Overview
Previously known as Changan in history, Xian (meaning West Peace in
Chinese) is located in central Shaanxi , at a river valley along the Yellow
River . The city of Xian (population 6 million) was the first Chinese city to
open up its doors to the ancient world, not in 1980 under the Open Door
policy, but in fact during the Tang dynasty (618-907) when Xian boomed as the
first 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.
The culture of Xian is inherited from the traditions of one of the worlds
earliest civilizations. Among the many dynasties, Xian was capital to, Qin
Dynasty, the first empire of China; Tang, the Summit of Chinas ancient history,
have left the city with the most abundant heritages.
The Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the Qin period, an underground army
of the first emperor defending his afterlife, is regarded as the eighth wonder
of the world. Tang Dynasty has endowed Xian even more relics and spread its
fame to the West via the Silk Road . The surviving evidence like Wild Goose
Pagoda, Huaqing Hot Spring, Famen Buddhist Temple can all date back to that
glorious era. the city wall, dating from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), is still
visible in places. It is the site of several educational institutions and
numerous temples and pagodas. It has a large Muslim quarter which is the home to
the beautiful 1,360 year old Great Mosque of Xian.
The total area of Xian is 10,000sq.km. The population has just broken
through 8 million; about 5 million people live in the city area. It is the
largest and most developed city in the central to northwestern part of China and
is ranked among the 10 largest cities in the nation. There is so much to see in
and around Xian to keep even the most energetic visitor busy for a week or two.
This makes Xian one of the most pleasant cities to get acquainted with Chinese
culture and history - a destination for tens of thousands of foreign and Chinese
tourists alike every year.
Attractions
Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum
The excavations kept going since then. The first pit was finished in 1974,
which is built with earth and timber, measuring 210 meters long, 60 meters wide
and 4.6 to 6.5 meters high, larger than a football field, containing more than
6,000 pottery figures. The life-sized warriors were dressed and appeared ready
for battle with their spears and various other weapons. Each warrior with a
height of 1.8 meters wears an army uniform, which distinguishes the soldiers
ranks. Three rows of seventy warriors each make up the vanguard. They are
followed the main body of the army, 38 rows of troops. The terracotta figures of
warriors and horses are well modeled and proportioned. The heads and hands were
modeled separately and then attached. Each warrior has different features and
facial expression. No two are the same. Uniformly strong and firm in appearance,
they vary in individual aspects according to age, experience and social status.
Some warriors have brows knitted and mouths set like veteran fighters with rich
experience and wisdom. Others have eyebrows arched and show the fiery boldness
and impetuosity of young warriors. They are also those with sternly fixed jaws
and determined eyes. Curled moustaches and a cavalier air distinguish the
others.Discovered in 1974, Xian Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Site is one of the
most important archaeological finds in the 20 th century. First chamber was
discovered accidentally when 9 local farmers drilled a well for water.
Pit 2 was found in 1976, and excavation began in 1994. This pit contains
1,400 warriors. The second pit differs greatly from the first one, primarily
because of its square battle formation. This pit also contains 64 cavalrymen and
even commanders to guide the troops. This display of soldiers gives insight into
the work that went into the ancient Chinese army.
Pit 3 was discovered in 1980. Though small, the pit is thought to be the
garrison headquarter of the Qin army. It has only one chariot, six warriors and
a small amount of weapons.
Chinese scientists have finally solved a lengthy riddle of where the 8,000
terracotta warriors were made that were unearthed in the 1970s from the tomb of
Qin Shihuang, the first emperor who unified China. After 3-year joint research
project, scientists reached the conclusion that the world-renowned terracotta
warriors were created close to where they were excavated. The purpose of making
these warriors and horses was to sustain and protect the spirit of their ruler
for all the time.
In 1987 Xian Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum was listed in the World
Heritages sites.
Xian Old City Wall
Built 600 years ago (1374 - 1378) in the Ming Dynasty, the Wall was added
on the Tang Dynasty walls. Being the most prominent walls built after medieval
time, it is also the best-kept and biggest city walls in Xian.
Since the location of Xian gives it strategic military importance, the
Walls are very tall and were fortified. The eastern wall measures 2,590 meters,
the western wall is 2,631.2 meters, the southern wall measures 3,441.6 meters,
and the northern wall is 3,244 meters, totaling 11,906.8 meters. By the end of
2004 a total of 13.74 kilometer-long walls have been connected.
