Tour Xi'an

Xi'an
Xi'an, the historical city, was called Chang'an in ancient times, and is now the capital of Shaanxi province. Xi'an is situated in the center of Weihe Plain with the towering and verdant Mt. Qinling in the south, with the meandering and rolling Beishan mountain system in the north and eight rivers around it, all of which are at Guang Zhong Plain (the center of passes). Historically, it was famous for being called "a gold city stretching a thousand li" with its fertile soil, mild climate, adequate rainfall and rich products. Xi'an has a long history. Since the earliest societies, humanity lived and multiplied here. It served as a capital for twelve dynasties, including the Western Zhou, Qin, Western Han, Sui and Tang dynasties, spanning over 1120 years. It became the oriental cultural center of the Silk Road. Many dynasties kept the city beautiful and magnificent. More than two hundred and seventy palaces and temples, for example, were built in the Qin dynasty, in the Han dynasty the "Three Han Palaces", namely Changle, Weiyang, Jianzhang Palaces, and numerous other palaces and watch towers were built. In the City of Chang'an of the Sui and Tang dynasties, luxurious palaces sprang up like tree, of which Taiji, Daming and Xingqing Palaces and the forbidden garden of the Tang dynasty to the north of the town were very large. Now, from these architectural sites people still can imagine the general picture of what Chang'an City was like, then. All the emperors of the Qin, Han, Tang and other dynasties had their magnificent mausoleums built. Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum at the foot of Lishan Hill in Lintong county, for example, is the earliest example of a grand mausoleum for an emperor in ancient China. The twelve emperors of the Western Han dynasty were mostly buried on the plateau to the north of the Weihe River. Their tomb-mounds were man-made and quite imposing, but emperors of the Tang dynasty began to have their bombs constructed into hills. They are scattered in the counties to the north of the Weihe River and called the "Eighteen Tang Mausoleums". In front of these mausoleums were erected huge stone carvings, while inside them were exquisite funeral objects and colorful murals, a feast for one's eyes. Some of the monasteries and Buddhist pagodas constructed in many dynasties have remained well preserved, including the most famous ones, as the Big Wild Goose (Da Yan) Pagoda in Ci'en Temple and the Small Wild Goose (Xiao Yan) Pagoda in Jianfu Temple. The bronze wares of ancient China are an important example of the splendid culture that reflect this slave society. Feng and Hao in the Xi'an area, which were the capitals of the Western Zhou dynasty, have been acclaimed as "the Home of the Bronze wares", as a wealth of bronze items unearthed from there, over the years. It was quite popular to put up stone tablets in front of tombs to record the merits and achievements of the departed, in many dynasties, and a great deal of stone tablets and calligraphy data remain to this day. So Xi'an is also famous for being "the Home of Calligraphy".

Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses
The Museum of Terracotta Army is the world-famous museum that is constructed on the site of its findings. The main exhibits of the museum are three exposed pits with clay warriors and horse, as well as the hall of the two bronze chariots and horses. Approximately 8,000 clay warriors and horses, more then 10,000 bronze weapons have been found in the pit. The museum is like a treasure house of Qin Dynasty’s military affairs, science and technology, art and culture. It has been listed as an UNESCO “World Heritage Site”. Today the Eighth Wonder of the World” has become a synonym for the well-known terracotta army. The terracotta figures were manufactured both in workshops by government laborers and also by local craftsmen. The head, arms, legs and torsos were created separately and then assembled. Once assembled, intricate features such as facial expressions were added. It is believed that their legs were made in much the same way that terracotta drainage pipes were manufactured at the time. This would make it an assembly line production, with specific parts manufactured and assembled after being fired, as opposed to crafting one solid piece of terracotta and subsequently firing it. In those days, each workshop was required to inscribe its name on items produced to ensure quality control. This has aided modern historians in verifying that workshops that once made tiles and other mundane items were commandeered to work on the terracotta army. Upon completion, the terracotta figures were placed in the pits in precise military formation according to rank and duty. The terracotta figures are also life-like and life-sized. They vary in height, uniform and hairstyle in accordance with rank. The colored lacquer finish, individual facial features, and actual weapons and armor from battle were used in manufacturing these figures created a realistic appearance. The original weapons were stolen by robbers shortly after the creation of the army and the coloring has faded greatly. So if you know more about the terracotta, you will know more about china’s first Dynasty.

Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Big Wild Goose Pagoda is one of the most famous Buddhist pagodas in China. The Pagoda was built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) for the study of Buddhist scriptures. Although it has been attacked by centuries of weather, war and seismic activity, which destroyed most of the original material of the structure, a pagoda by this name and style still exists on the site. The storeyed pagoda is an architectural marvel. It was built with layers of bricks without any cement. The bracket style used in traditional Chinese architecture was also used in the construction of the pagoda. The seams between each layer of bricks and the " prisms' on each side of the pagoda are clearly visible. The grand body of the pagoda with its solemn appearance, simple style and high structure, is indeed a good example of Chinese traditional architecture. As the symbol of the old-line Xian, Big Wild Goose Pagoda is a well-preserved ancient building and a holy place for Buddhists. It is located in the southern suburb of Xian City, about 4 kilometers (2.49 miles) from the downtown of the city. Standing in the Da Ci'en Temple complex, it attracts numerous visitors for its fame in the Buddhist religion, its simple but appealing style of construction, and its new square in front of the temple. As for the reason why it is called Big Wild Goose Pagoda, there is a legend. According to ancient stories of Buddhists, there were two branches, for one of which eating meat was not a taboo. One day, they couldn't find meat to buy. Upon seeing a group of big wild geese flying by, a monk said to himself: 'Today we have no meat. I hope the merciful Bodhisattva will give us some.' At that very moment, the leading wild goose broke its wings and fell to the ground. All the monks were startled and believed that Bodhisattva showed his spirit to order them to be more pious. They established a pagoda where the wild goose fell and stopped eating meat. Hence it got the name "Big Wild Goose Pagoda"

