Ancient Xi'an still a treasure (2)

Ancient metropolis

Located at the very center of the map of China, Xi'an is one of the great ancient capitals, standing alongside Rome, Athens and Cairo in size and significance. It was also the eastern gateway of the Silk Road.

In the seventh century, Xi'an was the world's largest city with a population of more than 1 million. It also had one of the most efficient urban management systems of its time.

Thirteen dynasties across long sweep of the nation's history chose Xi'an as their capital, including the Qin and Han (206 BC-AD 220) empires and the prosperous Tang.

Even today the city has the same layout as the past, a network of roads that stretch strictly from south to north or from east to west like on a chessboard. It is the style typical of capital cities of ancient dynasties including Beijing.

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