Xiangji Temple

Xiangji Temple, located in Weiqu, Chang’an district, 17 kilometers to the south of the Xian City, was built in the Year two in the Reign of the Emperor Zhongzong in Tang Dynasty (706AD). The main builder of the temple is monk Huai Yun for mourning the death of his master monk Shandao who was a renowned monk in Tang dynasty and believed to be one of the initiators of a branch of Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism. Referring to the origin of name of the temple, there are two versions. One says that the temple is named after a river called Xiangji once near the temple in Tang Dynasty. Another saying tells that the temple’s name “Xiangji” roots in Sutra, which is the name of an ancient Indian Buddha, meaning heaped fragrance.

The highlight of the temple is the Shandao Dagoba, 33 meters high, built in 680AD. It was the simulated architectural woodwork made in green bricks. Experiencing the wind and storm, the top two stories of the pagoda had worn away with the baptism of history, leaving only 11 stories. There are twelve saddle-backed half-naked carved Buddhas stenciled on the dagoba, which are very delicate. Besides, the dagoba is also carved with the regular script of diamond Sutra. Undergoing the chaos caused by wars during Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties, the temple was in disrepair for many years and today’s temple is the layout after the renovation in Year 37 in the Reign of Emperor Qianlong in Qing Dynasty.

The Site of Chang'an of the Han Dynasty

The Site of Chang'an of the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD) is located about five kilometers northwest of today's Xi'an city, the capital of Shaanxi Province. Chang'an city was first built during the period of the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-25AD). The ruins of this city are just separated by Longshouyuan Mountains from the ruins of another city, the capital of the Tang Dynasty (618AD-907AD), which was also named Chang'an. The Chang'an city of the Han Dynasty was very large in area with exquisite designs and layout. As a proof of the long history and deep culture of today's Xi'an city, this city had always served as the political, economic and cultural center during the two hundred years in the Western Han Dynasty. And this area nowadays is under state-level protection.

It took the ancient people more than 90 years to finish the construction of the whole city. It could be divided into three phases. At that time, inside this city there were numerous luxurious palaces, great mansions and big temples. The most famous places included Changle (it means forever happiness) Palace, Weiyang (it means that something has not ended) Palace and Jianzhang Palace. In the year 202BC, Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, ordered to repair the original Xingle (it means thrived and happy) Palace from the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC), and renamed it Changle Palace. After that he began to construct his capital city as well as handle the state affairs in Changle Palace. According to historical records, Liu Bang ordered to build Changle Palace as soon as he and his army came to Chang'an city, and as a result, this palace was one of the earliest palaces in the city. Other palaces were built much later than this one, such as the Jianzhang Palace, which was constructed actually more than 80 years later during the reign of Emperor Wu (Wu means valiant), and Chang'an city was also renovated and enlarged at that period. The famous Kunming Lake, which was mentioned in the poem of Du Fu, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty, was also constructed at Emperor Wu's reign.

In the year 199BC, the emperor decided to build Weiyang Palace on the west side of Changle Palace in order to accommodate his big royal family. This was the first phase in the construction of Chang'an city, during which some giant palaces were built.

Then in the year of 194BC, during the reign of Emperor Hui (Hui means kind), the original city walls were repaired and rebuilt. The whole project lasted more than four years and ended in September, 190BC. This was the second phase.

The third phase began much later, starting with the construction of Jianzhang Palace. In the year 104BC, when Emperor Wu ascended the throne, he ordered to build the Northern Palace, Gui Palace, Mingguang Palace, and Jianzhang Palace. In the meanwhile, Shanglin Garden and Kunming Lake were also constructed in the western part of the city, where Jianzhang Palace was located. When these projects were all finished, the whole construction and renovation of capital city came to an end. This was the last phase.

