Xi'an

Xi'an (西安 Xī'ān, read as SHEE-AHN) is a city in Shaanxi Province in China. The oldest surviving capital of ancient China, Xi'an is home to thousands of years of Chinese heritage and history. The city has a pleasant cosmopolitan flair to it and it is worth visiting for the famed Terracotta Warriors. It has often been said that, "if you have not been to Xi'an, you have not been to China!"

History
Xi'an is more than 3,000 years old and was known as Chang'an (长安) in ancient times. For 1,000 years, the city was the capital for 13 dynasties, and a total of 73 emperors ruled here. Xi'an is the undisputed root of Chinese civilization having served as the capital city for the Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties. With so much history within the ground the city lies upon, it is no wonder that there are so many historical ruins, museums and cultural relics to be found here. It was already influencing the world outside of the Great Wall of China (长城) as the eastern terminus of the Silk Road (丝绸之路). Here traders from far and wide brought goods and ideas for sale and took goods and ideas back with them to their native countries. In present-day Xi'an not much of its former glory remains within the city confines, due to the constant warfare and political changes that swept China particularly throughout the 20th century.

Climate
Xi'an has most of its annual precipitation from August to late October in the form of rain. It is characterised by hot summers and cold, dry winters. Spring and autumn will be somewhat brief and dry.

Districts
Xi'an is a rapidly expanding city, so the municipality has incorporated large areas around to the city as districts to be under its own administration. But frankly speaking most of these surrounding areas are just undeveloped and sometimes rural inter-city residential areas.

By plane
Most people use taxis or the airport bus to reach town from the airport. A taxi will cost about ¥150 from the airport to the Bell Tower downtown. You will pay around ¥50-75 more if you take one of the climatized Japanese black taxis rather than the typical green taxis. At the airport, both types of taxis are waiting at the same spot to pick up passengers.

Line 14 of the Xi’an Metro runs from the airport to Xi'an North station (more specifically, the metro station named "Beikezhan (Beiguangchang)" ), where there are connections to lines 2 and 4 as well as to the long-distance rail network.

The airport bus leaves the airport from 08:00 until 01:00, a ticket costs ¥25 and takes about one hour; there are several lines but the most useful are Airport Bus No. 1 (no stop to the terminus in front of the Melody Hotel, at the beginning of West Street near the Bell Tower) and No. 2 (to the railway station). As long as there is an arriving flight, there will be a bus, so don't worry about arriving late at night or early morning. Buses will often depart as soon as they fill up. The airport bus route is the best way between city and the train station.

Getting to the terracotta warriors from the airport is complicated but can be done. Immediately when you walk out of the airport you can take bus #2 (¥27) to the Xi'an train station. From there, take bus 306 to the terracotta warriors (see more details below). Alternatively, a taxi will cost approximately ¥85 plus toll charges of ¥15.

By train
Most visitors arrive by high-speed train at (西安北站 Xī'ānběi Zhàn), 15 km north of city center. The main services, on 200 km / hr "D-trains" or 300 km / hr "G-trains", are to Zhengzhou (2–3 hours), Chengdu (4 hours), Wuhan (4–8 hours), Guangzhou (8 hours), Shenzhen (9 hours), Changsha, Shijiazhuang, Beijing (4–6 hours), Shanghai (7 hours) and Lanzhou (3 hours) - change at Lanzhou for the 12-hour train to Ürümqi.

The North Railway Station is an enormous modern transport hub. To reach the city center take Metro line two (red), whose terminus (北客站 Beikezhan) is at the station.

The old railway station, (西安站 Xī'ān Zhàn), is at the north end of Jiefang Road (解放路 jiěfànglù, just outside the old city walls. This is served by conventional trains for regional journeys.

There is no reason to use Xi'an South Railway Station (西安南站 Xī'ān Nán Zhàn), a long way south-east of the center, with limited services.

By bus
The main long-distance bus station (Shaanxi Province Long-distance Bus Station) is about 100 m south of Xi'an railway station, with the city wall between them (there is an underpass). Bus service is available to: Huashan (2–3 hours), Lanzhou (8–10 hours), Luoyang (5–7 hours), Taiyuan (12 hours), and Zhengzhou (9–12 hours).

By car
See Driving in China.



