Highlight Xi’an’s Historical Places

Xi’an is the place where I’m orignally from, and I would like to bring you to the fascinating historical places of the city. Xi’an is the capital of Shaanxi Province and one of the oldest cites in China with more than 3,100 years of history. The two Chinese characters, “西安”, literally means “Western Peace” .The city was called “Chang’an” before the Ming Dynasty. Xi’an is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals (Athens, Cario, Roma and Xi’an) and was the capital of 13 dynasties; important ancient cities including Zhou (11^th century-771BC), Qin (221BC-206BC), Han(206BC-24AD), Sui(589-618) and Tang(618-907). Xi’an is part of the Silk Road and home to the Terracotta Warriors. 

For those who are interested in Chinese history and committed to archaeological researches, Xi’an is the place you should definitely know and visit, as it embraces the rich and significant Chinese history. On the map, Xi’an is located in north western China, in southern Guangzhong Plain, and in south western of Beijing(an hour and half flight from Beijing). If you ever visit Beijing, you should take a chance to stop by Xi’an; it’s not just because the close distance, but it’s more because the amazing historical places.

 

The Drum Tower of Xi'an (西安鼓楼), is centralized by the whole Xi’an city along with the Bell Tower.  It’s a symbol of the city. The name of The Drum Tower is derived from the huge drum located within the building. Compared to the Bell Tower, where bell was stricken at dawn; drum was beat at sunset to indicate the end of the day.

Walking into Drum Tower's first floor, a hall hangs many large drums. Each is decorated with beautiful Chinese writing, which symbolizes good fortune. The impressive drums are only on show and visitors are not allowed to touch. But, there is an additional drum near the entrance, where visitors can hit for pictures.

There is also a drum museum inside of the Drum Tower, where a variety of drums are on display, some of them can be dated back thousands of years to Ming Dynasty. There is a drum show performed every day. Visitors can view the whole beautiful Xi’an city on the top of the Tower. 

                    

 Drum Tower of Xi’an

The Bell Tower of Xi'an (西安钟楼), was built in the early Ming Dynasty (1384) and is another symbol of the city of Xi’an. The Bell Tower also has several large bronze-cast bells from the Tang Dynasty. “The tower base is square and its about 1,377 square meters. The tower is a brick and timber structure and close to 40 meters high”. Regarding the Bell Tower, there are few legends. It’s better to hear from tour guides or historical shows, so vistors can compare the legends with the real subject.

Bell Tower of Xi’an

The Terracotta Warriors or Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures of Qin Shi Huang, who was the first Emperor in China. It’s a special funeral bury with the emperor’s army and properties in 210–209 BC, which his purpose was to protect the emperor in his afterlife, and to make sure that he could continue to rule over people even though he died.

The figures (3rd century BC) were discovered in 1974 by some local farmers in Lintong County, Xi’an. If you have been there, you know how fascinating the place it is.  

Terracotta Warriors  

Tang Paradise (大唐芙蓉园) is a large theme park in the city of Xi’an. The setting of the park is made same as the earlier garden complex in the Tang Dynasty. The park has numerous buildings, squares, and gardens, which incorporating traditional Chinese architecture features, such as eaves and cornices. “The park is one of several modern reconstructions of ancient sites in Shaanxi, which involve anachronistic styles and features, most notably the use of wide stretches of concrete surfaces”.

In the evening, visitors can enjoy a graceful Lake Show, featuring Laser and fountains and other special events.

Tang Paradise

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda (大雁塔), is a Buddhist pagoda and was built in 652 during the Tang Dynasty. It has few stores. One of the pagoda's various functions was to hold sutras and figurines of the Buddha brought to China from India by a Buddhist .

 

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

The City Wall of Xi’an (西安城墙), it was constructed in 194 BC and has represented one of the oldest and best preserved Chinese city walls. The purpose of the existing wall was to protect the city and transfer information during the wars. This is my favorite part of the city; it always reminds me of the old days and brings my imagination back to thousands years ago. Walking onto the wall during the evening, somehow you could feel you were living in Ming or Tang Dynasty. It’s definitely a wonderful experience by contrasting with living in a modern city life. 

 

City Wall of Xi’an

These are just a few highlights of Xi’an’s historical places. There are more historical places resided in the Xi’an city, which can be addressed in the next few posts. Please feel free to share your comments.

http://en1.xian-tourism.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi%27an