A visit to Cave Dwellings:

Cave Dwelling ("Yaodong" in Chinese) is a traditional form of residence in the loess plateau area in China.

The man-made caves can be found mostly on the vast loess plateau of northern China where the unique soft, yellow earth in the mountains is not only easy to dig but so tightly packed that it holds together without any built support. Throughout dry and mountainous northern China, an estimated 40 million Chinese still live in caves or subterranean dwellings. For these people, there is nothing more natural and ordinary than to live in the dugouts: their homes are easy and cheap to construct, warm in winter and cool in summer, and shield them well away from the strong winds and harsh weather.

This visit will offer you a chance to see the original residence around Xian area and meet the local farmers at their homes.