Chang'an Twelve Hours

Chang'an Twelve Hours is Xi'an's most spectacular cultural attraction: a 21,000-square-meter indoor reconstruction of Tang-dynasty Chang'an, where visitors in full hanfu wander lantern-lit streets, market stalls, and opera stages while costumed actors perform around the clock.

The in-house hanfu rental and styling service is the best in the city - robes, hairpieces, and makeup included - and the Tang banquet dining rooms serve recipes reconstructed from period sources. It is a time machine that photographs impossibly well and runs on a strict ticketed-entry schedule, so book ahead and allow four hours.