Get around
The old city is surrounded by a rectangular city wall. The Bell Tower (钟楼 Zhōnglóu) is in the dead center of the rectangle, and is considered the center of Xi'an. From here, the four main streets radiate along the four points of the compass.
 * North Street (北大街 Běidàjiē)
 * East Street (东大街 Dōngdàjiē)
 * South Street (南大街 Nándàjiē)
 * West Street (西大街 Xīdàjiē)

Do not get confused by different names in tourist guides, addresses and bus stops: Nandajie, Nanda Street, South Street, and South Avenue are all the same street.

Locals often speak about Within the city walls (城里 chénglǐ, CHUNG-lee) and Outside the city walls (城外 chéngwài, ﻿CHUNG-why) when talking about locations. Outside the walls, the southern part is the most interesting - it offers shopping streets, bars and some nightlife. Basically the inner Xi'an, the part inside the City Walls, is the old Xi'an, which is equivalent to the term "downtown" used to describe certain parts of a North American city. The buildings are mostly pretty short due to government policies. People who live inside the City Walls largely preserve a traditional way of life. For example, they are used to going to farmers' market for grocery, and also the provincial dialect is more prominent there. There is much more folklore to be found inside the City Walls than elsewhere in the city. Interestingly, there is a Roman Catholic church in the inner city, which was founded more than 300 years ago by the missionaries from the west.

There has been several urbanization projects happening since the 2000s in the southern part of Xi'an, outside of the City Walls, notably Xi'an Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone. That's where you can find the new, and urban aspects of Xi'an. Large-scale shopping malls around that area are very popular among the new generations. Each shopping mall usually is a combination of restaurants, shopping areas, groceries, and entertainments. Also a considerable population from other parts of the city have relocated to this area for their children's education, since there are few prestigious schools in the area.

As usual in China, subways are the easiest way to get around if they serve your destination. There are also plenty of buses traveling everywhere at short intervals (main lines run every 5–10 minutes). If you are not confident enough with orientation, or if you do not like packed buses, the cheap taxis (出租车 chūzūchē, literally translated as "rented car", which is pronounced as CHOO-TSOO-CHUH) are the best alternative, broadly available, except for during rush hours.

By Metro
Xi'an has four Metro lines, with further lines planned or under construction. A single ride costs ¥5. Bags are x-rayed prior to entry, water bottles should be taken out of bags as they will be scanned by security staff separately. It's much more convenient to have a Changantong (长安通) card, that the locals use to pay for the fare. You can get one at any metro station with a valid ID and some money as process fee. Ask the staff at the reception desk at each metro station for help when you want to apply for a Changantong card. Nowadays you can also pay with Wechat pay or Alipay, by scanning your phone at the terminal. It takes slightly more time than using a Changantong card (1–2 seconds).
 * Line 1 runs east–west and does not cover any interesting tourist spots.
 * Line 2 runs north–south, intersects with Line 1 at Beidajie to the North of the bell tower. It connects the North Railway Station, the City Library (your starting point for visiting the Hanyangling mausoleum), the Bell Tower, and Xiaozhai near the Shaanxi history museum.
 * Line 3 runs southwest–northeast, intersecting with Line 1 at Tonghuamen, and Line 2 at Xiaozhai. It serves the Big Wild Goose Pagoda (Dayanta station).
 * Line 4 runs north–south, mostly to the east of Line 2.

By bus
Regular buses within the city cost ¥1 (¥2 for air-conditioned, marked with a snowflake) no matter how far you go. Since there are many buses in the city, it can be useful to go to the Tourism Office Center (which is situated near the Drum Tower) and ask for a free map (地图 dìtú) of the city, with the bus lines on it.

A popular line for tourists is #610 (also labeled "游8" meaning "tourist #8") which connects the railway station, the Bell Tower, the Small Goose Pagoda and Xi'an Museum, the Shaanxi Historic Museum, and the Big Goose Pagoda. Unfortunately it is not one of the most frequent (sometimes you can wait for half an hour, though usually it comes in a few minutes). Near the Bell Tower, it stops at the beginning of West Street; take it westwards to then go south to the museums and pagodas, take it eastwards to then go north to the railway station. Near the railway station (there are many stops for different lines) you can catch it at the third block on the main street going straight south from the station.

