Shaanxi (陕西) · 13 places · 8 cities
13 places in Shaanxi, grouped by city. Under each one are two figures from the survey: how much daily life still goes on there, out of 100, and how far it has been turned over to visitors, out of 6.
Most common here: Walled city (6), Old town (5), Old quarter of a city (1). See all provinces, or the background on old towns.
4 places
Yulin (榆林)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Yulin Ancient City (榆林古城)Described as the best-preserved Ming dynasty frontier city in China, a 600-year-old “nine border towns” fortress with six dramatic towers straddling its main street (liulou qijie). Unlike Pingyao, 95 alleys still hold 30,000+ local residents, old noodle shops, and courtyard homes.Lived-in 80/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Walled city | Lived-in, quiet |
| Mizhi Ancient City (米脂古城)The “county of beauties”, a 1,000-year-old Loess Plateau mountain city with a dramatic Qing dynasty county office (the best-preserved in northern China), the birthplace of Diaochan (one of China’s Four Beauties), and locals still making “Mizhi millet” and singing Xintianyou folk songs in the cave dwellings.Lived-in 72/100 · Commercialised 1/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Walled city | Lived-in, quiet |
| Wubao Stone City (吴堡石城)A 1,000-year-old stone city perched on a cliff 200m above the Yellow River, described as the best-preserved ancient stone city in China, with walls, gates, and courtyards all built from local stone, and only a handful of elderly residents still living inside.Lived-in 70/100 · Commercialised 1/6 · rarely visited from abroad · hard to reach | Walled city | Lived-in, quiet |
| Jiaxian Ancient City (佳县古城)A 1,000-year-old “city hanging in the sky”, a dramatic mountain fortress perched on a 200m cliff above the Yellow River, with a 1,000-year-old Taoist temple (Baiyunshan, described as the largest Taoist complex in northwest China), ancient cave dwellings, and locals still growing red dates on the mountain slopes.Lived-in 68/100 · Commercialised 1/6 · rarely visited from abroad · hard to reach | Walled city | Lived-in, quiet |
2 places
Weinan (渭南)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Hancheng Ancient City (韩城古城)A 1,500-year-old Sui dynasty city with the best-preserved ancient street in northwest China, 720-meter Jincheng Street lined with 100+ Qing dynasty shops, still run by local families. Unlike Pingyao, Hancheng never became a tourist magnet: 30,000 residents still live inside the walls, and the old city has no chain stores.Lived-in 78/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Walled city | Lived-in, quiet |
| Dangjia Village (党家村)The “living fossil of traditional Chinese village architecture”, a 670-year-old village with 123 intact courtyard homes, 11 ancestral halls, and 25 watchtowers, all built by merchant families during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Unlike most “ancient villages” in China, Dangjia still has 300+ residents living in the original courtyard homes, farming the surrounding fields.Lived-in 75/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
2 places
Xi’an (西安)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Xi’an Muslim Quarter (西安回坊·洒金桥·北院门)Described as China’s oldest continuously inhabited Muslim neighborhood, 1,300 years of Hui Islamic life in the heart of the ancient Tang capital. Skip the touristy Beiyuanmen main street and dive into Sajinqiao alley: locals buying beef, grandmothers frying youxiang, and men drinking tea in 100-year-old mosques. This is the real Xi’an food scene, not a performance.Lived-in 82/100 · Commercialised 4/6 · well known abroad · easy to reach | Old quarter of a city | Lived-in, busy |
| Sanxuejie & Shuyuanmen Historic Street (西安三学街·书院门)Xi’an’s “scholar street”, a 1,000-year-old cultural district where the Tang dynasty’s imperial academy stood, and where calligraphers, seal carvers, and antique dealers still work in 100-year-old shops. The street leads to the Stele Forest (Beilin), described as China’s oldest stone library, holding 11,000+ ancient steles. Locals come here to buy calligraphy supplies, drink tea, and play Chinese chess.Lived-in 74/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · known abroad · easy to reach | Historic street | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Ankang (安康)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Shuhe Ancient Town (蜀河古镇)A 1,000-year-old river port on the Han River, a “small Hankou” where Hui and Han merchants traded goods between Sichuan, Hubei, and Shaanxi, with a 600-year-old mosque and ancient stone streets clinging to a cliff.Lived-in 76/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · rarely visited from abroad · hard to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Baoji (宝鸡)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Fengxiang Ancient City (凤翔古城)The 3,000-year-old capital of the Qin state, where Qin Shihuang’s ancestors ruled for 294 years, with a 2,500-year-old ritual site (Yongcheng), a Northern Wei temple listed as China’s best preserved (Shousheng Temple, 505 AD), and locals still eating “Fengxiang noodles” and making clay sculptures in 1,000-year-old traditions.Lived-in 70/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · rarely visited from abroad · easy to reach | Walled city | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Hanzhong (汉中)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Qingmuchuan Ancient Town (青木川古镇)A 600-year-old “one-foot-steps-three-provinces” border town, a Ming-Qing trading hub between Shaanxi, Gansu, and Sichuan, with a 100-year-old school, ancient opera stage, and the story of warlord Wei Fu-tang (made famous by the TV drama “A Generation of Brave Men”).Lived-in 74/100 · Commercialised 3/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Shangluo (商洛)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Manchuanguan Ancient Town (漫川关古镇)A 1,000-year-old “water wharf connecting north and south”, a Ming-Qing trading town on the Jinqian River between Shaanxi and Hubei, with a 600-year-old guild hall, ancient boat docks, and locals still fishing the river.Lived-in 74/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · rarely visited from abroad · hard to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
1 place
Tongchuan (铜川)
| Place | Kind | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| Chenlu Ancient Porcelain Town (陈炉古镇)The only place in China where porcelain has been fired continuously for 1,400 years, the last living kiln town of the Yaozhou celadon tradition. Every house is built from broken porcelain shards and kiln bricks (“crock-pot walls, tile-paved roads”), and 20+ kilns still fire celadon using Song dynasty techniques.Lived-in 78/100 · Commercialised 2/6 · rarely visited from abroad · some effort to reach | Old town | Lived-in, quiet |
Which of These Is Still a Town
The two scores narrow the list, and the last step is local: which lanes are worth the walk, which day of the week the place is itself, and where to stay inside the walls. Tell our local team the provinces you will be in and they will say which of these hold up.