China's ancient city of peace and spices

Rising some 12m above the ground and stretching 14km round the city, Xi'an’s 600-year-old city wall gives a good view of the older parts of the city below. The top spans more than 10m wide, accommodating cyclists, runners and walkers all at once. PHOTO: LESLIE KOH
Xi'an is one of the oldest cities in China, and was a capital for no fewer than 13 dynasties - including that of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a united China. PHOTO: LESLIE KOH
Leslie Koh
Updated
Apr 25, 2023, 02:36 PM
Published
Mar 23, 2019, 03:30 PM
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XI'AN (CHINA) - Just about every other dish in Xi'an, it seems, is packed with chilli. The pao mo (leavened bread torn up and dunked into a meaty broth) swims in a crimson layer of heat.

Peppery flakes dot the lamb kebabs. Even the roujiamo - the Chinese city's equivalent of kong ba pao - is spicy.

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MCI (P) 066/10/2023. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2024 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.

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