally, designs are carved into the model and colours are applied. Tours are arranged to visit this area where tourists can watch the modelling process and then can try making their own piece of clay sculpture.

Kite Flying
Flying kites is very popular with children and adults in China and when there's a wind blowing, you’re likely to see kites in the sky. Chinese kites are made in many different and colourful forms, from simple square kites to the very elaborate 15 to 20 foot-long centipede and dragon kites. Competitions are held from time to time, with each participant trying to win over the audience and judges with their kite’s beauty. If you want to join in, you’ll find that kites are sold everywhere, or you can make your own

Shaanxi Window Paper Cuts
The province of Shaanxi is an ancient birthplace of Chinese culture and the art of creating window paper cuts has a long history here. During the Spring Festival, people living in the countryside craft paper cut-outs of various designs and decorate windows with them. These creations usually consist of red cut-outs on a white paper background. Many tours feature a stop in the countryside to see how the cut-outs are made.

Visiting Hui Families
Near the mosque in Huajue lane, is a neighbourhood populated by families of the Hui nationality. After touring the mosque, tourists can visit the families, where they will be offered tea, fruits and snacks: it’s also possible to arrange dinner with a Hui family, experiencing their Muslim culture, food and dining customs. The houses are tidy, the people hospitable and the traditional dress and customs make for a very interesting experience for families with children.

Museums and attractions of cultural interest abound in Xian. Archaeological excavations have unearthed a Neolithic village at the edge of the city and the famous Hua Qing Hot Springs allow a glimpse of the elaborate palace and bathing houses of centuries past. Xian’s museums of calligraphy and Shaanxi history are both well worth visiting.

Banpo Neolithic Village Museum
Located on the outskirts on the east side of the city, the Banpo Neolithic Village Museum was built at the base of the excavations at the Banpo site. Since it opened in 1958, two million people have visited the museum. Banpo was a typical Neolithic matriarchal community of the Yangshao people, dating back 6,000 years. The museum has two halls, exhibiting primarily domestic and production tools and in addition, there are displays of artwork and adornments that reflect the social life and culture of an aboriginal village of the period.

Chinese Peasant Painting, Huxian County
About 25 miles south-west of Xian, Huxian County is home to the art of Chinese peasant painting. The county borders Qinling Mountain on the south and the Wei River on the north and boasts splendid landscapes. Originally, most paintings focused on depicting daily work activities, but today the peasants portray various aspects of daily life, using bright colours and a bold style.

Hua Qing Hot Springs
Located at the northern base of Mount Lishan, Hua Qing Hot Springs is known for its delicate spring scenery and the romantic love story of Emperor Xuanzong and his concubine Yang Guifei during the Tang dynasty. The original palace was built here during the Western Zhou dynasty. Additions were made during subsequent dynasties, but it was Emperor Xuanzong who spent enormous amounts to make this a truly luxurious palace, celebrating the love for his concubine. The site is ranked as one of the top 100 gardens in China and also carries the protected status of a National Cultural Relic.

Shaanxi Provincial Museum
The Shaanxi History Museum is an expansion of the Forest of Stone Steles Museum, located on the site of the Tang dynasty ancestral temple. This is a garden-style museum, in traditional ancient Chinese architectural style, which serves to protect the cultural relics of the province and to display and provide for the study of antiquities.

Zhouyuan Museum
Zhouyuan is located in the western part of Shaanxi Province and is home to one of the capitals of the early Zhou dynasty, dating back 3,000 years. The cultural relics here include a large quantity of world-famous bronzes – including a piece having 284 characters inscribed in its interior, telling the history of the kings of the Western Zhou period. Early ceramic architectural tiles are also on display, dating 600 to 700 years earlier than the Qin bricks and Han tiles that have been found. In the exhibits you’ll also see Western Zhou jiaguwen, or oracle bone inscriptions, recording the relations between Zhou people and the Shang court.

Visitors to Xian can enjoy a variety of cuisines, but a highly recommended and popular local dish that should be tried is called yang rou pao mo, a soup that combines pieces of wheat-flour flat bread with a very flavourful mutton stock. When you order this specialty, you will be served one or two pieces of wheat-flour flat bread, which you then break into small chunks and mix in with the soup.
Located next to Tong Sheng Xiang is De Fa Chang Dumpling Restaurant, a famous restaurant that features a dumpling banquet. Guests are treated to an enormous variety of dumplings filled with various meats, vegetables, and seasonings, cooked by several methods, including boiling, steaming, deep-frying, pan-frying and roasting. Salty, sour, spicy and sweet varieties are all part of the banquet. Waiters explain the origination of each type of dumpling, as guests enjoy their meal. Xian is well known for steamed buns (guan tang baozi), and some of the best on offer are found at the Jia Brothers Restaurant, located on the Muslim Snacks street. The specialty bun can be ordered with a choice of beef, lamb or 'three flavours' (lamb, mushrooms and prawns). A recommended accompaniment to the dish is a bowl of sweet rice porridge (ba bao xi fan), filled with hawthorn and medlar berries, sultanas and peanuts.

If you like to shop, Xian can be a great source of antiques, curios and handicrafts. In the Muslim quarter, you might come across some interesting and unusual finds. In a market winding its way through many covered alleys, you’ll find imitations of cultural relics, traditional arts and crafts, local folk handicrafts and Buddha statues.
Dongda street, Jiefang road and the wholesale market on the Kangfu road are great places to go for some real bargains. If you’re looking for the city’s more mainstream shopping however, the centre boasts the Minsheng Department Store, Tangcheng Department Store and Century Golden Flower Shopping Centre on Nanxin street. The Arts street is located under the ancient city wall. Both sides of the slab stone road are lined with buildings housing various arts and crafts shops, where you’ll find antiques, calligraphy, historical relics, jewellery, paintings and fine folk art works.

From bicycling along the top of Xian’s ancient city wall to soaking in truly historic hot springs in nearby Lintong county, there’s quite a variety of reasons to spend time outdoors here.

Biking
It might seem to visitors that the bicycle is a symbol of China, as bicycles are seen in every city and small town throughout the country in huge numbers. If you’d like to join in, you'll have no trouble hiring a bicycle: from a rusty old push bike to a multi-speed mountain bike. Cycling tours are quite popular and many travel agents offer short- and longer-term jaunts. In Xian, try biking along the top of the city wall, for some lovely views.

Hua Qing Hot Springs
A visit to the famous Hua Qing Hot Springs in Lintong County will take you back to the days of the Tang dynasty. Not only can you enjoy the magnificent surroundings, but you can also bathe in the Guifei Pool, named after the Emperor’s concubine for whom the palace and pools were built. The constantly flowing water maintains a temperature of 43°C and contains minerals and organic materials that reputedly have therapeutic effects on the skin. In the pool, you can experience the same comfort as did the Emperor Xuanzong and his concubine, Yang Guifei.

Mount Huashan
Mount Huashan is considered one of China’s five sacred mountains and in ancient times was known as Mount Taihuashan, due to its five main peaks that are shaped like a flower. Historically, the mountain was home to several important Taoist monasteries and famous as a centre for the practice of traditional martial arts. It’s possible to climb the mountain, but be advised that most of the trail is steep and narrow, with some parts almost vertical. It’s also possible to ascend to the top using the ropeway, or by riding in a cable car, which allows you to enjoy the breathtaking scenery on the way up.