Attractions in Xian

Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses

Discovered in 1974, it is one of the most important archaeological finds in the 20th century. First chamber was discovered when local farmers drilled a well for water. A total of 700 soldiers, 100 chariots, 400 horses and more than 100,000 pieces of weapons were found at the site after excavation. Some of these weapons were still shiny when unearthed and this is considered a miracle in the history of metallurgy in the world.

City Walls

Built 650 years ago in the Ming Dynasty, the Wall was added on the Tang Dynasty walls. Being the most prominent walls built after medieval time, it is also the best-kept and biggest city walls in China. The height of the wall is around 12 meters with watchtowers rising up to above 20 meters. It is a good reference to study the old city plan, history, military and arts of construction in the dynasties.

Provincial Museum

Designed by the famous architect, Ms Zhang Jinqiu, the museum was completed and opened in 1991. The major colors of it, gray, white and black, present to visitors the grandeur and solemnness of the dynasties. Covering an area of 56,000 sq. meters, the huge building houses more than 370,000 pieces of historical relics. It is a representative of China museums.

Stele Museum

The biggest collection of stone books in China, the museum was set up in 1090AD to protect the scriptures of Tang Dynasty. More than 2,300 pieces of art works from 8 dynasties are displayed here. As there are so many stone tablets standing together, Chinese call it Stone Tablet Forest or Stele Forest. It is also the earliest museum of its kind in China. The contents include, but not limited to, Confucius ideology, emperors edicts, and great art works of calligraphy of famous literati in China history.

Banpo Museum

The ruins, lying north of Banpo Village on the eastern suburbs of Xi'an, became an in-site museum in 1958. Inside an area of 50,000 square metres, a residential quarter, a pottery-making area and a burial ground have been found, along with large numbers of tools used by members of a matriarchal clan in the Yellow River valley more than 6,000 years ago. The representative art-piece excavated is a basin carrying the special pattern of a man's face and fish.

Wild Goose Pagodas

Completed in 652, the 64.1-metre-high Big Wild-Goose Pagoda is a pavilion-like brick structure whose serene and well-proportioned form has become the emblem of the city of Xi'an. Coming later during the Tang, the Small Wild-Goose Pagoda is an exquisite and graceful 43.3-metre-high structure with 13 floors. Both these pagodas were built to house Buddhist scriptures and are enjoying good fame in the world.

The Grand Mosque

The Great Mosque of Xi'an serves over 60,000 Chinese Muslims in the Xi'an area. Founded in 742 during the Tang dynasty, the mosque was the religious center for Arab merchants operating in China. Unlike the mosques common to Arab countries, the Great Mosque of Xian has neither domes nor minarets. The style is almost wholly Chinese, except for the Arabic lettering and decorations that list the 99 names of God and verses from the Koran.
Inside the Great Mosque are such treasures as hand-copied Korans from the Ming dynasty and a calendar stone called "the Moon Tablet". Although there is no minaret, the "Introspection Tower", a two-story pagoda, serves the same function.

Farmers Paintings

Originating in the countryside, the paintings reflects the aesthetic views of the farmers with strong colors and contrast. Contents are mostly about everyday life, including work in the fields, chat over the table and such. Selected art pieces have won national awards and high fame in international exhibitions. Over 18700 pieces have been collected by individuals and museums outside of China.