Terracotta Warriors Museum
The Terra-Cotta Warriors and Horses in Xi'an are "the Eighth Wonder of
the World" and listed in the World Cultural Heritage List. The
leading to the discovery of Pit No.1 in the present Terra-Cotta Warriors Museum
started in March 1974 when peasants in Xiyang Village came across a piece of an
earthen figure while digging a well. And in the summer of 1976, pits No. 2
and 3 were located. Over 7,000 individual pottery soldiers, horses,
chariots and weapons have been identified in the three pits. The warriors
and horses were sculptured to protect the tomb of Qin Shihuang who founded the
capital in Xi'an, and created one of the greatest ancient cities in the planet.
Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Linking to modern Buddhism, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is about 4 kilometers
south of Xi'an City, located in Ci'en Temple, built by Tang emperor Gao Zong (Li
Zhi) in 648 AD in memory of his mother. The Temple then obtained its name
as Da Ci-en Temple which means the Thanksgiving Temple, with more than 10
courtyards, containing 1,897 marvelous chambers altogether according to the
records.
After many wars and degradation, the Temple was rebuilt by monks and
eventually became places for housing the Buddhist scriptures brought from India
and painstakingly translated into Chinese.
The Small Wild Goose Pagoda
At about 1.5 km outside the South Gate of Xi'an, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda
is located in the Jianfu (Felicity) Temple. The Jianfu Temple was built in
648 AD to pay homage to the Emperor Li Zhi of Tang dynasty upon the centenary of
his death by his son Emperor Rui Zong, Li Dan.
The Bell Tower
The Bell Tower was originally built in the Guangji Street in the 17th year of
Hong Wu period of the Ming Dynasty (1384 AD) and was moved to the present-day
site in 1582. The whole tower is a wooden structure with mortise and tenon
jointed without a single iron nail. The three layers of eaves are covered
with blue glazed tiles, the beams and columns of the upper and lower rooms are
decorated with colour paintings. The top part of the tower is 5 meter high with
a gold-tiled roof, making the tower look magnificent and grand.
The Drum Tower
The Drum Tower was built in the 13th year of Hongwu period (1380 AD).
It used to have a huge drum on the tower, which told time in cooperation with
the huge bell on the Bell Tower. The Drum Tower's total height is 33
meters, in a rectangular shape with tiers of upturned eaves and a gold-tiled
roof. The Drum Tower is very strong and solid built with the fact that it
has withstood more than ten earthquakes for over 500 years without a single
crack appearing on it, and still standing on its original site.
Bampo Neolithic Village Museum
Presently, Banpo Village, about five kilometers to the east from Xi'an, lies
the actual and complete archaeological site of a Neolithic village dating back
to 6000 years. It is a typical village of that time discovered in the
spring of 1953. The Bampo Museum is one of the historical sites designated
for state protection.
Forest of Stone Steles Museum
The Forest of Steles at Sanxuejie Street nearby the South Gate in Xi'an is an
interesting Confucian temple. It boasted the largest collection of its
kind in China and gained the present name in the 18th century, offering works of
ancient literature, philosophy, historical annals, and calligraphy - all
engraved in stone tablets and pillars found throughout the museum.
City Wall
The largest and most solid and complete city wall surviving through the long
history in China, The City Wall of Xi'an is just at the center of Xi'an
municipality. The perimeter of the city wall is 11.9 kilometers with four
gates constructed in the four directions of east (The Changle Gate), south (The
Yong-an Gate), west (Anding Gate), and north (Anyuan Gate).
This article is authored and copyrighted
by Royal Exclusive Travel
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