The whole Chang'an city in the Han Dynasty had a circumference of 25.7 kilometers, covering an area of 36 square meters. However, the shape of the city was not a regular rectangle. It actually looked like the shape of the Big Dipper. As a result, the city was nicknamed Big Dipper City. The streets in the city were all in quite reasonable layouts, with eight big main streets, 160 alleys and nine districts. All the streets were very flat and wide, and they were 12 times as wide as today’s railway tracks. On either side of the streets, trees were planted, including Chinese locust trees, elms, pines and cypresses, which were densely distributed and could create large shade at summer. In its golden time, the whole city had a population of over 300,000. It was regarded as one of the earliest big cities in Chinese history.

The positions of most original streets in Chang'an city of the Han Dynasty could not be fully figured out by experts at present. In the northern part of the city, there used to be nine big markets, of which one was specially used for book trade. All the markets had their own special functions, which could reflect the prosperity of the capital city.

According to the archeological materials and the results of excavations, the city walls of the Chang'an city were all constructed with yellow earth. With a height of 12 meters and width of 12 to 16 meters, the walls were protected by a three-meter-deep moat, which was as wide as 8 meters. According to excavation results, there were altogether 12 big gates and 36 smaller ones, and the two numbers were in accordance with historical records.

With the renovation and enlargement project finished under the order of Emperor Wu, there was no more construction work ever done after his reign. Between the Han and the Tang Dynasties, there were another five small kingdoms establishing their capitals here, including Former Zhao, Former Qin, Later Qin, Western Wei and Northern Zhou, which were all small kingdoms or states during the period of Northern and Southern Dynasties (420AD-581AD). In addition, two famous leaders of peasant uprising in Chinese history including Huang Chao in the Tang Dynasty and Li Zicheng in the Ming Dynasty (1368AD-1644AD) both used to establish their capitals here for a short period. According to historical materials from the period between the Han and the Tang Dynasties, generally speaking, there were more than 88,000 permanent families living in the city of Chang‘an with a total population of over 240,000, making it one of the biggest and most prosperous cities in the world at that time.

What's more, during the process of excavation work on the site of Chang'an city in the Han Dynasty, relics of big wooden bridges were discovered, which were quite rarely seen in China. Nowadays all the Chinese people hope that the ancient relics of Chang'an city could be protected better. It is hoped to exist so long that all the human beings in the world would be able to learn as much as possible about the great ancient Chinese civilization.

The Ruins of Daming Palace

As an imperial palace with a large scale of buildings constructed in the early Tang Dynasty (618AD-907AD), Daming Palace at that time was situated in the northern part of Chang'an City, namely Xi'an, which was the capital of the Tang Dynasty. Just like all the other traditional Chinese architectures, Daming Palace was constructed facing the south, with a grand atmosphere and occupying a commanding position. This palace was first built in the year 634AD, the eighth year of Emperor Taizong, who was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty. At that time, it was named Yong'an Palace and Yong'an means 'forever safety' in Chinese. The emperor built this palace as the summer palace for his father, who however died before the whole project was finished. Then the next year the palace was renamed Daming Palace. After that the name of this palace was changed twice, and not until the year 705AD was the name finally changed back to Daming Palace again.

This palace covered a large area at that time with a lot of terraces. It was 2.5 kilometers from north to south and 1.5 kilometers from east to west, with eleven palace gates in total. The whole palace was as large as 3.2 square kilometers. The main gate of the palace was Danyang Gate and the main hall was Hanyuan Hall, on the north of which was Xuanzheng Hall, with the prime minister and other high rank officials' offices, the imperial academy and the hall preserving historical materials on its two sides. In addition, there were another more than thirty constructions, including annex buildings, pavilions, gardens and temples. From the reign of Emperor Gaozong, the third emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Daming Palace became the political center of the Tang Dynasty. In spite of wars and fires in history, the ruins of Hanyuan Hall, Linde Hall, Sanqing Hall, Lingluan Attic, Xifeng Attic, Taiye Pool and Penglai Pavilion could still be seen today.

