We're half an hour away from xian so the train has docked at xianyang train station. Somewhere along the way, the buildings have decidedly grown almost like a jack and the beanstalk tale. There is massive construction at each bend, there are wailing banners billowing in the wind about how construction is the seed of civilization. The barren landscape of sandy desert and withered shrubbery has given way to colorful and opulent housing estates, each sprawling on its own, yet cramped together as a whole. There is no more trace of dry; the green lush carpets snaking the unused grounds of the city. Xi'an is also the terminus of the ancient silkroad. As Chang'an, xi'an was also the capital city of many dynasties. Why the traders decided to stop at xi'an? I don't know. Perhaps they had thought they'd reached nirvana and there was no need to go any further. Or maybe all they wanted to do was reach the seat of power and establish good relations.