Terra Cotta Warriors & Horses of Emperor Qin Shihuang The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. Work is ongoing at this site, which is around 1.5 kilometers east of Emperor Qin Shihuang’s Mausoleum. It is a sight not to be missed by any visitor to China. Upon ascending the throne at the age of 13 (in 246 BC), Qin Shihuang, later the first Emperor of all China, had work begun on his mausoleum. It took 11 years to finish. It is speculated that…

The Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the renowned oldest extant ancient architecture in Xian, is situated in Da Cien Temple, an ancient temple in the southern suburb of Xian with a history of thousands of years. This square cone-shaped, wood-like pagoda build with bricks joined layer upon lay, looks simple and magnificent with distinctive national features and the style of Tang Dynasty. It is the masterpiece of the Buddhist architecture. The historical record shows that in the 3rd year of the Reign of Yonghui (652AD), the accomplished monk Master Xuan Zang pleaded with emperor…

Introducing Great Mosque, Great Mosque Guide, Great Mosque Travel Guide, Great Mosque Information. Article from Xi'an Municipal Commission of Tourism The Great Mosque in Xian is one of the oldest, largest and best-preserved Islamic mosques in China and its location is northwest of the Drum Tower (Gu Lou) on Huajue Lane. According to historical records engraved on a stone tablet inside, this mosque was built in 742 during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). This was a result of Islam being introduced into Northwest China by Arab merchants and travelers from Persia and…

The Bell Tower stands right in the center of Xian, a 33-meter-high edifice with gray walls and a green glazed roof. Each face of the base of the building is pierced with an arched opening and each side of the Bell Pavilion, which stands on the platform, has an arched gateway as well. The Bell Tower first came into use during the reign of the Ming Emperor Yongle, which it was converted, from the main hall of the former Temple of Eternal Peace (Wanningsi), which had been built during the Yuan Dynasty. The new Bell Tower was destroyed by fire after only a…

Xian Drum Tower: General Introduction The Drum Tower, across the Bell Tower and Drum Tower Square, to the northwest of the Bell Tower is a similar structure to the Bell Tower. It was erected in 1380, also during the Ming Dynasty. The Drum Tower got its name from the huge drum hung within it. While bell was stricken at dawn, drum was beat at sunset to indicate the end of the day. The outside of the Drum Tower on its first floor, hangs many large drums. Each was decorated with some beautiful Chinese writing, which symbolizes good fortune. The impressive arrays of drums are only on show and visitors…

Xian Forest of Stone Steles: General Introduction Beilin means forest of stone steles in Chinese. Once the site of the Temple of Confucius during the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127), the Forest of Stone Steles Museum is situated on Sanxue Street, near the south gate of Xian City Wall. It was initially established in AD1087 when some precious stone steles were moved here for safe keeping, including the “Classic on Filial Piety” written by Emperor Xuanzong in AD 745 and “the Kaicheng Stone Steles’”carved in AD 837. With an area of 31,000 square…

Xian City Wall: General Introduction After the establishment of the Ming dynasty, the first Ming Emperor ordered the construction of Xian City Wall which was built partly on the ruins the old Tang dynasty (618 -907) Imperial Wall, creating the modern Xian City Wall. It’s the most complete city wall still existing in China, as well being one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world.  After the extension, the wall now stands 12 meters (40 feet) tall, 12-14 meters (40-46 feet) wide at the top and 15-18 meters (50-60 feet)…

Introducing Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Small Wild Goose Pagoda Guide, Small Wild Goose Pagoda Travel Guide. Article from Xi'an Municipal Commission of Tourism The Small Wild Goose Pagoda stands in the Jianfu Temple in the southern suburb of Xian City, Shaanxi Province. Small Wild Goose Pagoda 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…

The Huaqing Hot Springs is located in the Lintong District 30 km east to the urban area of Xian. With Mt. Lishan to its south and the Wei River to its north, it boasts the natural hot springs. The favorable geographical condition and natural environment make it one of the most famous resorts in history in China. Since ancient times, it has ever been a famous bathing and tourist destination. According to historical records and archeological discoveries Huaqing Hot Springs has a history of 6000 years for the use of hot springs and a history of 3000 years of being royal gardens.…

Introducing Banpo Neolithic Village, Banpo Neolithic Village Guide, Banpo Neolithic Village Travel Guide. Article from Xi'an Municipal Commission of Tourism The Banpo Neolithic Village is located in the eastern outskirt of Xian City, Shaanxi Province. As the first Banpo Neolithic Village at the prehistoric site, it was built at the base of the excavations of the Banpo site. Since Banpo Neolithic Village opened to the public formally in 1958, two million people have visited it. The Banpo Neolithic Village is a typical Neolithic matriarchal community of the Yangshao Culture dating…

Shaanxi History Museum: General Introduction Completed on June, 1991 and officially opened to public since then, Shaanxi History Museum covers a land area of 65,000 square meters with the exhibition area amounting to 11,000 square meters. Constructed in the style of Tang architecture “the central halls surrounded by high towers”, the large and elegant buildings have integrated the ancient architecture with modern technology. The Museum houses a collection of more than 370,000 pieces of precious cultural relics, large in quantity, complete in variety and high in grade. Among the treasures the mural paintings collected from about…

Introducing Mount Huashan, Mount Huashan Guide, Mount Huashan Travel Guide, Mount Huashan Information. Article from China Culture Mount Huashan in Huayin City, Shaanxi Province, is one of China’s Big Five mountains, the others being Mount Tai in Shandong Province, Mount Heng in Shanxi Province, Mount Song in Henan Province, and Mount Heng (another character in Chinese) in Hunan Province. Although its highest peak stands just 2,100 meters tall, Mount Huashan is nonetheless known as the "most precipitous mountain under heaven," and one of the 50 most popular scenic spots among…

Introducing Yangling Mausoleum of Han Dynasty, Yangling Mausoleum of Han Dynasty Guide. Article from The Government Website of Shaanxi Province The Yangling Mausoleum of the Han Dynasty (Hanyangling) is located at Zhangjiawan Village, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Xian City, Shaanxi Province. It is a joint tomb of Liu Qi, a notable emperor of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-220AD), and his empress, Empress Wang. Yangling Mausoleum of Han Dynasty was built in the year 153 AD and covers an area of 20 square kilometers (4,942 acres). It…

Introducing Famen Temple, Famen Temple Guide, Famen Temple Travel Guide, Famen Temple Information. Article from Xi'an Municipal Commission of Tourism In China, many temples house treasures and artifacts, but the sheer quantity and quality of treasures in the Famen Temple are rare. Situated in Famen Town of Fufeng County, about 120 kilometers (about 74.57 miles) west of Xian, Famen Temple is renowned for storing the veritable Finger Bone of the Sakyamuni Buddha. Famen Temple was established in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25--220), for carrying forward Buddhism. The most representative structures…

Introducing Qianling Mausoleum, Qianling Mausoleum Guide, Qianling Mausoleum Travel Guide. Article from China Culture The Tang Dynasty (618-907) witnessed the second climax in the construction of mausoleums inChina, following Qin and Han dynasties (221BC-220AD). The Tang imperial mausoleums are mostly built at the foot of mountains. Take Qianling, where Tang Emperor Gaozong was buried together with his wife Wu Zetian, for example. The Qianling Mausoleum is about 70 meters above the path leading to tombs before the mausoleum, and so is much more magnificent than Qin and Han grave mounds…