Must-see sights in Xi'an
Xi'an has a unique historic relic in the world-- the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses, which is worth a visit at least once in your lifetime. The other historic relics are also worth a visit.
The Eighth Wonder of the World -- The Terracotta Warriors and Horses:
Located 40 km away from the city proper in Lintong County, discovered in 1974 by local farmers digging a well, Terracotta Warriors and Horses is one of the most significant archeological finds of the 20th century. The museum is composed of three pits: pit 1 is the largest where over 6,000 life-like and life-size terra-cotta warriors and horses were discovered, while pit 2 with some 1,000 terra-cotta figures and horses were unearthed, and pit 3 with one chariot and 66 terra-cotta warriors representing the high command post were discovered. These life-size painted terracotta warriors and horses --individually sculpted from real-life models and arranged in battle formation have been protecting the mausoleum of the first emperor in Chinese history—Emperor QinShihuang since 2,200 years ago.
The Ancient City Walls :
Built during the 14th century on Tang dynasty foundations, date to the Ming dynasty, the city walls are the largest and best-preserved ancient fortress in the world. In the shape of a rectangle with a length of 11.9 km, the wall is 12 meters high. There is a gate in each of the four sides, the gate towers built over each gate look lofty and magnificent and form a tight defence engineering system.
The Shaanxi Provincial Museum :
With buildings lined along the axis and representing the architectural style of the Tang Dynasty, the Shaanxi Provincial Museum is the largest comprehensive museum in the province and was opened for public in 1991. The museum exhibits over 3,000 unearthed historical relics, a small fraction of their collection, most of the exhibited items are rare treasures, showing you the splendid Chinese culture.
In the Ci'en Temple, built in 652 A.D in Tang Dynasty with about 64 meters high in seven layers, the pagoda is a masterpiece of Buddhist architecture and regarded by many as a symbol of the city. The pagoda was to house the sutras brought back from India by the famous monk Xuan-zang in Tang Dynasty.
If your clients have more time, there are some secondary choices of sights in Xi'an :
Standing in the center of the city and built in 1582, the Bell Tower is a three-story wooden structure with traditional Chinese architectural features, it is so called because an iron bell is hung in the tower to give the correct time.
The Great Mosque is the largest mosque in Xi'an and one of the four grand Islamic mosques in China with more than 1200 years' history, the mosque possesses not only traditional Chinese architectural style, but also features peculiar to Islamic mosques and now it is a major spot for religious activities of 50,000 Muslims in Xi'an.
Discovered in 1953, the Banpo Museum is the actual archaeological village representing 6000-year-old Neolithic Yangshao culture that is renowned for its colorful ceramics in the Yellow River Valley. The Banpo ruins have an area of some 50,000 square meters and are divided into three sections: living zone, pottery zone and graveyard.
Of course, there are more places in Xi'an for people to pay a visit such as: Drum Tower, Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang, the Xianyang Museum, the Qianling Mausoleum, Famen Temple, Mt Huashan etc. contact us for more details.