Another useful line is #609 that connects the Bell Tower, the South Gate and the Big Goose Pagoda. Near the Bell Tower, it stops at the beginning of South Street.

Although the 609 and 610 can be infrequent, the 611 is very frequent (multiple departures every minute in the rush hour), and connects the train station and the Bell Tower, continuing to the west from the latter. Look for its stop across the road from the station (within the city walls). Its route is a loop at the railway station, so you can board the bus at the same stop for the city center where you got off for the railway station. At the Bell Tower its stop towards the railway station is at the beginning of the East Street.

Bus 500 takes you from the Railway Station to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in 12 stops. This area has the Great Tang All Day Mall as well as the Tang Paradise and the South Lake.

There are many buses leaving regularly for the Terracotta Warrior museum in front of the Xi'an bus station (east to the train station, outside (in the north) the city walls).


 * Bus 306 (also called Tourist Bus #5) leaves from the lot in front of the train station (on the east side, i.e. to your right when looking towards the station) and will take you to a parking lot right in front of the museum. Travel time is about an hour (up to 3 hours in case of traffic jams). A one-way ticket costs ¥7 (pay on the bus). It also stops at several other tourist attractions along the way, e.g. the hot springs. Make sure you don't make the mistake of going to the nearby bus station on the inside (south) of the city wall. That's where there are touts with signs saying bus 5 and bus 306, trying to hustle you onto their private bus. Although they do take you to the destinations, you are forced to go to visit attractions you might not want to go to. If in doubt about whether you have the right 306, stand back and observe. The official bus attendants will not hustle you to get on their rapidly filling bus. They will confirm it is the correct bus and nothing more. The official bus will also fill up very quickly with locals who know which one is the correct bus.
 * Another local bus that goes to the Warriors is 307 (last stop again, normally ~60 minutes, possibly up to 3 hours in case of traffic). 307 also goes to the Great Wild Goose Pagoda.
 * Small buses which are also used by the locals (mainly number 914). These buses will also take you to the Museum, but they use local roads (no highway express like bus 306) so they are a bit slower. 914 is however more frequent during the day than 306. One-way ticket price is ¥7 (pay on the bus). Not a bad trip if you want to see how locals travel.
 * Most hostels and hotels run tours to the warriors with an English speaking guide. These aren't necessarily better, be prepared to spend a good portion of the day (as with any Chinese tour) visiting "terracotta factories," "museums", "Chinese medicine shops", and other tourist traps. But you will get to your destination without dealing with the bus (the warriors are quite far outside of town) and not all of the public buses that go there are legitimate.

By taxi
The availability of taxis varies across the whole city, throughout the day. It also has special non-regulated schedules on holidays. It's very hard to find free taxis during shift changes. It can take a rather long time to find a vacant one and even then - given their choice of fares - they may decide to decline your destination for a more profitable one that is closer. Watch the taxi drivers in Xi'an as the industry is not regulated as it is in other larger cities. You may find yourself being taken on a long ride around town to get where you are going. It can also be difficult to convince them to take you anywhere (even to the railway station). If in doubt, get your hotel or hostel to write down the place you want to go in Chinese. Between 15:00 and 17:00 the taxis change their shifts. This means the drivers are rushing to their handover points, so they won't pick you up even if they are empty.

Trips within the city walls are generally around ¥10. Longer trips to the attractions south of the city are ¥12-20. It is always good advice to insist on using the taxi meter, especially for longer rides like to/from the airport. However, taxis will often refuse to go the airport on meter, you will have to discuss a price in advance, usually between ¥100 and ¥120.

The rate for the normal (green) taxis is ¥9 for the first 3 kmand then ¥2 for every additional kilometer. Waiting times longer than 2 minutes will be charged ¥2 per minute. After 23:00 the starting price is ¥10. At the airport and around some of the big hotels you might also find black taxis. They charge ¥2.4 per kilometer, but are more spacious and comfortable.

With the introduction of online taxi platforms like Uber, drivers working for the city-run taxi corporations may refuse your taking even when no passenger's in the car, because they are on their way to take an online customer. So it's still best to learn how to use local taxi-taking apps for convenience.

By bike
Xi'an's main sites (with the notable exception of the Terracotta Warriors) are bunched fairly close together. Be wary of the narrow streets and cars that squeeze you out of the way. Bike lanes are available on some streets, however, places to lock bikes, typically are not.

