China's oldest civilized area. I've wanted to see Xi'an since I saw the first pictures of the Terra Cotta warriors and read their story as far as it's known. However, out of all the cities and regions in China that I've visited, this one is the only one I found not to be worth the effort. Everyone was on the hussle. Every tourguide tried to get us to shop where they get kick-backs instead of being a tour guide. Even our hired taxi driver (a Muslim) got into the act by taking a "Shortcut" through the Muslim area and trying to get us to come back for the great bargains he showed us.