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THE MUSEUM OF THE FIRST EMPEROR'S TERRA-COTTA WARRIORS AND HORSES : The museum is located in Lintong District,35 kilometers away from the urban area. In march,1974 when several farmers were sinking a well ,they came upon many fragments of terra-cotta figures.The results of archaeological excavation showed that it was an oblong pits with terra-cotta warriors and horses.Again in 1976 ,two pits were discovered 20meters and 25meters north of the former one respectively . They were named pit1, pit2,and pit3 by order of discovery . The three pits cover a total area of 22,780 square meters. The museum of first Qin emperor ,one of the top ten places of historical interest in China ,was listed as the world heritage by the UNESCO about a decade ago. Pit 1 takes an oblong shape.It is 230 meters long ,62 meters wide and 5meters deep, it covers an area of 14,260 square meters.The terra-cotta warriors horse in pit 1 are arrayed in battle formation .According to the density of the formation in each trial ,it is assumed that more than 6,000 terra-cotta warriors and horses could be unearthed from pit 1,most of which are infantrymen . pit 2 is measureed 6,000square meters ,L-shaped and consists of four different mixed military forces in four arrayas .It is estimated that there are over 1,000 terra-cotta figsure , 500horse-drawn chariots and saddled horses. Pit 3 is concave shape ,totaling about 520square meters .One chariot ,four terra-cotta horses and 68 clay armored warriors were unearthed from it.Unerathed in this pit were a remaining deer-horn and animal bones .This is probably the place where sacrificial offerings and war prayer were pratised .Judgeing by the layout of pit 3 ,this is most likely the headquarters directing the mighty underground army.

HUAQING POOL : Huaqing pool is located about 35kilometers east of the city of xi'an .Historically ,during the Western Zhou Dynasty,a stone pool was built and was given the name Lishan Tang (Lishan Hot Springs) . The site was enlarged into a bigger palace during the Han Dynasty ,and renamed Li Palace (th

e Resort Palace). During the Tang Dynasty ,Emperor Tai Zong ordered the construction of Hot Springs Palace,and Emperor XuanZong had walled palace built around the Lishan Mountain in the year 747. It was known as Huaqing Palace .It also had the name "HuaqingPool " because of its location over the hot springs.Huaqing pool was destoryed during An Lushan and Shi Siming Rebellion at the end of the Tang Dynasty .The present-day site is only a small part of the original Huaqing Palace .Huaqing pool which we see today was rebuilt on the site of the Qing Dynasty structure .The palace cdvers an area of 85,560square meters.

BANPO MUSEUM :Banpo Museum is located in the eastern suburb of xi'an ,9kilometers from the center of the city .It houses the site of a 6,000-year-old village ,belongs to a Neolithic matriarchal clan community. The site was discovered by chance in 1953.It extends over an area of 50,00

0square meters .excavations were conducted in five phases between 1954 and 1957 ,opening upan area of 10,000 square meters, one fifth of total .Banpo museum was set up at the site in 1958,the first of its kind in China . This village is divided into three parts : the living section , the pottery-making section and the burial section .By means of scientific excavation ,archaeologists have discovered nearly 10,000 production tools or daily utensils , 46houses ,2 pigsties ,200 cellars ,174burial pits for adults and 73burial jars for children .The discovery of so many artifacts is indeed unprecedented.

THE CITY WALL:The city wall of xi'an is an extension of the old Tang Dynasty structure. The city wall ,after its extensi

on in Ming Dynasty,stands 12meters high, it is12-14 meters wide on the top , 15-18meters thick at the bottom and 13kilometers in length. The city wall was first built of earth ,rammed layer upon layer.The base layer was made of earth ,quicklime ,and glutinous rice extract ,tempered together.It made the wall strong and firm . Thus ,the Ming Dynasty city wall formed a complex and welll-organized system of defense. It is also the most complete city wall that has survived through China's long history. The city wall itself is a true display of ability and wisdom of the working people in ancient times. It privides invaluable and substantial material for study of the history ,military science, and architecture of the Ming Dynasty.

THE BIG WILD GOOSE PAGODA :Situated in Da Ci'en Temple,about 4kilometers from the urban center ,the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is one of the famous Buddhist pagodas in China.Originally built in 589 A.Din the Sui Dynasty ,the temple was named Wulou temple .In 648A.D, Emperor Li Z

hi , then still a crown prince ,sponsored a repair project on the temple in memory of his mother ,Empress Wende .It then assumed the present name Da Ci'en Temple (the Temple of Thanksgiving ). The temple consisted of 1,879 magnificient rooms and was a place of grand extent in tang dynasty. The Tang Regime gave orders to build a chamber for the translation of Buddist scriptures and appointed the widely renowned Master Xuan Zang(Monk Tripitaka) the head of temple.Xuan Zang was both a great translator and traveler .He spent 17 years doing research into Buddhism in Indian ,he returned to Chaang'an in 645A.D with 657 volumes of Buddhist scriptures.Xuan Zang stayed in temple for 12 years and translated 1,335 volumes of buddhist scriptures. In Tang Dynasty ,every successful candidate who passed the imperial examination would climb up the pogoda and write poems and inscriptoins to indicate that he would have soaring career in the future .

