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Xi’an is the capital of the Chinese Shaanxi Province, and it has been the imperial capital of twelve dynasties. The city was formerly known as the Imperial City of Chang’an, meaning Constant Peace. Xi’an means the Western Peace, and the area is famous as the home of the first Qin Emperor’s amazing army of terracotta soldiers who died with the Emperor.
Distinguished finds from the city’s rich cultural background can be seen at the Xi’an museums and in the beautiful temples in the city, especially known for the two Wild Goose Pagodas. The Pagodas stand as majestic monuments of a bygone era in modern China, where modern architecture has built around the historical buildings in the last decades.
Xi’an is a major Chinese city with entertainment, shopping, restaurants and cultural events – a culture that began with the Emperor’s Court and the Silk Road that started right here and brought wealth to the city. If you want to experience something special from the prosperous time as Chang’an during the Tang emperors, it is possible in several places in the city. Tang Paradise, for example, is a unique show in a park with settings is the Tang Dynasty era.
A trip to Xi’an should also include a walking or cycling tour around the city’s old neighborhoods at the top of the rectangular city wall, where you can bike or walk all around the city center. It is a unique opportunity in a big city, and of course is the imperial tomb and terracotta army a must see as well.
The bell tower stands in the absolute center of Xi’an, precisely where the city’s central streets meet. Built in 1384 under Emperor Hongwu, the tower is the largest of its kind in China. Its size is a symbol of Xian’s importance as a military city and regional center. Until 1582, the tower stood a little to the east of the current location, but even then this location was the center of the town.
The height of the tower is 36 meters and it stands on an 8 meter high foundation. A beautiful representative of the Ming era, the style is an impressive sight; not least in the evening when it is illuminated.
The bell tower got its name from the bells that rang from here at sunrise as a symbol that a new day had begun. The bell tower dates from the Ming Dynasty, but you can also see bells from the earlier Tang Dynasty on display. The historically famous bell, Jingyun, from the Tang period, originally hung here, but it is now on display in the Steleskoven museum near the Bell Tower.
Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in the years 707-709 under the Tang Emperor Zhongzong. The pagoda measured 45 meters until the earthquake that hit the city in 1556. The pagoda was only partially destroyed and not since reconstructed, which is why it is now 43 meters high.
The pagoda belonged to the Da Jianfu Temple, established in 684, which was one of the leading places in China for the translation of Buddhist scriptures into Chinese. Pilgrims from India came here with scriptures, and the pagoda was supposed to serve as a warehouse.
The city wall of Xi’an is one of the most well-preserved of China’s city walls, and it is also one of the oldest. The earliest wall around the city of Chang’an was built from 194 BC. The wall was 25 kilometers long and enclosed an area of 36 km².
The current wall was built from 1370 during the Ming Dynasty. It measures 12 kilometers and is preserved around the entire city core, which is approximately 9 km². The height of the wall is 12 metres, the foundation is 15-18 meters wide with a top width of 12-14 metres.
The wall has been beautifully restored since the 1980s and lies as originally in a rectangle around the city center with 3.5 kilometers from east to west and 2.5 kilometers from south to north. You can walk on the top, and from the wide tiling there is a very nice view of the city. You can also enjoy it by bike, which is very popular. Bicycles can be rented on the wall, and it is a good feeling to cycle in the middle of the city high above street level and the busy traffic.
After construction, there was a tower for every 120 meters, a total of 98 towers; they are not all preserved. There were four city gates with an entrance on each side; Anyuan Tower (安遠門) to the north, Changle Tower (長樂門) to the east, Yongning Tower (永寧門) to the south, and Anding Tower (安店門) to the west. Today, the four entrances are supplemented by a number of others, so that traffic to and from Xi’an can function satisfactorily. Most obvious is the modern interior in the north-east, where space has been made by the wall for the city’s main railway station. Seen from the street, it is a bridge, but it completes the city wall from the top.