In some parts of the city, the roads are built with a "biking" lane, that you can find at the right side of the road, sometimes separated from the motorized lanes. That type of biking lane is especially common in the southern part of the city. However, not all roads have such features, and when there isn't any biking lane, you should always stick to the right of the road, close to the sidewalk. Also be extra careful when you ride your bike, the traffic in China in general is not friendly to cyclists. Never ride bicycle on sidewalks, mainly because the locals would get annoyed by you doing so.

Online bike-sharing platforms like Mobike are exceedingly popular, to a point where nobody purchases his or her own bicycles anymore. Shared bikes are everywhere on the street. So learn how to use the app to unlock them and you will be fine.

Do

 * Stroll round the Drum and Bell Tower area after dark, when they're brilliantly illuminated.

Souvenirs
Xi'an souvenirs include small copies of terracotta warriors, wood-carved Buddhas and dragons, Tang Tricolored Pottery, hand made paper cut (by many regarded as the most important arts form in Xi'an), all other kind of folk art and also fake western products.



Clothes
Xi'an is a great place to buy clothes.



Eat
The Xi'an as is today is very different from like 10 or 20 years ago, when there were only certain restaurants known by the locals to serve delicious food. Now the restaurants are everywhere, especially ones like KFC and McDonald. Unfortunately the younger generations don't seem to appreciate the traditional cuisines and rather choose to eat fast food. Therefore, some of good old restaurants are forced to close down, being taken over by the newer ones.

Xi'an specialties include:


 * Yángròu Pàomó (羊肉泡馍) is one of the signature dishes of the area, it consists of a piece of thick, chewy bread and a kettle of lamb soup. The diner shreds the bread with his hands and places the shreds in a bowl, the soup is then poured over the shreds (along with meat, maybe some noodles or scallion, etc.) The trick is to shred the bread into pieces that are "as small as possible", like the size of your pinky fingernail. Most first-timers will shred their bread in pieces that are too large. In some restaurants, they have already shredded the bread for you. It is normally also served with pickled garlic and chili. If you don't like lamb, some restaurants also offer a beef version. The best, and the most authentically made of this dish can be found in the Hui Muslim Quarter.
 * Biáng biáng miàn ([[Image:Biáng.svg|17px]][[Image:Biáng.svg|17px]]面) is a local provincial specialty noodle dish that is extremely good. The wide noodles are spiced, have a broth, and include toppings such as eggs, tomatoes, beef, etc. The character for "biang" is very complex (58 strokes) and distinctive. Although this kind of noodles has created a brand of the same name (trademarked), under which several such restaurants are run across the whole city, not every one serves the noodles that taste like the original. It's advised to go to the one restaurant that has lasted for the longest time, which is located in Fen Alley, within the City Walls. It is know by the locals as the most "authentic" (正宗) Biáng biáng miàn.
 * Ròu jiā mó (肉夹馍) is the closest thing to a hamburger. This is a local tradition and should be very easy to locate. Sandwich-like, with pork, beef or lamb, this is a must-try item for anyone who is in this area. Still, as a dish that is derived from Hui people's cuisine, the best Ròu jiā mó restaurant is to be found usually within the City Walls, specifically in the Hui Muslim Quarters. Not every Ròu jiā mó restaurant in the city serves the food just like the original. A recommendation of such an "authentic" restaurant would be Yú Lǎo Dà (literally translated as "Mr.Yu's") located in the Wuxing Street, just across the Roman Catholic church. It mostly serves food for breakfast, so get in there in the morning just in case it closes at noon.
 * Xiǎo lóng bāozi (小笼包子) are basket-steamed dumplings (one basket ¥3), common as a midnight snack. Look for its big brother "Da baozi" only available first thing in the mornings, like a steamed Cornish pastie, but very nice.
 * Guàn tāng bāozi (灌汤包子) are steamed buns served with sauces inside.
 * Shìzi bǐng (柿子饼) are buns made from persimmons, stuffed with something (e.g. black sesame paste), and deep-fried, so they're quite sticky-sweet. You can find many sellers in the Muslim Quarter, and they are only ¥1 each or less!
 * Lǜdòu gāo (绿豆糕) are literally green bean cakes (come in small cubes), but they're more moist than you may find elsewhere and also come with a variety of mixings (e.g. sesame). Half a Jin should be about six cubes and cost about ¥5 at a cart in the Muslim Quarter.
 * Ice Peak, or BīngFēng (冰峰) is a kind of carbonated orange-flavoured beverage that is a provincial specialty. Its taste is very similar to the orange-flavoured Fanta, but locals still prefer the "traditional" Ice Peak. It is usually served in traditional restaurants, mostly within the City Walls, such as Biáng biáng miàn restaurants. It is known by the locals to be made with better-quality oranges, and therefore the company is not making as much profit as, for example, Coca-Cola. The price for one glass bottle is usually ¥2-3.