SHAANXI HISTORY MUSEUM: Shaanxi History Museum is a sizable national museum with a wide rang of modern facilities .The entire building complex assumes the architectural features of Tang Dynasty.It covers an area of 70,000 square meters ,with a floor space of over 50,000 square

meters .It houses the culture heritage of Shaanxi Province and shows the development of Chinese civilization .The state government invested 144 million yuan in establishment of Shaanxi History Museum. It was completed and open to public in June ,1991. The museum shows a great deal of elegance and originally in style .It asssumes the arechitectural features of ancient Chinese palaces and courtyards.It houses 113,000historical and cultural artifacts unearthed in Shaanxi .Its exhibition halls cover an area of 1,100 square meters . The museum displays the historic artifacts excavated in province.The exhibibition may be divided in to seven major sections :the Prehistoric Age, the Zhou,the Qin ,the Han ,the Wei , the Jin , the North, the South , the Sui ,the Tang ,the Song , the Yuan , the Ming ,and the Qing .All the exhibitions vividly and systematically depict the history of Shaanxi Province, ranging from 1,150,000 years ago to the year 1840.Back in history ,11 dynasty established their capitals in Shaanxi Province,with a duration of more than 1,000 years .This area was established as the national capital by more dynasties and for longer periods than any other place in China.In a way the ancient history of Shaanxi is microcosm of Chinese history.

THE GREAT MOSQUE :The Great Mosque is the most sizable of its kind in Xi'an ,and also one of the oldest and best-preserved mosques in China. The Stone Tablet on the Building of M

osque says that it was built in Tang Dynasty. However ,judgig from its architectural style,it was possibly built in Ming Dynasty .Its four courtyards cover an area of more than 12,000square meters ,with building area of 4,000 square meters .The still intact wooden memorial arch in front yard was built at the turn of the 17 th century. With glazed tiles ,spectacular corners ,and upturned eaves ,it stands about 9meters high ,and has a history of about 360 years.The Great Mosque is located in Huajue Lane, it is the major spot for the religious activities of over 60,000 Moslems in Xi'an .It is also an important historical monument in Shaanxi Province. Unlike Arabian mosques with splendid domes ,skyward minarets ,and dazzlig patterns this mosque possesses much Chinese tradition in both design and artistic outlook.It assumes the striking features of Chinese pavilions ,with painted beams and engraved ridgepoles.

THE BELL TOWER AND THE DRUM TOWER:The Bell Tower is a classical building with carved beams and painted rafters .It stands in the center of the downtown area .It houses a bell which was originally used to stricke time every morning in ancient times .Ever since its establishment, it has become the symbol of Xi'an.The Bell Tower ws first built in YingXiang Temple in 1384,which used to mark the center of city .It was moved to its present site in 1582 as a result of the city's expansion promgram .Now, it is an important historical monument in Shaanxi Province. About 500meters northwest of the Bell Tower stands another magnificient building ,the Drum Tower .It was built in 1380,four years earlier than the Bell Tower .There used to a huge drum in the tower which told the time at the dusk.The base of Drum Tower is 1,924square meters in size, and 34meters high.The Drum Tower is now a historical monument in Shaanxi Province .The bell in the Bell Tower and the drum in the Drum Tower have been referred to as "the Morning Bell" and "the Dusk Drum".

QIANLING MAUSOLEUM :Qianling Mausoleum is joint tomb of Gao Zong (Li Zhi,628-683A.D),the third emperor of Tang Dynasty and his empress Wu Zetian(624-705A.D). Wu Zetian was only empress in Chinese history .The mausoleum lies on Liangshan Hill ,6 kilometers north

of Qianxian county ,and about 80kilometers northwest of Xi'an. It was built in 682A.D, and brought into completion 32years later .It is located on Liangshan Hill,1,047 meters above sea level .On both sides of the sacred way in front of the tomb , 124 exquisite and lively stone statues are lined up from north to south .They include a pair of octagonal cloud pillars ,a pair of winged horses, a pair of scarlet birds ,five pairs of stone horses ,and ten pairs of guarding generals with helmets on their heads and swords in their hands .In addtion ,outside the south gate there are two tablets: the Tablets to the Holy Deeds of Emperor GaoZong and the worldless Tablet to Wu Zetian .there are aslo 61 stone statues representing the heads of the ethnic minority groups and envoys from friendly countries who came to attend Emperor GaoZong's funeral .

THE TOMB OF CROWN PRINCE YI DE :The tomb of Crown Prince Yi De lies to the southeast of Qianling Mausoleum .Prince Yi De ,called Li Chongrun ,was the first son of LiXian.He was killed in LuoYang in 701A.D for his anger with WuZetian's dictatorship..The excavation of tomb was carried out from July,1971to May ,1972. There were a mound and enclosure walls .To the south of the walls were a pair of stone lions ,two pairs of stone figure s, and a pair of oblisks .The tomb consists of tomb passage ,three doors ,seven skylights ,eight niches,front and back tunnels as well as front and back tomb chamber. It is 100.8meters long .The tomb is large in scale and abundant with burial articles.