The Drum Tower is almost a sister tower to the nearby Bell Tower, and it was also built by Emperor Hongwu in 1380, just four years before the Bell Tower. The Drum Tower gets its name from the large drum that was traditionally struck at sunset to mark the end of the day, and is also linked to the Clock Tower that rang the day at sunrise. Similar facilities can also be seen in Beijing.
The drum tower is 34 meters high, and there are both stylistic features remaining from the Tang Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty, where the tower has been renovated; at the latest in 1740. In the Drum Tower there is today an exhibition of various drums dating back several thousand years.
You can see a total of 24 drums to the north and south. The number symbolizes the 24 phases of the calendar division that was used for agricultural production.
The Stele Forest is, as the name suggests, a museum of stelae (stone tablets) and various stone sculptures. Previously, the area was a Confucian temple established in 1087. In 1944 it was made a provincial museum, and in 1992 its name was changed to the current one.
Stelae are often tombstones or monuments to memorable events such as military victories. There are more than 3,000 specimens in the museum, which is China’s largest of its kind. The exhibition is divided into different themes such as calligraphy, painting and historical events.
The Great Mosque in Xi’an is one of the largest and oldest mosques in China. It is an exciting sight that has, however, been radically altered since it was built from 742 under Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.
Seen from the outside, the mosque does not look like a typical Middle Eastern mosque, as it was built entirely in Chinese style; not least during a major remodeling and expansion at the end of the 14th century. The mosque spreads over 13,000 m² and lies like an oasis behind walls in the middle of the big city.
The facility is located in an east-west axis on an elongated plot. From the entrance in the east, you come through four courtyard environments before standing in front of the central prayer hall further west.
In the easternmost courtyard there is a wooden portal from the beginning of the 17th century, and in the buildings around the courtyard there are furnishings from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Towards the next courtyard is Fem Rum Hallen, and in the next courtyard there is a stone portal which bears the inscription Himlens Gård. The portal is from the Ming period, and behind it is a work of carved dragons.
The Imperial Hall in the third courtyard is the oldest preserved building in the mosque. In the middle of the courtyard stands a Chinese tower, which is the site of the minaret. In the fourth and last courtyard, the beautiful three-towered Phønix pavilion stands centrally in front of the mosque’s prayer hall, which lies in the width of the western end.
The buildings along the walls to the north and south have different functions. Partly there are bathrooms and Koran school, and partly there are open houses with various exhibitions. The mosque is still active and is used by Chinese Muslims. Despite the completely Chinese building style and use, you can see several texts in Arabic in the facility.
Daxingshan in Xi’an is one of China’s oldest Buddhist temples. It was established around the year 300 in the Western Jin Dynasty. Xi’an was then, under the name Chang’an, one of the leading places for the translation of scriptures from India, and Daxingshan became one of the three temples where this work was concentrated.
The temple today is the result of a major restoration work that took place from 1955-1983. Inside, buildings are mainly furnished in the style of the Qing Dynasty period between 1644 and 1911.
Tang Paradise is a large urban park located south of downtown Xi’an. It is a modern park that was laid out as an imitation of a park during Tang Dynasty China.
In daylight, it’s like stepping back hundreds of years with temple buildings, pagodas and lots of Chinese-style decoration surrounding the large, central lake in the park. In the evening, a visit here is a particularly unforgettable experience, where you can fully understand the name Tang Paradise.
The impressive buildings are beautifully illuminated, and it’s like walking around in a fairy tale. Every evening there is also a show by the park’s lake, where, among other things, films are projected onto screens made up of fountains. Light, sound and laser provide additional effects.
Shaanxi Historical Museum is a state museum for Shaanxi province, and it can be considered the area’s national museum with a particularly large and wide collection.
The museum buildings were constructed 1983-2001 in a style inspired by the larger buildings of the Tang Dynasty. The direct call for the construction came from the First Premier of the People’s Republic of China, Zhou Enlai, and the museum now contains hundreds of thousands of objects.
Among the effects at the museum are paintings, ceramics, coins and handicrafts. They reflect Xi’an’s past as an imperial capital, where many dynasties established themselves here and thus attracted some of the finest from the realm.