The brick city wall forms a rectangle running 3.4 kilometers east-west and
2.6 kilometers north-south. Its circumference is 14 kilometers and it
encompasses 11.5 square kilometer. The wall is 12 meters tall; it measures 15-18
meters in width at the base and 12-14 meters on top. On each side there is a
city gate, over which the various towers majestically stand. There are four
gates such as the East Gate (Everlasting Happiness), the West Gate (Eternal
Stability), the North Gate (Pacifying the Outlying Areas) and the South Gate
(Eternal Peace). The West Gate is the most impressive. The double gate system
played an important role in repulsing enemy attacks. If the first gate were
breached, the enemy would still find themselves outside the city wall and would
be fired upon from the tower over the inner gate. Together the watchtowers,
ramparts, and ninety-eight defense towers form an extremely tight system for
military.
Shaanxi Provincial Museum
Shaanxi History Museum was built from 1983, and was finished on June 20th,
1991 and open to the public. The museum has an area of 65,000 square meters,
building place 55,600 square meters, cultural relics storerooms of 8,000 square
meters, exhibition halls of 11,000 square meters with a collection of 370000
pieces of relics. The museum is an architecture of Tang style, Hall in center,
storied buildings in corners, elegant and dignified, magnificent scale,
combination of traditional architecture and modern science, which completely
embodied folk tradition, local feature, and epoch spirit.
Shaanxi is the imperial capital since ancient times, and more than 13
feudal dynasties built their capitals there in history including Zhou, Qin, Han,
Tang. The province is rich in cultural relics. With the completion of Shaanxi
History Museum, it collected over 370,000 precious relics, which were unearthed
in Shaanxi Province with large quantities, full categories, and high grade. The
bronze wares, pottery figures, and mural paintings in Tang tombs and so on, are
all wonderful artistic treasures.
It is one of the most important museums in China, the best representative
of the region.
Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Situated inside Cien Temple (4 kilometers south of Xian City), it is one
of the famous Buddhist pagodas in China. Sponsored by Tang Emperor Gaozong
(628-683, reigned 650-683), the temple was first built in 652 during the Tang
Dynasty as a symbol of thanksgiving to his mother for her kindness who had
suffered an early death.
To protect the scriptures and statues brought back from India by Monk Xuan
Zang (602-664), he made a proposal to imperial court for building a pagoda
inside the temple. The proposal was approved and a pagoda named the Big Wild
Goose Pagoda was first erected in 652 during Tang Dynasty.
The pagoda experienced many vicissitudes in the past centuries. The present
structure boasts five stories with 59.9 meters in height and the base of the
pagoda is 4.2 meters totaling 64.1 meters in height. Legend tells that one day a
group of big wild geese flew over, suddenly one of them dropped from the sky and
died on the ground. Monks were at a loss and did not know what to do. They said
that the dead wild goose was a Buddha. They buried the goose and a pagoda was
erected, hence the name ? the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda
of Xian is a structure of imposing grandeur.
Xian Forest of Stele Museum (Stele Museum)
Established in 1090 during the Northern Song Dynasty, the Stele Forest in
Xian is known worldwide for a fine collection of more than 1,000 inscribed stone
monuments engraved during the period from the Han to the Qing dynasties for more
than 2,000 years.
The Stele Forest in Xian is not only a treasure house of ancient Chinese
calligraphy, but also a rich collection of Chinas historical documents and
records and stone carving patterns. These steles record a part of the great
achievements of the Chinese culture and a testimony to the cultural exchanges
between China and other parts of the world.
The museum, which used to be a holy temple of Confucius, is now a tranquil
place in typical Chinese style. The stone tablets, which ages range from 4,000
years to the 20th century, were collected over the past 900 years from all over
China. For archaeologists, steles are reliable storytellers. With nearly 10,000
pieces in the collection, the museum is like an encyclopedia of ancient
China.
Many people accredit the Forest of Steles as the Cradle of Calligraphy
and Birthplace of Stele Engravings.
Huaqing Hot Spring
Huaqing Hot Spring is situated about 25 km away in the northeast of Xian.
It used to be a former winter resort for emperors. Its natural beauty and many
historical episodes connected with this spot are the attractions. Emperor You of
Western Zhou Dynasty (8th BC) was the first developer of the place, and he built
a palace here. Emperors of following 11 dynasties made it as their resort as
well.
The spot didnt gain national reputation until 747, when Emperor Xuan Zang
(685-762, reigned 712-756) of the Tang Dynasty extended the palaces and built
Huaqing Hot Pool for him and his concubine Yang Guifei, using water from the
natural hot spring, hence the name Huaqing Hot Spring.
