When I first landed at Xi’an Xianyang International Airport (西安咸阳国际机场), I barely noticed the name.
Like most travellers, I was excited about arriving in Xi’an.
The Terracotta Warriors.
The Ancient City Wall.
The Muslim Quarter.
Those were the reasons I had travelled to central China.
Xianyang?
I simply assumed it was part of Xi’an.
Years later, while planning our second journey, Bing Ma Zai (兵马仔) appeared carrying a small pile of history books.
“Dad,” he seemed to say with a smile, “study a little before you go.”
That simple habit has changed the way I travel.
When I visited Istanbul years ago, I realised that understanding a city’s story before arriving made every street, monument and museum far more meaningful. Since then, I’ve tried to learn just enough history before each journey—not to become a historian, but to become a better traveller.
So I asked a question I had completely ignored on my first trip.
Why is the airport called Xi’an Xianyang?
The answer surprised me.
Most people know Xianyang as the capital of Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇), the First Emperor who unified China over 2,200 years ago.
But the story begins even earlier.
Centuries before the Qin Dynasty, this region was already the heartland of the Western Zhou Dynasty (西周). Not far from today’s airport are the mausoleums of King Wen of Zhou (周文王) and King Wu of Zhou (周武王)—two rulers regarded by generations of Chinese people as among the founders of their civilisation.
According to the information displayed at the Zhou Mausoleum, Zhou culture became the foundation of Huaxia civilisation, establishing many of the political ideas, rituals and cultural traditions that shaped China for the next three thousand years. Even Confucius (孔子) admired the Zhou so deeply that he famously declared:
“How splendid is Zhou culture. I follow the Zhou.”
Perhaps the most remarkable detail is that these mausoleums have continued to be honoured for more than 2,000 years, with emperors of later dynasties repeatedly restoring the site and conducting ceremonies there.
Think about that for a moment.
Before you’ve checked into your hotel.
Before you’ve met the Terracotta Warriors.
Before you’ve even entered Xi’an.
You’ve already arrived in one of the landscapes where Chinese civilisation itself was taking shape.
That’s why this isn’t simply an airport guide.
It’s the beginning of the story.
In this guide, we’ll explore Xi’an Xianyang International Airport—its transport, restaurants, shopping, facilities and practical traveller tips. But we’ll also discover why understanding the word “Xianyang” makes your entire visit to Xi’an richer, more meaningful, and infinitely more memorable.
The 1st monument is titled “Genealogy of the Ancestors of the Zhou Kings” (周王先世世系表). Rather than listing emperors, it traces the family line of the Zhou people long before they became kings. It begins with the legendary Hou Ji (后稷), revered as the ancestor of the Zhou people and closely associated with agriculture, before continuing through generations of tribal leaders such as Gong Liu (公刘) and Gugong Danfu (古公亶父), eventually arriving at King Wen (周文王)and King Wu (周武王).
Standing in front of this monument, I realised something I had never appreciated before.
The Zhou Dynasty wasn’t founded overnight.
Long before they overthrew the Shang Dynasty, the Zhou people had already spent generations building their society, strengthening their leadership and developing a culture that would later influence China for thousands of years.
The second monument continues where the first one ends.
Titled “Genealogy of the Western Zhou Kings” (西周王系表), it begins with King Wu, the founder of the Western Zhou Dynasty, followed by successive rulers including King Cheng, King Kang, King Mu, and eventually King You (周幽王).
King You’s reign ended in 771 BC when the Zhou capital fell, marking the collapse of the Western Zhou. The royal court later moved east to Luoyang, beginning the Eastern Zhou period.
For many Western travellers, the first name that comes to mind when thinking about Xi’an is Qin Shi Huang and his Terracotta Warriors.
Yet standing among these monuments offers a different perspective.
The Qin certainly built China’s first unified empire, but many of the ideas that defined Chinese civilisation—rituals (礼), political order, ancestor worship, governance and moral leadership—had already taken root centuries earlier during the Zhou.
In many ways, the Qin unified China politically.
The Zhou helped shape China culturally.
That is why these weathered stone monuments matter. They quietly remind us that China’s story did not begin with the First Emperor. Long before the Terracotta Warriors were buried beneath the earth, another civilisation had already been growing here for generations.
Sometimes, the most important history isn’t the attraction everyone comes to see.
It’s the one almost everyone walks past.
📚 Bing Ma Zai’s History Break
“Everyone remembers the First Emperor. But before you understand Qin, you should first meet the people who built the civilisation Qin inherited.
China wasn’t created in one dynasty. Every dynasty stood on the shoulders of the one before it.”
Reading Before Walking
One thing I’ve learnt over the years is that ancient China rewards curious travellers.
At places like the Zhou Mausoleums, it can be tempting to walk straight to the ancient tombs and monuments. But taking just a few minutes to read the information boards first completely changes the experience.
That was exactly what we did.
While I was studying the history and translating some of the Chinese text, Elaine patiently waited nearby. Around us, several Chinese visitors were doing the same thing—reading, discussing and trying to piece together a story that stretches back more than 3,000 years.
Only after understanding who these kings were did the stone monuments suddenly come alive.
History became more than names and dates.
It became the beginning of a civilisation.
When Qing Emperors Came Back to Pay Respect 2000 years later
One inscription at the Zhou Mausoleums caught my attention.
It wasn’t from the Zhou Dynasty.
It was written almost 2,000 years later.
The stone tablet, titled 《御制祝文祭周文王陵碑》 (“Imperially Composed Prayer for Sacrificing at the Tomb of King Wen of Zhou”), records an imperial ceremony held during the reign of the Qing Emperor Yongzheng (雍正帝).
In other words, long after the Zhou kings had disappeared from history, later emperors still travelled here to honour King Wen of Zhou (周文王).
Why?
Because King Wen was remembered as far more than an ancient ruler.
To generations of Chinese scholars and emperors, he represented wise government, moral leadership and the cultural foundations of the Chinese state.
The accompanying explanation board summarises the emperor’s message beautifully.
Although more than two thousand years had passed, the imperial court believed these ancient kings still deserved the highest respect. The emperor ordered officials to perform the proper state rituals, restore the mausoleum when necessary, and continue the tradition of honouring the founders of Chinese civilisation.
That made me stop and think.
In many countries, new dynasties often tried to erase or replace those that came before them.
China often did something different.
A new dynasty might overthrow the previous rulers politically, but it frequently continued to honour the great figures of the distant past. Rather than starting history again, each dynasty saw itself as inheriting a much longer civilisational story.
Standing before this weathered stone, I realised this wasn’t really about one emperor paying tribute to another.
It was about a civilisation remembering where it came from.
Perhaps that’s why places like the Zhou Mausoleums still matter today. They are not simply royal tombs. They are reminders that for more than three thousand years, Chinese history has often been viewed as one continuous story—each generation building upon the legacy of those who came before.
📚 Bing Ma Zai’s History Break
“Maybe that’s the difference between remembering history… and living a civilisation.”
“Dad, this stone isn’t from the Zhou Dynasty…”
“Exactly,” I replied.
“That’s what makes it so interesting.”
More than two thousand years after King Wen lived, emperors were still making the journey to honour him.
Bing Ma Zai nodded.
