The fierceness came home to me in Xian when we went to see the warriors.

FORBES: Waiting For China's Karl Lagerfeld

Mr Thubron spent eight months travelling the 11, 300 kilometres (7, 000 miles) of the old Silk Road from Xian in the heart of China to Antioch (Antakya) in Turkey and, although he scrupulously admits in a note that his trip was broken by fighting in northern Afghanistan and that he was obliged to continue the following year, this interruption does not disrupt the flow of his narrative.

ECONOMIST: Travel writing

At the beginning of this month BYD broke ground on its second factory in the city of Xian.

FORBES: Buffett-Backed Chinese Car Company Faces Regulatory Hurdle

After she was given the opportunity to share her story of overcoming her insecurities in a theater class, Xian discovered that by approaching her worth and beauty as a holistic concept rather than simply an external feature, she could help individuals with disabilities cultivate their own purpose.

WHITEHOUSE: WWTDG: Xian Horn and Beauty Positivity

Udomporn won the women's 53kg weightlifting crown and Asian superpower China clinched its fifth gold courtesy of Xian Dongmei's victory in the women's 52kg judo.

CNN: Thai gold as Asian athletes excel

But after just two nights, the government says the PM 2.5 air pollutant index has soared in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Xian and other major cities, Southern Metropolis Daily reports.

BBC: China media: New Year haze

In addition, The9 is developing various proprietary games, including Shen Xian Zhuan, FireFall and other MMORPGs and advanced causal games.

ENGADGET: OpenFeint and The9 will stimulate devs to port their games to Android with cold hard cash