FAMEN TEMPLE :Famen Temple is lied in Famen Town 10kilometers north o

f Fufeng County seat ,120 kilometers west of Xi'an .It is a famous temple in China. It was built in ancient times to house the fingerbones of Sakyamuni,the found of Buddhism. Famen means the initial approach to become a Buddhist believer.Famen temple was constructed in Eastern Han Dynasty because of the stupa there.Famen Temple and its stupa enjoyed the reputation of being the "forefather of pagoda and the temples in Central Shaanxi" The finger bone discovered at Famen Templeis the only real finger bone of the Buddha that has been discovered and maintained in world . Many other relics were also unearthed from the underground palace ,they are considered to be national treasures.

XIANYANG MUSEUM: XianYang Museum, which was originally a Confucian temple ,was reconstructed and open to public in 1962. XianYang City is 28 kilometers away from Xi'an .It was the capital of the famous Qin Dynasty in Chinese history. XianYang was a vital link of communication to the northwest part of China during Han Dynasty. It was also the imperial cemetery during Western Han Dynasty.This Museum focuses on the historical artifacts of these two dynasties .Its construction area is 3,855square meters and the exhibition area is 1,216square meters.It houses15,000 or more cultural artifacts, out of which 4,000are now on display .

MAOLING MAUSOLEUM :Maoling ,the mausoleum of Emperor Wu Di of the Western Han Dynasty, is located about 45kilometers fromXi'an . The tomb was built of rammed earth in the shape of a four-sided dipper ,46 meters high and 240meters long. Among the tombs of Western Han Dynasty,Maoling Mausoleum was the largest in dimension ,took the longest time to be built and had the richest funeral objects .

MOUNT HUA: Mount Hua stands in the south of Huayin County,120 kilometers east of Xi'an ,with an altitude of 2,200 meters .It is always known for its precipitousness.They are five peaks of Mount Hua :the Morning Sun Peak , the Lotus Flower Peak, the Jade Lady Peak, the Wild Goose-resting Peak and the Cloudy Terrace Peak .From a distance , these five peaks look like a lotus flower among the mountains,hence the name of Mount Hua.

The Small Wild Goose Pagoda The Pagoda was originally situated within the premises of the Felicity Temple in the Anren Block in Chang'an city of the Tang Dynasty. The Temple was founded in 684 A.D. (first year of Wenming of the Tang Emperor Ruizong), 100 days after the Emperor Gaozong's death, by the royal family and the aristocracy in order to "offer happiness" to the Emperor.

The Pagoda was constructed in 707 (first year of Jinglong of the Tang Emperor Zhongzong Li Xian). The pagoda is a square brick construction, 45 meters high with 15 tiers.

It is uniquely and delicately shaped, with a rhythmic series of projecting eaves. Above the arched doorways on the first tier are Tang engravings of ivy designs and Buddhist figures.

Small wild goose pagoda Attraction Bampo site Feng and Hao sites Qin Mausoleum Weiyang Palace(Han) Daming Palace(Tang) Zhaoling Mausoleum Qianling Mausoleum Big wild goose pagoda The Caotang Temple The Daxingshan Temple The Qinglong Temple The Xingjiao Temple The Xiangji Temple The great Mosque Shaanxi provincial museum Forest of steles The bell tower The drum tower The huaqing pool Mt.Huashan Xi'an city wall

The Forest of steles in Xi'an The Forest of Steles has the best steles of ancient dynasties of this province and is a treasure house of the Chinese calligraphic art.

The Forest of Steles founded in 1090 A.D. (fifth year of Yuanyou of the Northern Song Dynasty) houses over 2300 steles of the Han, Wei, Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Among the well-known steles of many dynasties are
"the Stele of Caoquan" of the Han,
"the Stele of Si Mafang" of the Jing,
"the Stele of the Canons of Filial Piety on Stone Terraces", "the Stele of the Stone Classics of Kaichen"
"the Popular Stele of Daqin Nestorianism" of the Tang.
Exhibited here are also stone tablets on which are engraved the handwritings of such Tang calligraphical masters as Ouyang Xun, Chu Suiliang, Yan Zhenqing and Liu Gongquan.

The Xingjiao Temple The temple is situated at the foot of Shaoling Plateau, about 20 kilometers south of Xi'an. Built in 669 A.D. (second year of Zongzhang of the Tang Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi), the temple is the location of the pagoda under which the famous Tang monk Xuanzang was buried. Xuanzang's given name was Chen Yi, but he was honored as a "Master of Sanzang".

He became a monk at 13, went to India to bring back the the Buddhist scriptures at 28 and returned to Chang'an at 44.
During his search of the Buddhist scriptures, he mastered all kinds of Buddhist theories and later translated 1335 volumes of the scriptures in 75 sets from Sanskrit into Chinese, created Faxiang, a major sect of Buddhism and wrote a book called "Records of Travel in the Western Region" which is a very important document of ancient times.