Xi'an Day 2 Guide (2026): Terracotta Army, Huaqing Pool & Datang Everbright City

The stories we only read about in textbooks,

history brought to life,

come alive before your eyes in

Xi'an

Day.2

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Xi'an Day 2

Hotel (Breakfast)→ Underground Palace of Emperor Qinshihuang Mausoleum Exhibition Hall→ Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang→ Terracotta Army→ Huaqing Pool→ Silk Road Show→ Daxingshan Temple→ Dinner (Peking Duck)→ North Square of Big Wild Goose Pagoda Fountain Show→ Datang Everbright City→ Hotel

Starting the day with hotel breakfast ❤️

It might not look like much, but I definitely ate well! ❤️

If you ask the hotel to cook ramen, they'll even make Shin Ramyun on the spot, so that was

great, but for some reason, it was spicy...🤣

And seriously, why are the fruits in China so incredibly delicious? ❤️

Anyway, it was a very satisfying meal.

Our first destination on the second day was

the Underground Palace of Emperor Qinshihuang Mausoleum Exhibition Hall.

Downstairs, they recreated the Underground Palace of Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum,

and it was incredibly impressive!

If they turned all the lights on, the models might feel a bit ordinary,

but the eerie and solemn atmosphere really captured my imagination.

Upstairs (on the ground level), there's a miniature model of the vast Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang,

where our guide gave us a general overview of the places we'd be visiting today!

And there's even a show, or rather, a display?

Anyway, the miniature version of the Qinshihuang Mausoleum was also fantastic!!

This place is about a 15-minute drive from the actual Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang,

and because there's an admission fee, many people tend to skip it.

However, I felt it would be a huge regret to come all the way to Xi'an and not experience this.

✨️ This is the actual Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang! ✨️

It's vast... incredibly vast...

So, we explored the surrounding area by electric cart.

Riding the electric cart was a blast, feeling the cool breeze.

I mean... I came to Xi'an specifically to see the Terracotta Army! 🥹

✨️ Wish granted! ✨️

How on earth did they create something like this back then? It's truly astonishing,

and since I heard every soldier's expression is unique,

I really wanted to see their faces and expressions up close.

But... I had forgotten something...

This place I had dreamed of seeing in person,

is globally renowned... ✨️

And naturally, it's structured in a way that you can't get up close anyway 🥹

Though you can see some expressions in Pit 2, lol.

Could you take a picture, please?

The first place we explored was Pit 1, primarily featuring infantry.

Since I'd seen this setting so many times in textbooks,

I really, really wanted to take some souvenir photos.

It was impossible to get perfect shots because of the sheer crowd,

but I still wanted to capture that I had been here.

Despite my English-speaking jitters,

I went around shouting, "Could you take a picture, please?"

And so, here are the photos, including a selfie,

that others kindly took for me! ✨️

In Pit 2, some soldiers are preserved inside glass cases,

It made me so happy to see their faces,

and I yelled out again...​

"Could you take a picture, please?"

I became a happy person whose dream came true.

And then I got lost in the huge crowd, haha!

Though I was taken aback by the unforeseen turn of events,

JiniJio unnie reassured me ✨️

Thank you, unnie 💗

For lunch, we had Biangbiang noodles—!!

The impressively wide noodles, served in a bowl as big as my face,

are a must-try dish if you ever visit Xi'an 💗

They were delicious, generous in portion, and paired absolutely perfectly with Tsingtao beer!

I wasn't interested in Yang Guifei before, but this place changed that.

Huaqing Pool, the hot spring resort Emperor Xuanzong of Tang built for Yang Guifei,

it was fascinating to see the many bathhouses dedicated to Yang Guifei,

and most importantly, Huaqing Pool itself was absolutely stunning.

After Huaqing Pool, we headed to watch the Silk Road Show performance.

Since we had a little time before the show,

I decided to grab a pearl milk tea to enjoy during the performance.

It's like China is the land of milk tea – no matter where you buy it, it's delicious, isn't it?!

The milk tea definitely hit the spot!

Watching the Silk Road Show was great, although I was a bit worried I wouldn't understand it since it was a Chinese-language performance.

But perhaps because many Koreans attend, there were Korean subtitles on one side,

and English subtitles on the other, making it easy to follow along!!

Plus, the moving audience seats were a fascinating touch,

and seeing the water effects and animals moving around during the show,

I felt it was absolutely worth every penny.

It seems like every city in China has its own must-see performance,

and Xi'an's show is definitely a solid choice, so if you're traveling here, maybe give it a watch?!

After enjoying the show, on our way to the next destination...

My power bank cable broke... LOL!

When you're traveling, a power bank is like your lifeline... Hahaha.

This was my first time having a cable break like this, so I was pretty flustered.

Since we were in the middle of a familiarization tour (fam tour), I wondered if I'd even be able to stop at a convenience store to buy a new one.

Thankfully, I managed to buy one at a nearby convenience store ✨

After the Silk Road Show, our next stop was Daxingshan Temple.

Many locals were here, making wishes.

The candles were so beautiful that I even considered lighting one myself.

After Daxingshan Temple, we headed straight for dinner, you know?

Dinner featured a variety of dishes in addition to Peking Duck,

but the most memorable one was definitely the Peking Duck!!

The reason? The chef personally carved it right at our table and served it onto our plates,

putting on quite a show.

Next up was an eggplant dish!!!

They told me the dish in the picture was made from eggplant.

It was so beautiful that I thought, 'Really? This is eggplant?!'

I was truly surprised, haha.

After a hearty dinner,

we went to see the Big Wild Goose Pagoda North Square Fountain Show!!

This place is truly unique, with the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, built during the Tang Dynasty, serving as the backdrop.

The fountain show unfolded there, and it was grand in scale and incredibly beautiful.

It was just as stunning as the Montjuïc Magic Fountain Show I saw in Barcelona!

So I tried hard to capture some great photos,

but honestly, compared to my selfies... Hahaha,

the photos JiniJio unnie took were far more beautiful.

Thank you, unnie. ❤️

After the fountain show, we walked all the way to Datang Everbright City.

This place was a paradise for 'wanghong' (influencers)...

and it seemed most of them were dressed in Tang Dynasty costumes,

giving it a different vibe than the influencers I'd seen in Shanghai.

As a huge fan of wanghong culture, I *really* need to come back to Xi'an just to immerse myself in it...

After losing some weight, of course... Hahaha.

Xi'an is so famously known for its Terracotta Army, you know,

I honestly didn't have high expectations for other places.

But Datang Everbright City offered such a variety of sights, and the streets were just beautiful,

I genuinely felt like even if they gave me three hours of free time here,

I could have had an absolute blast.

Personally, I'd love to come back to leisurely explore this place

and revisit Xi'an just for it.

While it's incredibly fun to gaze upon the magnificently lit Tang Dynasty palaces here,

they also sell so many delicious snacks and wonderful souvenirs.

I usually love hairpins, so I bought one,

and they even styled my hair beautifully with it?!

It held my hair perfectly in place, and the price was incredibly cheap,

now I regret not buying two more!

If you're ever wondering what souvenirs to get, I think browsing and buying here would be a fantastic idea.

All in all, my second day in Xi'an was incredibly satisfying.

I finally saw the Terracotta Army, a dream come true,

and the night view of Datang Everbright City completely captured my heart.

Xi'an, China Trip Day 2: Bucket List Achieved! 💜

Cielso

ⓒ2026.Cielso All rights reserved.

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