MyfavoriteChinesecity 　　TherearemanygreatChinesecities,butformethegreatestcityhastobeXi'an,thecityIcamefrom.Xi'anisperhapsthegreatest,andcertainlyoneofthegreatestancientcapitalsofChina.ThirteendynastiesmadeXi'antheircapital,includingthethreegreatestdynastiesinChinesehistory:Zhou,HanandTang.Thecityhasahistoryofmorethan3000years,itwasfirstconstructedinthe12thcenturyBC.Xi'anisalsoconsideredasoneofthefourgreatestancientcapitalsintheentireworld.TheancientcityofChangAnwastoEastAsiawhatRomewastoEurope.ItisoneoftheonlytwoancientChinesecitiesthatwasknownintheclassicalwesternworld.TheancientGreeknameforXi'an,orChangAnasitwasthencalled,isThyneMetropolis. 　　ForthousandsofyearsXi'anwasattheeasternterminusofthegreatSilkRoad,attractingvisitorsfromIndia,Persia,Mesopotamia,Greece,Romeandbeyond.DuringtheHanDynastyChangAnwasoneofthelargestcitiesintheworld,andduringtheTangDynasty,itbecametheworld'slargestandmostprosperouscity.Behindthehugecitywallsstretchedacentralavenueleadingtotheimperialpalacethatwaslaidwithmarbleandonehundredandfiftymetreswide.AlthoughaftertheTangDynastythecitylostitsformergrandeurandprestige,itwasstillconsideredasoneofthemostimportantcitiesinChinainsubsequentdynastiesuptothepresentday.