Ancient City Wall
The first landmark visitors will encounter in Xi'an is the ancient city wall, which stretches round the old city. The northern side runs parallel to the railway. Xi'an was originally a walled city, and even today the wall is considered a landmark dividing the city into the inner part and the outer part. The city wall is massive - tall, long and thick. The South Gate and North Gate are the two main entrances to the inner city. The city itself is neatly arranged along the city wall. The Wall was established in the 3rd year of Hongwu Period of the Ming Dynasty(1370 A.D.) in a rectangular form with a perimeter of 13.79 km and an area of 11.47 km2. It is 12 meters tall, 14 meters wide at the top and 18 meters thick at the base with 18 gates and a surrounding moat, being the only best preserved large ancient fortress in China. Anyuan Gate, the north gate, at the end of Welcome Avenue, is the must entry gate to the City from the airport and the central station. According to the historic records, when the honored guests arrived at the gate, several armored guards would stand on the both sides, chanting "Open the Gate" at the same time and pulling the 2 scarlet doors out, meanwhile, guided by the ladies with lanterns in their hands, the officers would present the "welcoming wines" and issue the “visa” to every guest, then the guests would be allowed to walk on the red carpet, guarded by the officers and ladies to enter the city, then another officer would chop his "visa" with a scarlet seal. This is truly the special welcome ceremony of the Tang.

Shannxi Museum
The museum occupies an area of 65,000 square meters. 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 museum is furnished with central air-conditioning and multi-functional lighting system to ensure the protection of the culture relics. It is a comprehensive museum with more than 370,000 exhibits of different times and kinds. The two-storied primary pavilion is divided into the following three main exhibition halls: The General Exhibition Hall This hall covers 6,000 square meters and displays more than 2, 000 artifacts. The hall can be divided into three parts: the Entrance Hall, the Shanxi Local Historic Exhibition Room and the Main Room. The Shanxi Local Historic Exhibition Room is arranged into seven small parts to separate relics from the Prehistoric Period, the Zhou, Qin, Han, Wei, Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Sui Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty, and the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, with a focus on social development from the Stone Age to the decline of China's imperial era in 1840. The Local Themes Exhibition Hall Many themed items reflecting Shaanxi's characteristic local culture are displayed in this hall, including the Silk Road Exhibition and the Yaozhou Porcelain Exhibition. Yaozhou (Radiance Prefecture) Porcelain comes from the Yaozhou Kiln. The kiln was once five kilometers long, located in what is now Tongchuan (Copper River), a small prefecture in the middle of Shaanxi. It operated as one of the four main kilns in northern China from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Excavations of the kiln site have yielded over 5,000 pieces of porcelain. The Temporary Exhibition Hall This hall is mainly used for temporary exhibitions from home and abroad. The most impressive exhibits here are the murals from the Tang Dynasty tombs. The murals are of great value to the exploration of the Tang Dynasty's social life and its grand culture.

Huashan Mountain
Huashan (Hua means brilliant, Chinese, or flowery; shan means mountain) is one of the five sacred Taoist mountains in China. Huashan boasts a lot of religious sites: Taoist temples, pavilions, and engraved scriptures are scattered over the mountain. Hua Mountain is well-known for its sheer cliffs and plunging ravines. It is known as “the most precipitous mountain under heaven” and is probably the most dangerous mountain in the world frequented by hikers. Hua Mountain is located 120 kilometers east of Xi'an, about 3 hours from the city centre. There are five peaks that make up the mountain: Cloud Terrace Peak (North Peak, 1613m), Jade Maiden Peak (Middle Peak, 2042m), Sunrise Peak (East Peak, 2100m), Lotus Peak (West Peak, 2038m) and Landing Wild Goose Peak (South Peak, 2160m). North Peak, the lowest of the five, is the starting point. It has three ways up it: the six kilometer winding track from Huashan village, the cable car or the path beneath it. Next on the route is Jade Maiden Peak. Legend has it that a jade maiden was once seen riding a white horse among the mountains, hence the name. The hikers can choose to take a left to Sunrise Peak, a fine place to enjoy the view of the sunrise in early morning (which would involve climbing the mountain in the dark as there is nowhere to stay on the mountain). Alternatively visitors could take a right to Lotus Peak. Huashan means Flower Mountain, and it got the name from Lotus Peak, which resembles a beautifully blooming lotus flower. Finally there is a gondola which takes visitors across a steep valley to Landing Wild Goose Peak, the highest among the five summits. The path to the summit is characterized by steep rock faces, with obstacles including a foot-wide plank walkway fixed to a sheer rock face with only a chain along the rock for support. The route continues with footholds in the rock and a chain for holding. This is followed by a vertical ladder in a cleft in the rock. Finally there are steep stone steps. The South Peak is not for the faint of heart and is particularly dangerous in winter weather. However, the views are breathtaking. The climb to its summit makes it clear how the impenetrable mountain repelled attackers over the centuries.