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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 3 JANUARY 2016 42 Travel Two readers have the chance to win a complimentary return ticket each for travel on any scheduled Air Malta flights (excluding taxes and charges). All you have to do is answer the question below and send in your name, mobile number and email address to: Maltatoday competition, Air Malta plc, Sky Parks, Malta International Airport, Luqa, LQA 4000. The closing date is 14 January, 2016. Question: How many weekly flights does Air Malta operate to Zurich? Is it a) 1 weekly flight b) 2 weekly flights or c) 7 weekly flights? ✂ Name Email Mobile Number From early civilisation to metropolis Shanghai and Xian XIAN, that was the heart of China before the decline of the Tang dy- nasty in the 10th century. The be- ginning and end of the Silk Road was a swirl of colours, lute music and desert dust where camel cara- vans unloaded goods from across the Eurasian continent and packed up parts of China to be sent to the rest of the world. Though today res- idents have moved to Beijing, Xian is still one of the epicentres of early Chinese civilization. Shanghai, Hu for short, seems to be the complete opposite, as a re- nowned international metropolis drawing more and more attention from all over the world. Situated on the estuary of Yangtze River, it serves as the most influential economic, financial, international trade, cultural, science and technol- ogy centre in East China. Also it is a popular destination for visitors to sense the pulsating development of the country. What to do? Shanghai Visit the Shanghai Museum, which is renowned for its large collections of Chinese ancient artworks. The exhibition building has a round top and a square base, reflecting the old Chinese philosophy "the sky is round and the earth is square" and resembling a Ding, a tripod ancient bronze vessel itself. The Yuyuan Garden, also called Eastern Garden, a typical classical Chinese garden. The finely struc- tured pavilions, winding cloisters, decorated walls and crystal pond together make the garden a charm- ing and tranquil land in the bustling city. In the Bund area you can cruise down the Huangpu River. Along both banks of the river, scatter many landmark buildings, which reveal the past, present and future of the city. In addition, two suspension bridges, Yangpu Bridge and Nan- pu Bridge, look like two dragons crouching across the river. With the Oriental Pearl TV Tower encom- passed under their arches, the three form a picture of two dragons play- ing ball. While in the area take time to explore the Bund, Shanghai's most famous waterfront and visit an old street. Xian The Terracotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant ar- cheological excavations of the 20th century. Found at the burial site of the first emperor of China these life size figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formations are the star features at the museum. They are replicas of what the impe- rial guard should look like in those days of pomp and vigour. Xian is one of the few cities in Chi- na where the old city walls are still standing. Built in 1370 during the Ming dynasty, the 12m-high walls are surrounded by a dry moat and form a rectangle with a perimeter of 14km. Most sections have been restored or rebuilt, and it is now possible to walk the entirety of the walls in a lei- surely four hours. You can also cycle from the South Gate, while the truly lazy can be whisked around in a golf cart. The Little Goose Pagoda is in the pleasant grounds of Jianfu Temple. The top of the pagoda was shaken off by an earthquake in the middle of the 16th century, but the rest of the 43m-high structure is intact. Jianfu Temple was originally built in AD 684 to bless the afterlife of the late Emperor Gaozong. The pa- goda, a rather delicate building of 15 progressively smaller tiers, was built from AD 707-709 and housed Bud- dhist scriptures brought back from India by the pilgrim Yi Jing. You can mount the pagoda for a worthy panorama of Xian. Where to stay? Located in the heart of Shanghai, on Nanjing Road pedestrian shop- ping street, the hotel has easy access to nearby attractions such as The Bund, People's Square, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Grand Theatre, Shanghai Urban Planning Muse- um, Yu Garden, Xintiandi, Former French Concession and Jade Bud- dha Temple. The hotel is also adja- cent to the Nanjing Road East Met- ro Station. The hotel restaurants also provide the perfect setting for relaxing and socialising. The Mao Restaurant specialises in Cantonese specialties and Dim Sum while the Mosaic coffee shop is an all-day din- ing venue in open kitchen concept and serves international cuisines. This award-winning Shangri-La is centrally located in the Lujiazui commercial and financial district, on the Eastern bank of the Huangpu River, offering unparalleled views of the famous Bund and Shanghai's magnificent skyline. The hotel is within close proximity to subways connecting Pudong and Puxi. In Xian, stay at the Fu Run Hotel, located close to the City Walls, Bell Tower and Drum Tower, where rooms have great views of the city. The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and the Beilin Museum are just a short walk away. Where to eat? No one has a bad thing to say about the smart expat favourite, 1221, in Shanghai, and rightly so, as it has never let its standards dip over the years. Try the meat dishes including beef and dough strips and the plen- tiful eel, shrimp and squid dishes. Other tempting fare includes the roast duck and braised pork. The pan-fried sticky rice and sweet bean paste (from the dim-sum menu) makes a good dessert. It's also worth ordering the eight-fragrance tea just to watch it served spectacularly out of 60cm-long spouts. Named after a cave at Mao Ze- dong's birthplace, this Hunan ea- tery's low-key rustic charms are matched by an invigorating menu. Dishuidong serves Xiāngcài (Hu- nan) cuisine, all about searing spice, but don't reach for the dry ice yet, dishes are quite tame. The spicy bean curd hits the mark; flesh out the meal with the Stewed Pork in Sauce of Chairman Mao's Style. Once you move on the Xian, try De Fa Chang, where dumplings are the speciality: banquets are a minimum five courses and feature every sort of dumpling shape you could possibly conceive of, from walnuts to flowers to stars and even miniature animals. Bizarre but delicious. At First Noodle Under the Sun the specialty at this busy place is biáng biáng miàn, a giant, 3.8m strip of noodle that comes folded up in a big bowl with two soup side dishes. But all sorts of excellent noodle, meat and veggie dishes are available here. How to get there? Emirates offers daily services be- tween Malta and Shanghai. Flights departing from Malta on 16 Decem- ber and returning on 23 December were priced at €912, including tax, at the time of going to print. To- tal flying time is approximately 10 hours. win a complimentary return ticket each for travel on any scheduled Air Malta flights (excluding taxes and charges). All you have to do is answer the question below and send in your name, mobile number and Maltatoday competition, Air Malta plc, Sky Parks, Malta International Airport, Luqa, LQA 4000. The closing date is 14 January, 2016. The Terracotta Warriors are life-sized figures in battle formation found at the burial site of the first Emperor of China in Xian The Wild Goose Pagoda housed Buddhist scriptures brought back from India by the pilgrim Yi Jing The Bund is Shanghai's most famous waterfront