Terracotta Warriors
In 1979 The Museum of Terra-Cotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shihuang was opened. In 1987, it was listed as a world cultural heritage site by UNESCO. Excavation has continued for over 20 years.
Now, the Terra-Cotta Warriors (兵马俑, Bingmayong) is undoubtedly the number 1 tourist attraction in Xi’an and one of the top historical attractions in China. The site consists of 3 pits, simply named “pit 1”, “pit 2” and “pit 3”.
Pit 1 is the largest and most impressive of the three. Up until now, about 2000 pottery warriors and horses have been unearthed and it is expected that up to 6000 warriors and 50 chariots were buried. Pit 2 contains chariots, soldiers and archers. Pit 3 is considered the “headquarters” of the underground army. It contains over 60 warriors, 4 horses and a chariot.
The level of detail applied to the warriors is most impressive. Each warrior has a unique face. Many of the warriors held real weapons. Metal weapons were treated to resist corrosion so some of them were still sharp when they were unearthed. Visitors are allowed to take photos within the vaults.
City Wall
- Size:The sloped, rectangular wall is 14 kilometers (8 miles long) and encloses the old center of Xi'an.However, only the southern half of the Xi'an city wall has been significantly restored and rebuilt. But that portion runs over 5 kilometers (3 miles) and is striking.The height of the Xi'an City Wall of today averages 12 meters (40 feet).
- Design:Each side of the rectangular wall has a gate. Each corner of the wall has an imposing watchtower.Between those watchtowers are smaller lookouts in the form of projecting ramparts. They are spaced at 120 meter (400 foot) intervals. This assures that arrows can reach any point along the wall where the enemy may be attacking.The wall between the ramparts is crenelated (notched) for shooting and shielding. The Xi'an crenatures once numbered 5,894
- Wall roadway:There is an 11 meter (30 foot) wide roadway on top of the wall. It was designed to allow a large number of soldiers to move rapidly to any section that was being attacked. Today, the roadway is a promenade enjoyed by strolling tourists (good views) and bicyclists (you can rent bikes on the wall).
- Construction:The Xi'an city wall was constructed in 1378. It replaced a city wall that was built during the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
- Location: Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province, is about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) southeast of Beijing
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
This famous Buddhist pagoda is situated inside Da Ci'en (Thanksgiving) Temple, which is four kilometers south of Xi’an City. Tang Emperor Gaozong (628-683) commissioned the building of this temple in 652 during the Tang Dynasty as a tribute to his mother who suffered an early death. Its purpose was to house the translations of the Buddhist scriptures. The pagoda experienced many alterations in the past centuries. First built to a height of 197 feet at five stories, it is now 211.6 feet with an additional two stories. The pagoda’s square conical structure is simple but very sturdy and regarded as a masterpiece of Buddhist architecture.
It is called Giant Wild Goose Pagoda because of an old legend. One day, the monks ran out of meat and thus, they asked Bodhisattva to give them some. Suddenly, a goose which was the leading of a flock of geese flying overhead breaks its wing and drops to the ground in front of the monks. The monks took this to be a sign that they would be more pious and thus, they stopped eating meat. This pagoda was built where the goose fell.
Now the pagoda and the temple is surrounded by beautiful fountains that light up at night to create a breathtaking night scene that can not be missed. Come see this grand sight and witness the history of Chinese Buddhism!
Mt.Hua
Huashan Mountian is located some 240 kilometers away from Xi'an, approximately a two and half hours drive. It is one of the five sacred mountains in China. Huashan Mountain is well-known for its sheer cliffs and plunging ravines. It is the most dangerous mountain in China for climbers.
There are five peaks in the mountain, among which the most famous three are Sunrise Peak ( East Peak), Lotus Flower Peak( West Peak), Falling Goose Peak( South Peak). The Sunrise Peak is a fine place to enjoy the sunrise view in early morning, which is frequented by travelers. Huashan means flower mountain and it got the name from the Lotus Peak, which resemble a beautifully blooming lotus flower. The falling Goose Peak is the highest among the five. The path to the 2158 summit is nearly vertical, which now is equipped with iron chains to protect climbers. The climb to its summit makes it clear how the impenetrable mountain repelled those invaders over centuries. Renewed as a sacred mountain, Huashan boast a lot of religious heritages. Buddhism and Daoism temples, pavilions, buildings and scriptures scatter around everywhere. The most famous historical sites include Yuquan Courtyard, Zhenwu Palace, Jintian Palace and much more. Cable cars are available and take tourists to the northern summit of the mountain. If you want to challenge your endurance and physical strength then choose to climb the mountain.