The resort is located at the foot of the Mount Lishan. The springs were
founded 3,000 years ago. They have a voluminous, regular flow and a constant
temperature of around 43 degree Celsius (109.4 F). The water contains various
minerals, which makes it suitable for medication and bathing as well.
At present, Huaqing Hot Spring is a recreational center open to public,
with all the old imperial halls and pavilions renovated. Over a hundred new
bathing pools have been added to accommodate more people at a time.
Banpo Museum
Located on the eastern outskirts of Xian, the Banpo Museum is the first
on-location prehistoric relics museum in China. The five excavations lasted from
1953 to 1957. Visitors from home and abroad can see how villagers in a
matriarchal clan community lived in the Yellow River reaches some 6,000 years
ago.
Encompassing some 50,000 square meters, the museum consists of dwelling
areas, a pottery-making center, and a burial ground. The size of the habitation
area is about 30, 000 square meters. One fifth of the whole village (about
10,000 square meter) has already been exhumed with a surrounding moat about 5
meters deep and 6 meters wide. The cemetery is located north of the moat. To the
east is the pottery-making center. The distribution of the habitation area, the
pottery-making center and the cemetery reflects the Banpo peoples idea of
planning. Among the ruins are 46 dwellings, 2 domestic animal pens, more than
200 storage pits, six pottery kilns and 250 graves, including 73 burial jars for
children. About 10, 000 artifacts have been exhumed, together with a large
number of animal bones and fruit pits.
The museum is composed of three exhibition halls for cultural relics, a
main exhibition hall on the site and a temporary exhibition hall. Exhibits on
display include tools and utensils. The museum was set up and opened to the
public in 1958, renovated around 2005.
The Grand Mosque
During the prosperous Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) large number of Moslems
traveled the world famous Silk Road to Changan (former Xian) bringing Islam to
China. With the support of Tang Emperor Xuanzong (685-762, reigned 712-756),
they established the Great Mosque in 742. It is well-preserved example of
cultural merging, having been renovated several times and preserved by the
Chinese Government.
The Mosque exhibits the signification of overseas architecture. From the
carvings and furniture inside to the eaved pagoda for the minaret, Chinese
influence is apparent. However, Arabic and West Asian styles prevail in the
Great Hall of the Mosque, which was built mainly in the 14th century.
Inscriptions are in Arabic, but the characters are sometimes arranged like
Chinese styles. The library includes many books in the Arabic style, which were
actually written in China. It is the largest of the four mosques still in
operation in the city of Xian. Encompassing approximately 4,000 square meters,
it is still an active Moslem temple.
Dining
Traditionally decorated Chinese restaurants are a wonder to behold in Xian,
and are a welcome break from modern yet sterile Chinese restaurants back
home.
Yangrou Paomo is a tasty xian specialty that consists of a mutton soup
served with wheat flour flat bread. The hard bread is broken up and added to the
soup. Then the mixture is eaten along with pickled garlic cloves. It makes for a
hearty, filling meal that is not very expensive. This xian specialty can be
found at several restaurants that have become famous for their delicious Yangrou
paomo, as well as a small mom and pop restaurants throughout Xian. Xiguan
Beef and Lamb Paomo Restaurant, Tong Sheng Xiang Beef and Lamb Paomo Restaurant,
and Chunfasheng Paomo Restaurant are all good places to go for this tasty
meal.
Yet another interesting culinary experience in Xian is the Xian Dumpling
banquet. This was first started in 1984 by the Xian Dumpling Feast Restaurant
on Jiefang Road, offers up to 108 different kinds of Chinese dumplings ( Jiaozi
). Now the most popular restaurant for this is De Fa Chang Restaurant.
Shopping
Department Stores
Located between the ancient Bell tower and Drum tower, Century Ginwa
Shopping Mall is a landscaped square with profound cultural connotations as well
as a high quality, exclusive shopping center. The mall opened in 1998 and now
houses over sixty world-famous brands for discriminating customers, including
Bally, Burberry, Dior, Givenchy, Lancome, Estee Lauder, and other all of which
make Ginwa a fashion center in Xian
Opposite Ginwa is Kai Yuan Shopping Mall, one of the biggest department
stores in Xian. Both the price and the quality of the commodities and the sales
service are often praised by shoppers, who have made it one of the most popular
shopping places in Xian..
Supermarkets
Supermarkets are numerous in Xian and are primarily distributed around
universities and communities. However, there are some in the city center and the
suburbs that are also easily accessible. The most famous include Vanguard, Ai
Jia (IGA), Hao You Duo (Trust-Mart), Yi Chu Lian Hua (Lotus Supercenter), Ren
Ren Le, etc.