Some good places to look for restaurants are:
 * The Muslim Quarter close to the Drum Tower is a vibrant area with many restaurants spilling out onto the street and mixing with the street sellers. If you're looking for snacks, this area is also full of people selling dried fruit (especially dates) and nuts/seeds (sunflower, melon, pumpkin, etc.) Prices are per Jin (500 g) and are pretty much standardized throughout the area, so you can't really bargain unless you're buying a lot (but who wants 1 kg of peanuts anyway?) Watch out for the pits in the dates! As its name suggests, this is a good place to look for halal food. Since the Muslim Quarter is basically a series of small alleys, there are multiple entrances. The one commonly used by the locals is located behind a shopping mall called Bǎi Shèng (百盛) on the West Avenue, at the northern end of the South Guangji Street. Another one where you can find meat shops more easily is located at the northern end of Qiaozikou. Visitors usually are directed to the one behind the Drum Tower, where you can find more souvenir shops.
 * Street food (mostly sold after sunset, or some near night clubs/bars after 23:00) presents a variety of local/regional dishes, ranging from noodle soups, dumplings, hot pot, and so on by tens of little food vendors on street side, each with a red lamp. There are a few roads running perpendicular to the Muslim Quarter road that have a larger variety of streetside food (at cheaper prices because these roads are harder to access). As streetside stores are nearly a model of perfect competition, look out for food sold at significantly higher prices, yet maintain a long queue as these are likely to be tastier. For instance, some vendors may unscrupulously sell beef mixed with lamb and pass the meat off as pure lamb meat to cut their cost, however those who sell real lamb meat usually charge a higher price.
 * If Muslim food isn't your thing, you can find a few more typically Chinese restaurants on Dongmutou Shi (东木头市) southeast of the bell tower.

Budget
A good way if you do not want the expensive hotel food or just want to try real Chinese cuisine, is to simply go into a small restaurant and point to a dish somebody else is having and you will get a meal for less than ¥10 (seldom ¥20) per person. It's best to do so within the City Walls, as most restaurants there are family businesses and may have been there for a very long time. The real good old restaurants, especially those run by Hui people, usually serve very delicious food that is also very cheap. Most of these have been there for quite a long time, and are usually found within the City Walls. But such restaurants are scattered across the area. It's best to ask someone that you know for which ones to go to.

A good street for eating is Xiyang Shi running east–west near the mosque in the Muslim quarter.



Mid-range
McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC or its Chinese brother, Dicos, are widely available within city walls for a change from the daily Chinese cuisine. There are also three Starbucks within a 5-minute walk of the Bell Tower.



Splurge
Luxury restaurants serving western food are virtually everywhere to be found in big shopping malls these days, mostly in the southern suburbs.
 * Village Cafe (32 Shi Da Lu, opposite of Bank of China). If you miss your burger, this is the place to go.
 * Village Cafe (32 Shi Da Lu, opposite of Bank of China). If you miss your burger, this is the place to go.
 * Village Cafe (32 Shi Da Lu, opposite of Bank of China). If you miss your burger, this is the place to go.
 * Village Cafe (32 Shi Da Lu, opposite of Bank of China). If you miss your burger, this is the place to go.

Drink
Night clubs in Xi'an are not abundant. All clubs play the same music, a mix of Chinese disco and some pop music. Most people go out between 22:00 and 01:00, but clubs are generally open until 04:00.

Be mentally prepared to be aggressively approached by club operators desperate for patrons.

In summer time, the area around South Gate (南门) is beautiful. East of it are three nice bars with terraces and gardens.