In the history, the area of Chang'an used to be the symbol of wealth, honor and beauty. In the West Han Dynasty (207BC-25AD), this area was the buffer zone between the capital city and Bashang Plateau, which was the most important strategic military fortification of the Han Dynasty, and it was also the only way leading to the central part of China. This piece of land was on the southern slope of Longshouyuan Montain, and the fortifications built here protected the capital city. This place had also been considered to be a valuable land with a good geomantic omen by the ancient Chinese people for hundreds of years. From the Western Han Dynasty to the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420AD-589AD), rich people and high rank officials always built their tombs here, while the poor and the other common people never had the opportunity to make use of this land. Later in the Sui Dynasty (581AD-618AD), this place was listed as the private property of the royal family. The whole area was 27 kilometers from east to west and 23 kilometers from north to south. Royal gardens, recreational constructions, pavilions, lakes, and attics were all built inside, making it a paradise of the royal family members.

After the founding of the Tang Dynasty in 618AD, it became much more important in politics, because Daming Palace was built here. Daming palace has been considered to be a masterpiece in the history of Chinese architecture. The name of the palace---Daming, in Chinese means great sunshine, symbolizing the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty. However, two hundred years later during Emperor Xizong's reign, this splendid palace was destroyed by fire in wars. The prosperity and the beautiful sceneries disappeared in the fire, but its great historical value still exists today. Even though many of the original architectures in the Daming Palace are no longer existed, but the original city walls and the city gates have been very well protected. The great foundations of Hanyuan Hall, Linde Hall, Sanqing Hall, Dafu Hall and Danfeng Gate are still standing there today, more than 10 meters above the ground. They still look wonderful and great. When visitors come to visit this area, facing the ruins of the original great palace, they will have a special feeling and understanding of the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.

In the Song (960AD-1279AD) and Yuan (1271AD-1368AD) Dynasties, big lakes, high trees and great forest were also distributed here. Kublai Khan, the founding emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, used to live in this area. Later Anxi Palace, which was the mansion of the provincial governor, was constructed here. Marco Polo also wrote something about this place in his travelling book, and he described it in this way, 'this place used to be the imperial palace of the Tang Dynasty, and nowadays it is still quite beautiful and serene. Anxi Palace has been founded here and the architectures are so magnificent, with decorations of lacquers, paintings, golden leaves, silver adornments, and numerous marble stones. There are even precious birds and rarely-seen beasts raised inside.'

After the Yuan Dynasty, this area gradually became less and less prosperous, small villages and farmlands were distributed. Without the original prosperity, the old Daming Palace and the great past of this piece of land were forgotten little by little by many of the Chinese people.

It is said that in the Tang Dynasty when the workers were constructing the Daming Palace, an ancient bronze mirror was dug out from the ground. Then Wei Zheng, a famous official from the court found that it was actually a precious treasure of Qinshihuang, a great emperor who united China in 221BC and set up a large country. This mirror was believed to be quite powerful and magical, because people could see clearly the inside of their bodies from it. More importantly, the emperor could be able to tell the loyalty of his officials and even the future of his country from this mirror. When the construction of the palace was finished, the mirror was put inside as the most important treasure of the whole palace. Rumors at that time abounded in the capital city that great bright light from Daming Palace could be seen by people living all over the city. However, it is just a legend and still needs to be investigated by experts. But the Daming Palace, which is a typical example of the royal architecture from the Tang Dynasty, could be compared with today's Forbidden City in Beijing, because of its solemn, majesty, elegance and luxury.

the Tang Paradise

The Tang Paradise, situated in Qujiang Economic Development District, south of the Xian city, is the first and largest cultural theme park of the Royal Park of Tang Dynasty in China. It is the largest simulated Tang-style building complex in the world. Located in the site of the relic of original royal garden, the Tang Paradise recurs the prosperity of Tang Dynasty from various aspects: architecture, culture, business, politics, entertainment, sports and arts. Almost everything in the Tang Paradise is in Tang style such as the cloth of the workers and actors, the music, the dance, the food and the drink. Visitors to the Tang Paradise will surprisingly to find they come back to the ancient China in Tang Dynasty.

