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| Xian - Popular Places |
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The topic in this section gives you a brief description of the popular places of Xian and its major attractions. Banpo Museum (banpo bowuguan) Banpo Museum is located in the east of Xian and is the site of a village that dates back around 6,000 years to the Neolithic era, which is known as the Yangshao Culture in China. The site was discovered in 1953 and covers an area of approximately 50,000 sq meters. Excavations revealed 45 houses, pottery, kilns, a burial ground, grain stores and tool stores. Banpo is considered to be one of the best examples of an agricultural community of this era anywhere in the world. It is claimed that the residents of this ancient village lived in a matriarchal community where the women organized everything from the hunting and farming to the building of the village and digging the defensive moats that protected the well-planned community. Other relics uncovered at the site include examples of the pottery of this era and over 10,000 tools and household utensils. The City Walls of Xian were first built during the Tang dynasty (618-907) when Chang’an (Xian) was capital of all of China. Today’s rectangular walls date back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and are the only complete city walls in China. They enclose the old city for 12km (8 miles) and have turrets, battlements and a moat. The City Walls (chengqiang) The City Walls of Xian were first built during the Tang dynasty (618-907) when Chang’an (Xian) was capital of all of China. Today’s rectangular walls date back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and are the only complete city walls in China. They enclose the old city for 12km (8 miles) and have turrets, battlements and a moat. Great Wild Goose Pagoda (dayanta) The 7 story Great Wild Goose Pagoda was built in 652AD. It is a striking elegant building and is the symbol of Xian. The famous Buddhist monk Xuan Zang returned from a 17 year pilgrimage and the square pagoda was built to house the 600 or so Buddhist texts that he had collected in India. The story of Xuan Zang’s great quest has been immortalized in the classic Chinese story ‘Journey to the West’. Opinion is divided as to whether the temple’s name derives from a Buddhist sect in India or a resemblance between the base of the pagoda and a wild goose. It was a tradition in Xian for successful scholars to pin poems to the door of the pagoda as a symbol for a bright future and some poems can still be seen on the door frames. Shaanxi History Museum(shaanxi lishi bowuguan) This modern well organized museum was completed in 1992 and traces the history of Xian from prehistory to the Qing dynasty. The extensive galleries and exhibitions offer the visitor an excellent introduction to the area that greatly improve understanding of the numerous historical sites in Xian. Terracotta Warriors (bingmayong) The vaults or pits containing Qin Shihuang`s Terracotta Army are located just outside Xian. This army of more than 6,000 life size terracotta warriors, with horses and chariots lined up facing east and ready for battle, is one of the world’s most remarkable archaeological finds. The terracotta warriors were made for Qin Shihuang (259-210BC),also known as The First Emperor, and with his mausoleum lying only 1.5km, (0.9 miles) away it is assumed the army was made to accompany him on his journeys after death. The statues were built over 2,000 years ago from the local clay. Each warrior’s face was carved individually and no two faces are the same. Many warriors clearly belong to China’s minority groups, which is significant as Qin Shihuang was the first emperor to unify China. After standing in waiting underground in their forgotten vault for over a thousand years, the Terracotta Army was uncovered by chance in 1974 by some local farmers trying to sink a new well. Since then three pits containing soldiers and artifacts have been slowly and carefully excavated. The three vaults or pits are protected by large hangar type structures and the process of excavating the army is an ongoing task. Pit 1 has an area of 14,600 sq meters and has the largest group of terracotta warriors at the site on parade in 210 meter (689 ft) long trenches. There are also exhibits of the army’s terracotta horses, bronze swords, spears, crossbows and other weapons. Pit 2 has an area of 6,000 sq meters and contains about 1,000 pottery men and horses. Pit 3 is only 500 sq meters large and has 68 warriors and many bronze weapons. It is thought to be the headquarters of the terracotta army and these warriors were in command of the soldiers in the other pits as they protected Qin Shihuang in the underworld. |
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