Shaanxi Provincial Museum
Shaanxi Provincial Museum is situated in the southern suburb of Xian City, northwest of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda since it was opened to the public in 1991, its architectural buildings, internal apparatus, and exhibits have made it famous as a first-class museum in China. The museum occupies an area of 65,000 square meters (16 acres). It is a grand complex of buildings imitating the architecture style of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). A primary pavilion stands in the center, and secondary pavilions of varying heights are distributed orderly around it. With black, white and grey as the predominant colors, the buildings have a solemn and rustic charm. The two-storied primary pavilion is divided into the following three main exhibition halls:
Basic Exhibition Hall
The Basic Exhibition Hall is composed of the No 1 exhibition hall, the No 2 exhibition hall and the No 3 exhibition hall, marked by time order. The No 1 exhibition on the first floor hall displays the articles used during the period from Qin Dynasty. This exhibition contains rough stone tools used by the ape man, the pottery, bronze sacrificial vessels, weapons and terracotta figures. By visiting the No 2 Exhibition Hall on the second floor, you will gain a general understanding of the historical process from Han Dynasty to the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Papermaking, one of China's great inventions, and some important historical events are portrayed on the scroll painting. The No 3 Exhibition Hall on the second floor is dedicated to articles in the dynasties: the Sui, the Tang, the Song, the Yuan, the Ming and the Qing. The model of the grand Chang'an City (Xian) during the Sui and the Tang, the shiny silver and gold utensils, pottery figures and the high-quality chinaware all await to be relished by the eyes.
Theme Exhibition Hall
To the west of the Basic Exhibition Hall lies the Theme Exhibition Hall. The hall is 2,500 square meters and usually features a variety of theme exhibitions. The exhibitions in this hall are often theme-oriented to show the history or the culture relics of Shaanxi Province, such as the 'Shanxi Bronze Ware Exhibition', the 'Shaanxi Pottery Figure Exhibition' and the 'Buddhist Culture Relic Exhibition'. A fresco hall is under construction, in which visitors will be able to enjoy the frescos unearthed from the tombs of the Tang Dynasty and explore the social life of that time.
East Exhibition Hall
The East Exhibition Hall, equal in size to the Theme Exhibition Hall, is also on the first floor and to the east of the basic hall. It is used for contemporary exhibitions of high quality. The duration of the exhibitions varies depending on the exhibition theme. The various exhibition themes, high-grade exhibition design and lively exhibition forms will surely please your eyes. Exhibitions of the frescos, the culture relics, the folkways, the fine arts and the calligraphy are conducted continuously
Small Wild Goose Pagoda
The Small Wild Goose Pagoda stands in the Jianfu Temple in the southern suburb of Xian City, Shaanxi Province. It was built in the year 707 during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). As it is newer and smaller than the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the name was given to distinguish the two. Unlike the grand Big Wild Goose Pagoda, it is dainty and exquisite in its appearance. It is an important cultural relic and one of the remaining symbols of ancient Chang'an (the name of Xian in the Tang Dynasty).
The construction of the pagoda is a wonder. Because Xian is located in an area where earthquakes sometimes occur, the pagoda base is made from packed earth in the shape of a hemisphere. In case of an earthquake, the pressure can be evenly divided, thus the pagoda has remained standing after over seventy earthquakes. After so many earthquakes, only the pinnacle and the two upper floors (the original pagoda had fifteen stories) have been damaged. Remarkably, cracks in the pagoda which have occurred during earthquakes have been closed by quakes that came later.
A giant iron bell 3.5 meters (11.4 feet) in height and about 10 tons in weight resides in the Jianfu Temple. It makes a magnificent clear sound that can be heard more than three miles away. The elegant pagoda along with the bell is known as 'The Morning Bell Chimes of the Pagoda' and is considered one of the eight major cultural sites in the province. It is really worthwhile visiting this ancient Buddhist pagoda.