3．风土民情扮古都
在西安这座历史文化名城里，饮食不再仅仅是“吃”的涵义，而是成为一种文化的象征。地方名吃和南北大菜在这里会聚，一道道佳肴，一种种小吃，任何口味的游人都可以在这里大饱口福。
奶汤锅子鱼 西安的传统名菜，已经有1000多年的历史。是由唐代宫廷里的佳肴“乳酿鱼”演变而来的。最先出现在宫廷御宴上，传入民间后，经久不衰。这道菜用黄河鲤鱼、火腿、玉兰片、香菇和奶汤等精心烹制而成，是一道蛋白质、矿物质、维生素含量丰富的菜肴。
葫芦鸡 据说，这道菜最早始于唐代。制作方法也很有趣，烹制前先把鸡捆扎起来，这样做出来的鸡，形状很像葫芦，于是就被叫做“葫芦鸡”。葫芦鸡的制作分清煮、蒸笼、油炸三道工序。其风味特点是：色泽金红，香醇酥嫩，并且含有丰富蛋白质和人体所需的饱和脂肪酸。
贵妃鸡翅 这道菜属唐代宫廷里的佳肴，因为唐代贵妃杨玉环喜欢吃而得名。当年唐玄宗李隆基的宠妃杨玉环，在饮食上也极为讲究，最爱吃鸡翅膀。御厨按照旨意，反复研究琢磨，选用鲜嫩的鸡翅膀，配以多种调味品，采用能保持原汁原味的蒸制方法烹制了这道高蛋白质、低脂肪的佳肴。
牛、羊肉泡馍 牛、羊肉泡馍历史悠久，早在明朝崇帧年间，西安就有了专门经营羊肉泡馍的“天锡楼”。这道美味是用高汤来煮馍，碗的四周是汤，中间是馍，汤多馍散，香醇味美，吃完后更是余香满口，回味悠长。
乾州锅盔 相传唐代时，修建乾陵的众多民工急需大量饭食，所以就把小烙饼改成了大烙饼。大烙饼像口铁锅，又很像武士戴的头盔，所以叫作锅盔。锅盔的边薄心厚，表面鼓起，松软可口，吃起来酥、闻起来香、回味久，而且吃了耐饥，便于长时间保存。
西安不仅是一座饮食文化名城，其民间艺术也令人叹为观止。在这块有着久远历史文明的土地上，秦腔、户县农民画等民间艺术得到了充分的滋养，显得格外富有生命力。
秦腔 秦腔起源于唐、宋年间，经明、清两代的发展，演变成现在以“慷慨激昂，苍劲悲壮，宽音大嗓，直起直落”为主要特征的表现形式。在陕西境内，根据不同语言特色和生活习惯，秦腔又分为东、中、西、南四路。西安秦腔吸取东、西两路秦腔的长处和京剧等外来剧种的优点，既保持高亢激越、粗犷豪放的原有风格，又融入柔和清丽、精致细腻的新格调。受大众欢迎的传统剧目有《玉虎坠》、《铡美案》、《游西湖》等。
户县农民画 户县农民画是一种民间艺术，历史悠久，有着明显的地域特色，富于浓郁的乡土气息。它采用白描的形式，运用大胆而丰富的想象构图，简洁却很充实；比较注重色彩对比，以大红大紫的色彩，运用夸张的描述，追求强烈的直观效果，非常讲究装饰性。现在以剪纸、绘画、刺绣、编织等传统艺术和工艺技术流传于世，是中国民间艺术的精品。
结束语
时光的流逝难以抹平岁月留下的痕迹，现在，七大古都依然以它们傲人的姿态矗立在中华大地上。风雨变幻，沧海桑田，古都见证了中华的沧桑巨变，承载了中国的荣辱兴衰，成为中国历史留下的辉煌印记。
当历史的铅华洗去，这些古都掩藏了顶上的光环，归于宁静。所有的故事和传说，早已经是这个历史长夜里的绚丽点缀。点缀着这片江山，点缀着这片土地上百姓们的生活。
回望历史，感慨万千，展望未来，踌躇满志。七大古都现在已经融入了时代发展之中，正以它们深邃的眼光注视着崭新的未来！
3. Local Food and Folk Art
In such a historically and culturally renowned city as Xi'an, food is more than food. It is a display of the local culture. Here, local delicacies and famous dishes originated from both the south and the north of China are ready to arouse the appetite of any visitors.