The first Qin emperor, Qin Shi Huang (simply meaning “the first Qin emperor”), proclaimed himself emperor of the first unified China in 221 BC. He had already ruled the Qin state as king since 246 BC, when he was 13 years old.
The emperor’s mausoleum is a gigantic earthen pyramid that rises 76 meters into the landscape. The grave is still unopened. It is believed to be intact, and without concrete knowledge of the contents, there have been many thoughts over time about what the emperor is buried with. According to tradition, the tomb consists of a miniature of China, built over 36 years. Jewels are stars in the firmament, and quicksilver are flowing rivers, but all are speculations.
The construction of the natural pyramid and the nearby terracotta army signal a colossal power, which of course is also symbolized in his mausoleum. You can experience the place up close, as you can stroll to the top of the pyramid, where there is a fine facility and a good view.
Banpo is the name of one of the largest and best preserved of the many villages from the time of early Chinese civilization that have been excavated over the years around the Yellow River valley. The village was discovered in 1921 and since then part of it has been excavated. The settlement was active up to 6,000 years ago, and today the village area covers approximately 50,000 m², of which about a fifth has been excavated.
Finds here include dwellings, magazines, burial sites and thousands of effects such as stone tools and other useful items. Through the finds, it is estimated that the village had about 200 inhabitants. You can visit the Banpo Museum/Banpo Bowoguan (西安半坡博物馆), where you can partly see many of the finds that have been made here, and partly the actual excavation of the buildings from the historic settlement.
The Terracotta Army of the First Qin Emperor is one of the most famous sights in all of China. The Terracotta Army dates from 210 BC. and was discovered in 1974 by some local farmers who were drilling for water. The Terracotta Army is located 1.5 kilometers east of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, with which it should be viewed. The unique and magnificent work, through the terracotta army, was to help the emperor to be able to rule a new kingdom in the afterlife.
The individual soldier statues measure 183-195 centimeters in height, with the tallest being generals. Each and every figure is unique and they depict warriors, horses, chariots, officials and artists such as acrobats and musicians. In the three parts where the figures stand, a figure of around 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots and around 700 horses is estimated.
According to the historian Sima Qian, who lived 145-90 B.C. the great construction was begun in 246 BC, when the later emperor became king of the Qin state.
It is estimated that the construction work involved around 700,000 workers. The figures themselves were produced in different parts that were subsequently assembled. It is believed that relatively few templates were used for the basic construction of the figures, while the terracotta was able to provide the individual features. After completion, the figures are lined up in correct military formation according to ranks and functions.
The expressions of the figures have been lifelike in their arrangement. They were normal body height, they carried weapons, and then they were colored. Shortly after completion, the weapons were stolen, and since then the colors have often faded or disappeared. Their surroundings were divided by stone-paved corridors and under a larger wooden structure, which, according to the records, was set on fire even before the facility was finished, and the fire also ravaged the many figures.
The place is on UNESCO’s list of world cultural heritage, and for that reason, a lot is done to protect the figures from the pollution from the air, which leaves its mark on the terracotta.
The exhibition area itself contains several excavations and a museum where various objects are exhibited and where you can get to know the history of the place. After the entrance to the excavation area itself, the largest hall is right in front of you. It is in this hall that you can really see the grandeur of the many soldier figures standing in columns in their respective graves. The graves are separated by walls that allowed for a wooden roof.
You can also see the original entrances to the construction work, for example just below the entrance to the hall, which was closed after the work. In the south-east corner you can also see the place where they drilled for water in 1974 and found out that the plant existed. Right next to this place, you can see the oldest known masonry in China.
In the other halls with excavations, there are also impressive displays of the arrangements that can be found. All around, single figures are displayed in display cases, so you can really take a closer look.
