Xi’an Attractions That You Can Visit for Free

Article by XIANEASE

After the quarantine period was over in Xi’an, the local government decided that it was time for people to be able to get out and about again. In order to brighten the spirits of the residents of Xi’an, tourist sites labelled AAA and above were told to allow free entry until May 31st (Until the end of the year for medical personnel and frontline workers, and deservedly so). Some of these sites include:

• Tang Paradise Gardens
大唐芙蓉园
• Xi’an City Wall
西安城墙景区
• Huaqing Palace
华清宫
• Daming Gong
大明宫国家遗址公园
• Xi’an Louguan Cultural Exhibition Area
西安楼观文化展示区
• Cuihuashan Scenic Area
翠华山景区
• Nanwutai Scenic Area
南五台景区
• Zhuque National Forest park
朱雀国家森林公园
• Taiping National Forest Park
太平国家森林公园
• Bailuyuan Film and Television City
白鹿原影视城

Now, we would love to give you step-by-step instructions for each and every one of these, but doing so would fill up our entire magazine. As such, we are going to go through two of the methods, as many of the others repeat similar processes. Access them by searching the Chinese name of the place via WeChat.

Once you have found the account, you will need to find the option to register for a ticket. Choose a date, input your information, and receive your digital ticket. Have your ticket, 一码通, and ID ready when you enter the park. You will also need to wear a mask while inside the park and you should maintain a distance of 1.5 meters whenever possible.

You can register for your tickets through WeChat up to seven days in advance, though be warned. 13 million other people are contending for the limited number of spots and the tickets for each day tend to disappear quickly. It might be advisable to try for the tickets as soon as they become available, seven days before your intended date. You can only get one ticket per ID, so each person in your group will need to individually register. Follow the instructions on the following pages to register for your tickets.

For those who don’t know, the Tang Paradise Gardens park is devoted to the glories of the Tang Dynasty. Though the indoor attractions will remained closed, you can still promenade around the grounds and take in the sights, as long as you stay 1.5 meters away from others.

To access your free tickets, search for and follow the 大唐芙蓉园 official WeChat account. Then click on the left pop-up menu at the bottom of the page, labelled 购票通道. The first option at the top of the menu“日间免费预约通道”is for day time tickets and the second “夜间免费预约通道” is for night time tickets.

If you select the day option, you will register your information as seen on the form below, after selecting your date. (One thing we should note is that, the option for changing to a passport seemed to be broken when we tried this, so this option might not be available to those not holding a Chinese ID card. Let us know if you have better luck.)

Selecting the night option will take you to the following menu. Despite the date selection tool seeming to allow you to select any date, you can still only book one week in advance.

Once you have your ticket, you will need to have your digital ticket, 一码通 QR code, ID/Passport, and a mask in order to enter the park.

Ticket for the Xi’an City Wall can be obtained through a mini-program called 遇见城墙 (yùjianchéngqiáng). After searching for this program, opening it up and giving it permissions (it asks for both profile and phone information), you will be confronted with this menu.

To get your tickets, the first step is to register your information.

Then you go back to the home page and enter the ticket reservation page. (See main menu above)

You will be presented with “Day” and “Night” options.

Click through and select your date and confirm.

If you receive this notice, the date is sold out.

If everything is ok, then you will receive a digital ticket with a QR code.

Then you are all set! Bring this ticket, your 一码通, passport, and a face mask to the south, north, east, or west gate entrance of the city wall. You will need to wear the mask for the duration of your visits and stay 1.5 meters away from other visitors.

If you have a chance to visit one of these places during the month of April, let us know about the experience by contacting us on our official account or by emailing us at editor@xianease.com. For more information on events, news, and other things going on in and around Xi’an, follow our official account so that you don’t miss a thing.