Fish Stewed in the Milk Pot is a famous dish originated from a royal delicacy of the Tang dynasty court. With a carp, ham, magnolia petals and fragrant mushroom stewed in the milk soup, this dish is rich in protein, minerals and vitamins.
Gourd Chicken is said to be originated from the Tang dynasty as well. The way of cooking the dish is quite amusing in that the chicken is bundled up before it is cooked,. Since the bundled chicken looks like a gourd, the dish is named "gourd chicken". The chicken needs to be boiled, steamed and fried. After going through the three steps, the dish looks appealing, smells good and tastes crispy. Containing much protein and saturated fatty acid, it is also nutritionally good for people.
Guifei Chicken Wing is another local delicacy originated from the royal court of the Tang dynasty. It was named such because Yang Yuhuan, the beloved concubine of Emperor Xuanzong who is also known as Yang Guifei ("Guifei" in Chinese literally means concubine), loved eating chicken wings. It was said that after a thorough study the royal cook chose the freshest and tenderest wings and cooked them with many flavorings. Cooked in a way to best preserve the original taste of chicken wings, Guifei Chicken Wing contains much protein and little fat.
Beef or Mutton Paomo (crumbled bread soaked in beef or mutton soup) is a local snack with a long history. Back in the late Ming dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Chongzhen, a restaurant called Tianxilou was specialized in making beef or mutton paomo,. When eating the food, one must tear the bread to pieces and soak the crumbled bread in the soup. Since the soup is seasoned with lots of flavorings, the delicious taste will remain in your mind long after you have finished eating.
Helmet Pancake is another local snack which tells an interesting story. When the Qianling Mausoleum of Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang dynasty was constructed, small pancakes were cooked for the manual workers. But there were so many manual workers and the need for food was so great than the original small pancakes were replaced by much bigger ones which looked liked helmets. Thus the pancake got its name "helmet pancake". Thick at the center and thin at the brink, the pancake is crispy and sweet-smelling and can be preserved for a long time.
Xi'an is famous not only for its food culture but also for its folk art. For hundreds of years, the land of Xi'an has provided fertile soil to different types of folk art such as Qinqiang opera and the farmers' painting of Hu county.
Qinqiang Opera, a folk Chinese opera originated from the rural areas of the ancient Shaanxi and Gansu, took shape in the Tang and Song dynasties and saw much development in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Now this folk opera is featured by melodies that do not have many changes yet sound impassioned and soul-stirring. Since the dialect and living habits vary from place to place within Shaanxi province, Qinqiang opera is classified into four schools: the eastern school, the central school, the western school and the southern school. Qinqiang opera performed in Xi'an has absorbed the merits of the eastern and western schools as well as those of other operas such as Peking opera. Thus it sounds loud and rough sometimes, soft and gentle at other times. Among the popular plays are The Tiger-shaped Jade Pendant, The Trial of Chen Shimei, and Wandering around the West Lake.
Farmers' Painting of Hu County has a long history and sends forth a strong local and country flavor. With imaginative pictures usually painted with bright colors and in an exaggerated way, the paintings can catch people's eyeballs at the first sight and have a strong decorative function. It is a treasure of the Chinese folk art.
Closing
Time flies and files. Thousands of years of changes in China have profoundly and forever marked those seven ancient capital cities which still stand today.
When the past glory removed, they look simple yet elegant. All the stories and legends about them are left only to adorn the land and the life of people who live on the land.
They have so much to tell about their past, yet stand ready for the future. Busily engaged in the modernization drive, the seven ancient capital cities are ready to be the witness of an ever brighter future!