Along the short Nandajie (南大街) are the most clubs (you can also eat on the street as there are restaurants open past midnight).



Other options include:



Sleep
As with most Chinese cities, several cheap run down hotels can be found near the train station. There are a few decent ones inside the city walls, on a road called Jie Fang Lu, going directly south from the train station. Bargaining is possible, especially if you are staying for more than one night. Expect to pay under ¥100 for a single room as getting a room for as low as ¥30 is possible.

Budget
There are at least six international youth hostels in the center of the city, and they are easy to find.

Booking on the Internet will usually save you money, prices start around ¥15.



Splurge




Learn
Xi'an Jiaotong University is a locally prestigious institution that offers study programs to foreign students. The website of its school of international education is

Connect
It's not very easy to make friends with the locals in Xi'an, especially if you don't speak the language. Also the most common, or even the only way to keep in touch with anyone in China these days is through Wechat. The locals are mostly not used to using emails. However, in Defu Alley, you can find several bars where Football fans gather during the game seasons, which is a good place to socialize if you are interested in football. Also you may have chances at making friends in Coffee shops too, as that's where new generations like to spend time with friends on weekends.

Stay safe
Xi'an is, like other Chinese cities, generally quite safe. Just watch out for pickpockets in crowds, on the bus, and during national holidays.

Cope
Look at the Beijing notes as they apply to Xi'an, too. Most importantly, take paper tissue with you to toilets.

Generally, Western style accommodation will have western toilets, whereas the very inexpensive guest house (zhao dai suo) will usually have squat toilets. If you need to use western toilets, learn to plan your day accordingly. Major tourist attractions will have western toilets. There seems to be an unwritten agreement that foreigners can use the toilets in most hotels as necessary.

If you arrive in Xi'an by train, try not to be overwhelmed when you exit Xi'an's train station. There are usually aggressive hotel touts looking for customers. Just insist that you already have a place to stay and tell them no, with a serious faced, 不要！ / Bú yào！

Be aware that the taxi drivers at the railway station and near to the airport bus drop off points like to work off-meter and will charge up to ten times the normal fare if they can. Do take this into the context of your country's exchange rate; what may be 10 times the local fare may only realistically be an insignificant monetary cost in your home currency. Also remember that although it may be more expensive than what the locals pay, it may be a small cost for the only available option to get you where you need to go.

It is a good idea to leave your bags at the left luggage office and then go into town to look for accommodation. This way you will not be overwhelmed by the burden of carrying your heavy bags or luggage around.

Go next

 * Xianyang was historically part of Xi’an and is closely integrated with Xi’an due to its close geographical proximity. You can reach Xianyang’s urban area just by taking a metro train. Lines 1 and 14 of the Xi’an Metro both connect Xi’an to Xianyang.
 * Chen Lu: 3 hours' drive north of Xi'an, this community of artisans has been producing pottery since the Tang dynasty. You need private transport, and the road is hazardous in winter. Take in the Yaozhouyao Kiln Museum, 90 km north of Xi'an on the old road to Chenlu Town. There's fine Yaozhou porcelain from the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), and the site of the original kiln.
 * Hu Kou Waterfall (壶口瀑布 Húkǒu Pùbù), 150 km north of Xi'an, can be combined with a trip to Huang Di Mausoleum. You need your own transport as the only bus of the day back to Xi'an departs around 10:00.
 * Huashan National Park (华山 Huàshān) 120 km east of Xi'an, takes only 35 min by high-speed train, or 90 min by conventional train or bus. Huashan is a 2160-m mountain with spectacular views; either hike up the 6 km trail (4–6 hours) or take the 10 minute cable car for ¥70 (though the cable car often has lines lasting 2 hours.) Try to catch sunrise on the East peak, but it's cold up there. Accommodation is available but pricey.
 * Louguan (楼观), 60 km southwest of Xi'an and two hours by bus, is the base for seeing Louguantai National Park, a Daoist temple complex. A further 2 km west is Daqin Pagoda (大秦塔 Dà Qín Tǎ), a seven-story octagonal tower, probably Buddhist and from the 11th century. But "Daqin" means Roman or Middle Eastern in early Chinese, and some claim the tower was built in 640 AD by Nestorians, Assyrian Christians who reached China via Persia and the Silk Road. It's far-fetched but has done wonders for the tourist trade.