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Brief Introduction of Xian |
| Xi'an is one of the most important
cities in China's history and nowadays. It was the first Chinese
city to open up its doors to the Ancient world during the Tang
dynasty when Xian blossomed as the first and important stop
on the Silk Road.?Over a period of more than 2000 years, Xian
was the capital for eleven dynasties. Along with Rome and Constantinople,
this city was a world leader in culture and trade and played
a vital role in bridging the gap between east and west. Many
of the sites to visit are outside Xian and the surrounding countryside
offers a treasure trove of historical and religious relics.
Being a major tourist destination and historical city, today
Xian is also an important industrial and manufacturing center.
Despite the incredible history that Xian carries, it is a modern
and prosperous area. |
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Xian Sightseeing Highlights |
[Xian Ancient City Wall]
Xian Ancient City Wall is the most complete city wall survived in
China as well as one of the largest ancient military defensive
systems in the world. The wall was built in the Tang dynasty
(618 -907) and enlarged in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). The
construction of the Xian City was formally started in the seventh
year of Emperor Hongwu reign (1374) and completed in the eleventh
year of Hongwu reign (1378). After its completion, the circumference
of the city wall was 13.75 kilometers long in an oblong shape.
Its height is 12 meters; its top is 12-14 meters wide and its
base, 15-18 meters wide. |
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[The Shaanxi Provincial Museum]
This roomy, modern museum contains over 370,000 relicss chronicling Shaanxi civilization and culture from as far as prehistoric times. The collection is strong in ceramics, bronzes, jade pieces, gold and silver items, ancient coins, and calligraphy mainly from the pre-ming periods. |
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 [Bell
Tower]
Bell Tower is the most well-preserved and best-known one among
many ancient cities of China. The Bell Tower was originally
built in the Yingxiang Temple in 1384, at the intersection of
West Street and Guangji Street. Then in 1582, it was moved to
its present pivotal position, in the very heart of the city
at the junction of four main streets extending to the east,
south, west and north, for rebuilding and later restorations.
With magnificent carved beams and painted rafters, this classical
building is truly elegant. |
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The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant
archeological excavations of the20th century. It has been regarded
as THE 8TH WONDER OF THE WORLD!
Over 2,200 years ago,the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang
in search of immortality, ordered the construction of a vast
army of 8,000 life-sized Terra Cotta warriors and buried with
him to protect his empire after his early death. They were discovered
accidentally in 1974 by farmers digging a well. For history
lovers, the sight is truly breathtaking. |
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 [Big
Wild Goose Pagoda]
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda, one of the main constructions in
the famous Buddhist temple-Da-Ci-En Temple is situated at south
of the Xian city. The pagoda is one of the most distinctive
and outstanding landmarks for Xian.
Known as the best-preserved Buddhist temple complex, the Da-Ci-En
Temple was initially built in 589, during the Sui Dynasty (581-618),
named as Wulou Temple. Later in AD 647 of the Tang Dynasty,
the temple was rebuilt in memory of Empress Wende- the mother
of Emperor Tang Gaozong. The temple subsequently gained its
present name.
In AD 652, the Big Goose Pagoda was built to store the sutras
and the figurines of Buddha, which were brought from India by
a famous Buddhist translator and traveler Tang Sanzang, also
known by his Buddhist name as Xuanzang. The Big Goose Pagoda
is a brick-tower architecture, with a height of 64 meters (210
miles), occupies a base 25 meters by 25 meters (82 feet) square.
Its walls and doors are carved with vivid and exquisite figures
of Buddha, reflecting the profundity in the paintings of the
Tang Dynasty. |
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[Little Wild Goose
Pagoda]
The Little Wild Goose Pagoda is located in the Jianfu Temple.
The pagoda gets its name because it is smaller than the Big
Wild Goose Pagoda, although it is more stories high and more
important in the architecture history. It was completed in 709
A.D., when Buddhism was firmly established in China. It was
built to store the sutras and the figurines of Buddha, which
were brought back from India by a famous Buddhist monk named
Yijing. It is said that the Little Wild Goose Pagoda had lost
several stories during an earthquake in the 1500s. However,
it still looks complete. It has finer detailing in the brickwork
than the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Above the arched doorways on
the first tier are Tang engravings of ivy designs and Buddhist
figures. The pagoda is part of a temple complex and monastery.
It is also possible to climb to the top of this structure. |
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About 80 kilometers west of Xian situated on Liangshan Hill,
Qianling was the joint tomb of Emperor Tang Gaozong (Li Zhi,
628 A.D.-683 A.D.) and Empress Wu Zetian (624 A.D.-705 A.D.),
the only Empress in Chinese history.
Qianling Tomb was built in 684 AD. According to the records,
the inner city, about 240 square meters, followed the rectangular
layout of Changan city with the gates on the four sides named:
the Phoenix (south gate), the Tortoise (north), the Black Dragon
(east) and the White Tiger (west). The city comprises the inner
city and the outer. Many splendid buildings such as dedicatory
halls and gate towers were built. |
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[Huaqing Hot Springs]
Huaqing Hot Springs are located 35 kilometers east of Xian city
at the foot of the Lishan Mountain in a large park where there
are a number of public baths and some modern palaces built in
the Tang style. The hot springs, rich in minerals, were highly
regarded more than 3000 years ago. The Tang Emperor Xuanzong
often spent the winter here in the company of his favorite concubine,
Yang Guifei. Shortly afterwards, however, all the buildings
were destroyed by war. The new baths constructed in 1956 include
one called the Bath of Yang Guifei ( Guifei - Honorable Concubine)
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[Drum Tower]
Built during the Ming dynasty (1380 A.D.), the Drum Tower is
located to the north of West Street. It is a very solemn and
magnificent classical building within Xian city. Its blue brick
foundation covers an area of 1804,3 square meters. The wooden
tower itself has two stories with three layers of eaves, each
story having seven rooms and a green glazed tile roof. Originally,
above the southern eave there was a plaque with the inscription,
Splendid Civil and Military Place" in big letters, and above
the northern eave there was a plaque inscribed Sound Can Be
Heard in the Sky in gold letters.
The Drum Tower is smaller than the Bell Tower. However, it is
just southeast of the Great Mosque and marks the entrance to
the Moslem quarter of Xian. |
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[Forest of Stone
Steles Museum]
Forest of Stone Steles Museum was initially established in AD
1087 when some precious stone steles were moved here for safe
keeping. With an area of 31,000 square meters, it has collections
of more than 1000 stone steles dated from Han to Qing Dynasties
(From 206 B.C to 1911 A.D) in Chinese history. Its contents
can be divided into four groups: works of literature and philosophy,
historical records, calligraphy and pictorial stones. |
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[Banpo Neolithic
Village Museum]
The museum is situated at the east bank of the Chang River
and in the north of Banpo Village on the eastern outskirts
of Xian City?which was built on the Banpo Site in 1957 and
formally opened to the public in 1958. It is the State key
cultural object under protection. Banpo Site is a comparatively
integrated commune village site rather typical of the matriarchy
(a Neolithic site of the Yangshao Culture at Banpo Village
on the eastern outskirts of Xian) in the Yellow River Valley
that was about 6000 years ago. Banpo had about 500 people
lived in the village. Visitors today can see the remains of
45 houses, 2 stables, more than 200 cellars, 6 kilns, and
about 250 graves.
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Flight Information |
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Train Information |
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Map of Xian |
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| Xian City
Map |
Provincal
Regional Map |
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Tour Search
[Qianling
Tomb]