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There is more to the ancient capital of Xi'an than just clay soldiers.
Just like we often use Gaulish to describe people of French ethnicity, there’s also another word for the Chinese: Han.
As the seat of dozens of imperial capitals, Northwest China’s Shaanxi province is rich in cultural relics. Among its precious collections, 18 pieces have been listed as national treasures.
Not only did Shaanxi see the beginning of Chinese civilization, but it was also home to the capital of 13 dynasties and cradle of Chinese ideology.
Shaanxi, the seat of several dynasties in China’s history, is the epitome of the traditional patriarchal system, which prioritized men over women. As a result social life has been somewhat masculinized.
In the Tang Chang’an, more than thousand years ago, lavishness was the rule of fashion.
It is more than a tomb.Buried in it is not only an emperor, but his whole empire.It took 720,000 men and 38 years to build.
An embankment about 3,500 m long and 40 m wide was built between the Mt. Lishan and the mausoleum to divert water from the mountain to the Weihe River and protect the tomb and the burial pits from water.
At a height of 2,160 meters above sea level and about 120km east of Xi'an , Huashan, literally Flower Mountain, is undoubtedly a sight for sore eyes.
As the symbol of the old-line Xi'an, Big Wild Goose Pagoda (Dayan Pagoda) is a well-preserved ancient building and a holy place for Buddhists.
Covering an area of 16.3 hectares (40.4 acres), it mainly consists of the Xi'an Museum, the ancient Jianfu Temple built in the year 684 AD during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) and the famous Small Wild Goose Pagoda.
In Xi'an, the city wall includes four gates and they are respectively named as Changle (meaning eternal joy) in the east, Anding (harmony peace) in the west, Yongning (eternal peace) in the south and Anyuan (forever harmony) in the north.
The Drum Tower is located northwest of the Bell Tower of Xi'an, across the Bell Tower and Drum Tower Square. Both of them are called the 'sister buildings' or 'morning bell and dark drum'.
The Bell Tower, is a stately traditional building, that marks the geographical center of the ancient capital. From this important landmark extend East, South, West and North Streets, connecting the Tower to the East, South, West and North Gates of the City Wall of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
It was initially established in 1087 when some precious stone steles were moved here for safe keeping.
New Daming park gives visitors a peek into history
How to get to Xi'an?
With its rapid economic development, Xi'an is regarded as one of the most important cities in northwestern China. There are many big shopping centers, department stores and supermarkets in and around the city, centered mainly along Dong Dajie, Nan Dajie and Jiefang Lu.
One of the great delights of Xi'an is the way in which our ancient culture blends with the new in order to give the visitor a memorable experience of life in the city both as it was long ago and as it is today.
Here are a list of 47 hotels in Xi'an.
Visitors are able to take souvenirs when they tour Xi'an.
It was nightfall when our car stopped at a small eatery off a bumpy, dusty road. My friend assured me, "This is the best place to taste Qinzhen mi pi".
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