Xi'an - Small Wild Goose Pagoda

The Small Wild Goose Pagoda, is situated about 1km south of Xian city in the grounds of Jianfu Temple.The temple, was originally established in 684 A.D. in honor of Li Zhi - Emperor Gaozong of Tang dynasty. It was particularly associated with Buddhist Monk Yijing, who translated Buddhist scriptures he had brought back from India.

The pagoda set up in 707 originally had 15 storeies about 45 meters in height at the request of Yijing to preserve scriptures. But it was damaged during a series of earthquakes in the late 15th and 16th centuries. In 1847, the pagoda was split from top to bottom by the impact of an earthquake of 6 points on the Richter scale. Amazingly, it did not fall. In 1556 another quake, 8 on the Richter scale, had its epicenter some 75 kilometers (47 mile) east of Xian. The crack healed overnight, therefore it was called the "Magic Healing". When repair work started in 1949, it was found that the healing was not "magic", but "man-made". The base of the pagoda shaped a hemisphere in accordance with the geographic nature of Xian, which evenly divided the stress of the earthquakes. It revealed the admirable workmanship of the ancient Chinese.

The pagoda is uniquely and delicately shaped with a hollow inside and was originally built to house Buddhist scriptures and relics.

Opening hours: 08:00-18:00
Admission Tickets：RMB 50
Tel：029-85253455

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Xi'an - Big Wild Goose Pagoda

Situated in the Da Ci’en Temple, about four kilometers form the urban center, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is one of the famous Buddhist pagodas in China.

The Big Wild Goose Pagoda was sponsored and named by the famous master Xuan Zang (Monk Tripitaka) in 652 A.D.. Xuan Zang was both a great translator and traveler of Tang Dynasty. At the age of 28 in 627 A.D., he went alone to India to study Buddhist Scriptures, 17 years later he returned to Chang’an with 657 volumes of Buddhist Scriptures, He received a ceremony of unprecedented grandeur for him when he moved into the temple to translate the Buddhist Scripture. In 652 A.D. Xuan Zang made a proposal to the court for a pagoda to store the scriptures and statues he had brought back from India. Then the world famous Big Wild Goose Pagoda was finished in 652 A.D.

The storied pagoda was an architectural marvel. It was built with layers bricks but without any cement in between, it is a good example of ancient people’s wisdom and talent. This magnificent pagoda is a square pyramid and stands at 60 meters high and seven storeys tall.

There are fantastic views from the top of the pagoda of the grid- like streets below and it seems hard to believe today that the area around here was once countryside and fields! It is tradition to throw coins from the windows of the pagoda in the hope that this will bring good luck.

Opening hours: 08:00-17:00
Admission Tickets: RMB 25
Tel：029-85217932

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Xi'an - The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

Located at the foot of the Mountain Li and 2 km west of the Terracotta army, is the tomb of the Qin Emperor that the warriors were built to protect. This is a very tourist oriented site and it leaves many people feeling cold. Today, its hard to imagine the incredible glamour and grandeur that must have surrounded this tomb in 221 BC.

Emperor Qin ascended the throne when he was only thirteen years old and his reign is widely interpreted as being one dominated by centralized rule and tyranny. The terracotta army face eastwards, a reflection of the Emperors fear of eastern invasion.

Although the Emperor did bring peace to the eastern states and unified China, he also ordered that all books be destroyed (except those concerning the Qin Dynasty) and implemented high taxes to fund the Great Wall. Modern historians have revised the opinion of the Emperor as a philistine and dictator. They argue that the wealth of treasures found in his tomb and the artistic value of the warriors themselves are examples of high culture and artistic talent.

Whatever the historical opinion, there is no disputing that this was once an incredible and impressive Tomb. Archaeologists believe that the tomb was originally decorated with gold, silver and pearl .

The artists who deigned and constructed the mausoleum were buried alive with the Emperor and thereby forced to literally take their secrets to the grave. According to the Emperors official biography, "The Emperor Qin Shi Huang was buried at the foot of Mount Li. The Emperor started to build his mausoleum as soon as he came to the throne.

When he unified the whole country, the Emperor Qin Shi Huang conscripted more than seven hundred thousand convicts to help build his mausoleum... and install crossbows, which were automatically discharged to prevent tomb plunderers.