Xi Dajie, Ke Ji Lu 55, Nan Dajie 8
Dong Dajie 6
Jiefang Lu 103
Chang’an Zhong Lu 38, Dong Dajie 119, Xi Dajie 1
Nan Dajie 30
Dong Dajie, Xi Dajie, Nan Dajie, Jiefang Lu, Hui Min Jie
Tang Paradise/大唐 芙蓉 园
Furongxi Lu
Xi’an Zoo/动物园
xianzoo.com
Xi’an Ocean World
Yan Nan Yi Lu 5
xianoceanworld.com
Xi’an is considered one of the great historical capitals of China, with some of the most important dynasties ruling from here. There have been settlements in the area for hundreds of millennia, when human ancestors made up the population. The first modern humans settled in the valleys of the area about 7,000 years ago.
The culturally and politically significant role of the Xi’an was initiated with the Zhou Dynasty, which came to power in 1046 BC. Their city was the original two cities of Feng and Hao, located immediately west of modern Xi’an. In 202 BC founded the Han Emperor Liu Bang Chang’an, one of the many historical names for Xi’an, which has had its present name only since 1368, when the Ming Emperor introduced it. Before then, the city has been named Chang’an during the Han Dynasty of 206 BC, Daxing under the Sui Dynasty of 582, again Chang’an under the Tang Dynasty of 618 and several names throughout the centuries before the coming of the Ming Dynasty.
When, after hundreds of years of unrest, China was reassembled during the Sui dynasty in 582, the city continued to be the hometown of the court and thus the capital. The Sui Emperor, however, ordered a new city listed, Daxing (meaning “great progress”), to accommodate a civilian part, an imperial city, and the palace itself. The city walls enclosed 84 km² during this period, making it the largest city in the world, and especially during the subsequent Tang Dynasty the city flourished.
One of the consequences of being an imperial city was the strengthening of cultural life, where Xi’an was for a long time the center of translation of Buddhist scriptures brought here from India, translated and stored in the city’s pagodas or carried on around the country.
By trade, Xi’an was located at the eastern end of the Silk Road, which acted as a trade route between southern Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and China. As an imperial capital, it was like Chang’an, the city being the starting point for the caravans that slid through the harsh eastern part of the camels trade route. The travelers brought trade and wealth to the cities on the route, and thus Chang’an, which for a long time was a cosmopolitan city.
With the fall of the Tang Dynasty in 907, Chang’an’s significance also diminished. Its status as a Chinese capital disappeared and with it also the wealth and privileges it brought. The city stagnated culturally and politically, but nevertheless became the regional capital and throughout the following centuries also an important trading town with its location on the Silk Road.
January 23, 1556, Xi’an and its surroundings were hit by the Shaanxi earthquake, which killed about 830,000 people. The epicenter was located northwest of Xi’an, which did not experience the same devastation as several smaller towns that were almost wiped out. In Xi’an, however, there were also losses, and today the Little Pagoda of Little Wild Goat stands with its reduced height as a memorial from that time.
In 1936, the so-called Xi’an episode took place. Nationalists and communists were busy fighting each other, while Japan had captured Manchuria and created the puppet state of Manchukuo. The nationalist leader, Chiang Kai-shek, was captured by his own under the leadership of Zhang Xueliang, and in his absence, generals of the warring Chinese parties negotiated to form a Chinese unity front jointly fighting the Japanese.
In recent decades, tourism has gained a good grip on Xi’an, not least after the accidental discovery of the first Qin emperor’s terracotta army in 1974.
Xian, China
Overview of Xian
Xian or Xi’an is the capital of the Chinese Shaanxi Province, and it has been the imperial capital of twelve dynasties. The city was formerly known as the Imperial City of Chang’an, meaning Constant Peace. Xi’an means the Western Peace, and the area is famous as the home of the first Qin Emperor’s amazing army of terracotta soldiers who died with the Emperor.
Distinguished finds from the city’s rich cultural background can be seen at the Xi’an museums and in the beautiful temples in the city, especially known for the two Wild Goose Pagodas. The Pagodas stand as majestic monuments of a bygone era in modern China, where modern architecture has built around the historical buildings in the last decades.
