With a population of more than 8 million people today, Xi'an has a long history even by Chinese standards. The eastern starting point of the Silk Road trading route, Xi'an -- then known as Chang'an -- was a key crossroad between China, the Middle East and Europe and once China's capital. The hundreds of years of trade moving between China and the West helped forge lasting cultural links. In Xi'an's popular Muslim market, the scent of cumin hangs thick in the air over stalls where pomegranate juice and Arabic bread are sold. Lamb, not usually a Han Chinese favorite, is grilled over charcoal braziers. Read more