Openning hours: 08:30-17:30
Admission Tickets：RMB 40
Tel：029-83914465

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Xi'an - Banpo Village

The Banpo Village is six kilometers east of Xian. This excavated site of a village dates back to 4500 BC and was discovered in 1953. The village during this period was called Yangshao and 45 houses, 6 pottery kilns, 200 storage pits, 250 adults tombs and childrens burial jars, 10,000 tools and utensils were unearthed.

The distinct culture of these villagers was known as Yangshao culture. The most interesting aspect of this is that Yangshao culture was very artificial. There are more female tombs and graves here than male, and the womens graves contain more objects and valuables than their male counterparts do.

Today, the site itself is pretty flat and uninspiring. It takes a lot of imagination to picture how this place used to be and the Disney-style "Yangshao Village" which has been reconstructed at the site makes this area less appealing.

Opening hours: 08:30-18:00
Admission Tickets: RMB 35
Tel：029-83512794

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Xi'an - Huaqing Hot Springs

Huaqing Hot Spring (huaqing chi) is situated 30 kilometers east of Xian at the foot of the Lishan Hills. The Springs were a popular retreat with Emperors more than 2500 years ago, many of whom enjoyed bathing in the perfectly clear mineral water.

Today this is a favorite site for Chinese tourists. In fact, there is not a great deal to actually see here, but the history behind the area is very vivid and colorful!

Legend has it that the pools were fully established here in the Qing dynasty. The most romantic story that accompanies the history of the springs is that of the Chinese equivalent of Romeo and Juliet; the story of the Emperor Xuan Zong and his concubine Yang Guifei. Yang was a poor girl who the Emperor took a fancy to and promoted to the position of "lady".

Legend has it that he was so enamored by her beauty that it distracted him from his daily work. The Empire was being threatened and the courtiers threatened to kill the concubine, blaming her for the Emperors mismanagement of his nation.

Desperate and madly in love, Yang herself to save the country and her lovers name. The springs were renamed the Huaqing or "The Fair" springs, in honor of Yang Guifeis beauty.

There are numerous classical style buildings at the site and many frescoes decorate the walls here. It is usually very busy, as the story of Yang Guefei is very popular with the Chinese. Today, visitors can bathe in the 43 degree C water.

There is a "Hot Springs Bathhouse" which is rather like a private bathroom in a five star hotel. More atmospheric and cheaper too is the communal bathhouse.

Opening hours: 08:30-19:00
Admission Tickets: RMB 70
Tel：029-83814562

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Xi'an - Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum - the 8th wonder of the world!

Arguably one of China’s most famous and popular tourist sites, the Terracotta warriors (bingmayong) are among the top archaeological excavations of the 20th Century. The warriors have made Xian the big tourist destination that it is today and the wealth in this city owes much to their discovery.

This incredible collection of 6,000 men and their horses was actually discovered completely by accident by a group of peasants in 1974 who were digging a well! In a bizarre twist, the man who supposedly discovered them now sits in a hall at the site signing postcards of the stone army.

The warriors are over 2000 years old and were originally constructed to protect the tomb of the Emperor Qin Shi Huang. The Warriors are now housed in a huge airplane hangar and despite their fame and the throngs of tourists visiting the site, they are still incredibly impressive. These life size warriors stand on guard as if preparing for battle. Historians believe that these magnificent men were originally painted.

The paint has now worn and the original bronze age weapons (including swords, arrows and lances) that many of the soldiers carried only a few years ago, are now locked up away from public eyes. Although there are 6000 of the statues remaining, there were actually many more when the tomb was first built.

It is the scale of this collection that is perhaps the most impressive aspect of the site. The Emperor must have been an incredibly influential and impressive man to deserve this great protection even when he was dead! The faces of the warriors are said to be modeled on the artists who sculpted them and on the actual Imperial Guards at the time.

Further discoveries were made in 1976 when another 1000 warriors and various other sculptures were dug up. Archaeologists also believe that there is possibly a larger and more impressive army still buried beneath the Emperors tomb.

Opening Hours: 08:30-17:30
Admission Tickets: RMB 90
Tel：029-83911961





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