| Click on an image or link below to go to a section. |
|
|
|
|
|
Shaanxi Province is a mountainous region cut in two by the river basin of the Yangtze River. Great civilizations were built on the plain created by the wanderings and erosion of the river. The geography and geology of the area supported the easy growth of agriculture and animal husbandry. |
|
|
|
|
|
The Banpo Village is part of the Yangshao Neolithic Culture. Somewhere between 5000 and 4000 BC people began to establish stable villages, make pottery, and develop cultural traditions. |
|
|
|
|
|
The Terracotta Warriors and Horses were one part of a vast burial city built for the first Qin emperor, Shi Huang Di (始皇帝, 246 BC–210 BC). |
|
|
|
|
|
The Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum 秦始皇兵马俑博物馆 has an extensive collection of bronzes and other objects associated with the Qin era and the terracotta warriors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Terracotta Factory is one of those places that tourists visit as part of any tour. They provide a kittke education and the "opportunity" to hunt for souvenirs. In this case, the chance to see the molds and examine reproductions at close quarters made the visit productive. |
|
|
|
|
|
During the Han Dynasty China was forged into a true nation. The Silk Road was officially opened with the support of government and both trade and industry brought wealth and ease to the country. |
|
|
|
|
The Famen Temple stands on a site that has been a Buddhist monastery since the Han Dynasty. It has seen both support during the Sui and Tang Dynasty and destruction during years of suppression. It is the home of the True Relics Pagoda. |
|
|
|
|
Culture during the Tang Dynasty advanced in all areas. Increased leisure made possible by long peace, increased trade, and new technologies allowed time for advances in the arts and sciences. |
|
|
|
|
Buddhism was introduced to China in the Han Dynasty, but it wasn't until the Tang Dynasty that it spread widely and became a dominant religion of the empire. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda was built to house the manuscripts and sutras brought from India for study and translation into Chinese. |
|
|
|
|
The Small Wild Goose Pagoda was built in 707 AD during the Tang Dynasty. |
|
|
|
|
|
The Xi'an City Walls were built during the Ming Dynasty, as was much of what we see in Xi'an today. The original walls of ancient Chang'an were more extensive, but by the Ming Dynasty the city center had shrunk. |
|
|
|
|
|
The Bell Tower 西安钟楼 was built in 1384 and moved to its present site in 1582. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Forest of Steles joins art with philosophy, religion, and history. |
|
|
|
|
|
The markets sell fish and brooms and everything you need. |
|
|
|
|
|
The Dumpling or Jiaozi is a famous dish in Xi'an and there are many restaurants devoted to creating elaborate and fantastic forms of this steamed delicacy. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Shaanxi Provincial History Museum is the best of over 100 excellent museums in Xi'an. The collection spans history from the Paleolithic Period through the Qing Dynasty. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Xi'an in Pictures