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The Drum Tower is almost a sister tower to the nearby Bell Tower, and it was also built by Emperor Hongwu in 1380, just four years before the Bell Tower. The Drum Tower gets its name from the large drum that was traditionally struck at sunset to mark the end of the day, and is also linked to the Clock Tower that rang the day at sunrise. Similar facilities can also be seen in Beijing.
The drum tower is 34 meters high, and there are both stylistic features remaining from the Tang Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty, where the tower has been renovated; at the latest in 1740. In the Drum Tower there is today an exhibition of various drums dating back several thousand years.
You can see a total of 24 drums to the north and south. The number symbolizes the 24 phases of the calendar division that was used for agricultural production.
The Stele Forest is, as the name suggests, a museum of stelae (stone tablets) and various stone sculptures. Previously, the area was a Confucian temple established in 1087. In 1944 it was made a provincial museum, and in 1992 its name was changed to the current one.
Stelae are often tombstones or monuments to memorable events such as military victories. There are more than 3,000 specimens in the museum, which is China’s largest of its kind. The exhibition is divided into different themes such as calligraphy, painting and historical events.
The Great Mosque in Xi’an is one of the largest and oldest mosques in China. It is an exciting sight that has, however, been radically altered since it was built from 742 under Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.
Seen from the outside, the mosque does not look like a typical Middle Eastern mosque, as it was built entirely in Chinese style; not least during a major remodeling and expansion at the end of the 14th century. The mosque spreads over 13,000 m² and lies like an oasis behind walls in the middle of the big city.
The facility is located in an east-west axis on an elongated plot. From the entrance in the east, you come through four courtyard environments before standing in front of the central prayer hall further west.
In the easternmost courtyard there is a wooden portal from the beginning of the 17th century, and in the buildings around the courtyard there are furnishings from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Towards the next courtyard is Fem Rum Hallen, and in the next courtyard there is a stone portal which bears the inscription Himlens Gård. The portal is from the Ming period, and behind it is a work of carved dragons.
The Imperial Hall in the third courtyard is the oldest preserved building in the mosque. In the middle of the courtyard stands a Chinese tower, which is the site of the minaret. In the fourth and last courtyard, the beautiful three-towered Phønix pavilion stands centrally in front of the mosque’s prayer hall, which lies in the width of the western end.
The buildings along the walls to the north and south have different functions. Partly there are bathrooms and Koran school, and partly there are open houses with various exhibitions. The mosque is still active and is used by Chinese Muslims. Despite the completely Chinese building style and use, you can see several texts in Arabic in the facility.
Daxingshan in Xi’an is one of China’s oldest Buddhist temples. It was established around the year 300 in the Western Jin Dynasty. Xi’an was then, under the name Chang’an, one of the leading places for the translation of scriptures from India, and Daxingshan became one of the three temples where this work was concentrated.
The temple today is the result of a major restoration work that took place from 1955-1983. Inside, buildings are mainly furnished in the style of the Qing Dynasty period between 1644 and 1911.
Tang Paradise is a large urban park located south of downtown Xi’an. It is a modern park that was laid out as an imitation of a park during Tang Dynasty China.
In daylight, it’s like stepping back hundreds of years with temple buildings, pagodas and lots of Chinese-style decoration surrounding the large, central lake in the park. In the evening, a visit here is a particularly unforgettable experience, where you can fully understand the name Tang Paradise.
The impressive buildings are beautifully illuminated, and it’s like walking around in a fairy tale. Every evening there is also a show by the park’s lake, where, among other things, films are projected onto screens made up of fountains. Light, sound and laser provide additional effects.
Shaanxi Historical Museum is a state museum for Shaanxi province, and it can be considered the area’s national museum with a particularly large and wide collection.
The museum buildings were constructed 1983-2001 in a style inspired by the larger buildings of the Tang Dynasty. The direct call for the construction came from the First Premier of the People’s Republic of China, Zhou Enlai, and the museum now contains hundreds of thousands of objects.
Among the effects at the museum are paintings, ceramics, coins and handicrafts. They reflect Xi’an’s past as an imperial capital, where many dynasties established themselves here and thus attracted some of the finest from the realm.
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