Xian
Xian, the eternal city, records the great changes of the Chinese nation just like a living history book. Called Chang'an in ancient times, Xian is one of the birthplaces of the ancient civilization in the Yellow River Basin area of the country. During Xian's 3,100 year development, 13 dynasties such as Western Zhou (11th century BC - 771 BC), Qin (221 BC - 206 BC), Western Han (206 BC - 24 AD) and Tang (618 - 907) placed their capitals here. So far, Xian enjoys equal fame with Athens, Cairo, and Rome as one of the four major ancient civilization capitals.
Xian is the capital of Shaanxi province, located in the southern part of the Guanzhong Plain. With the Qinling Mountains to the south and the Weihe River to the north, it is in a favorable geographical location surrounded by water and hills. It has a semi-moist monsoon climate and there is a clear distinction between the four seasons. Except for the colder winter, any season is relatively suitable for traveling.
The cultural and historical significance of Xian, as well as the abundant relics and sites, help Shaanxi enjoy the laudatory title of 'Natural History Museum'. The Museum of Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses is praised as 'the eighth major miracle of the world', Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang is listed on the World Heritage List, and the City Wall of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) is the largest and most intact Ming Dynasty castle in the world. In the city, there is the 3,000 years old Banpo Village Remains from the Neolithic Age (approximately from 8000 BC to 5000 BC), and the Forest of Stone Steles that holds 3,000 stone steles of different periods from the Han Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. Around Xian, the Famen Temple enjoys the reputation of being the 'forefather of pagodas and temples in Central Shaanxi,' because it holds the finger bones of Sakyamuni -- the founder of Buddhism. The natural landscape around Xian is also marvelous Mt.Huashan one of the five best-known mountains in China, is famous for its breath-taking cliffs and its unique characteristics.
Traditional downtown Xian refers to the area encircled by the city wall, this has now been expanded to encompass the area within the second ring road (Er' huan Lu). The Bell Tower is the geographical center of Xian and the four main streets are respectively Dong Dajie, Xi Dajie, Nan Dajie and Bei Dajie which are also the main commercial streets. Xiao Zhai, the busiest commercial area is in the southern part of the city and is popular with both youths and students since many universities are located here. Shuyuan Men and the still under construction Luoma Shi are must-visit pedestrian streets in the city. Xian is also famous for its quantity of colleges throughout China. The old campuses of many colleges and universities are massed in the southern suburb of Xian, but most have established new campuses in far southern suburb - Chang'an District due to the lack of space within the city.
Huashan Mountian 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¡
Tang Paradise Originated in the period of the Qin (221--206BC) and Han (206 BC--220AD) Dynasties and experienced its heyday in the Sui (581--618AD) and Tang (618--907AD) Dynasties¡
Big Wild Goose Pagoda Situated in the Da Ci'en Temple, about four kilometers from the urban center, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is one of the most famous Buddhist pagodas in China¡
Provincial History Museum Situated one kilometre north-west of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xian's southern suburb, the Shaanxi Provincial History Museum - a striking Tang-Dynasty style pavilion¡
Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor Peasants digged a well in 1974 ,which became the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century when they discovered fragments of a Terra Cotta Warrior¡
Great Mosque of Xian The Great Mosque of Xian is the largest and best preserved of the early mosques of China¡
Hanyang Tomb The Hanyang Tomb is situated in the near north suburb of Xinxiang City in the southern part of Phoenix Mountain with deep springs nearby¡
Tang Dynasty Dinner Show The Tang Dynasty Dinner Show, a performance of Chang'an music and dance originated in China's Tang Dynasty over a thousand years ago¡
Banpo Neolithic Village Banpo Neolithic Village is a comparatively integrated commune village site rather typical of the Matriarchy clan society¡
Bell Tower Standing at the crossing of the East, West, South, and North avenues in the city centre¡
Huaqing Hot Springs The Huaqing Hot Springs is located about 35 kilometers east of Xi'an. Historically , during the Western Zhou Dynasty the construction of the Li Palace was undertaken on this spot¡
The Terra cotta Warriors and Horses Museum The Terra cotta Warriors and Horses Museum is located about 1.5 km east of Emperor Qinshi Huang's Mausoleum¡
City Wall Xi'an is one of the few cities in China where old city walls are still visible.The city wall of Xi'an is an extension of the old Tang Dynasty structure¡ |