The Tang Paradise can be divided into six districts: the District of Tang Traditions and customs where visitors can enjoy the splendid culture of Tang Dynasty; the District of Business Exchange featured with a business and culture street in Tang style; the District of Entertainment and Sports characterized by a series of recreations and games in Tang Dynasty; the District of Theme Catering where visitors can experience the Imperial Banquet personally; the District of High-grade Hotels and the Children’s Garden. Among them, the District of Tang Traditions and Customs is the most popular destination thanks to its large-scale Tang-style singing and dancing performances called Tang Dynasty Show and the water-screen movies which is the largest in the world.

Southern Wutai

Southern Wutai is one of the most holy places for Buddhists. It lies 30 km south of Xian.

On this lush and beautiful mountain stand five peaks, respectively named, Qingliang, Wenshu, Sheshen, Lingying and Guanyin. Driving by car to the top of the mountain takes only 20-30 mins. Climbing the mountain by foot offers the most enjoyable and outstandingly beautiful views.

Experience the many streams and crossing bridges, while traversing through bamboo with views of the temple resting on its slope as birds muse above. Absorb the ancient edifices of Shengshou Temple, Shengbao Spring, Zhizhu Temple, Guanying Dais, Wufo Palace, along the peaceful ascent, as an early styled replica called "Dusong Pavillion serves as a resting place for visitors.

Southern Wutai has been a famous Buddhist place as well as a resort for the emperors of a series of dynasties past. It is part of the Zhongnanshan National Forest Park which boasts the name of "natural park of plants and animals." Once inside, one will thoroughly enjoy the diverse range of views that the park has to offer in all of its seasons.

Terracotta warrior chess 2

About 2000 years ago the Emperor of Qin in China recreated his entire army in detailed terracotta to be buried with him when he passed on. Now you can have your own specially crafted army ready to fight your chess battles with the Terracotta Warrior Polystone Chess Set. The remarkable detail have made Qin`s warriors one of the most well-known and respected icons of Chinese artistry from ancient times.

As the first emperor of China and the man whose name became the word “China’ in the West. His tomb, opened in the 1970`s. The man and the myth combine perfectly in this classic chess set, peopled by Emperor of China and his retinue of courtesans and warriors.Durable polystone pieces, made from a mixture of polyurethane resin and powdered stone, have a satisfying weight and texture that will appeal to casual players and collectors alike.

Terracotta Warrior Chess

About 2000 years ago the Emperor of Qin in China recreated his entire army in detailed terracotta to be buried with him when he passed on. Now you can have your own specially crafted army ready to fight your chess battles with the Terracotta Warrior Polystone Chess Set. The remarkable detail have made Qin`s warriors one of the most well-known and respected icons of Chinese artistry from ancient times.
As the first emperor of China and the man whose name became the word “China’ in the West. His tomb, opened in the 1970`s. The man and the myth combine perfectly in this classic chess set, peopled by Emperor of China and his retinue of courtesans and warriors.Durable polystone pieces, made from a mixture of polyurethane resin and powdered stone, have a satisfying weight and texture that will appeal to casual players and collectors alike.

Small Wild Goose Pagoda

Called Jianfu Temple, a Small Wild Goose Pagoda, it is one of the two important landmarks of the ancient metropolis of Tang Dynasty (the other is the Big Wild Goose Pagoda). Built in the Years of Jinglong reign (707-709 A.D.), 55 years after the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the pagoda is so named because, it is smaller than the latter. It was part of the well known Buddhist temple Xianfu and was renamed Jianfu in 609 A.D. by empress Wuzetian, the only empress in China's history.

Small Wild Goose Pagoda is a fifteen-storey multi-eave, square brick structure. Originally, it was 46 meters high but now only 43.3 meters, because its steeple was destroyed. It has a square pedestal and a huge first storey, whose sides measure 11.38 meters long each. Doors on the north and south sides of the first storey have frames built of black stone. Carved on the lintel are images of arhats and designs of grasses, their excellent workmanship reflects the artistic style of the early Tang Dynasty. The pagoda has fifteen pent roofs. Each storey is very low with small windows only on the south and north sides to let in light and air. The eaves are formed by designs in the shape of chevrons and fifteen tiers of overlapping bricks, each tier wider than the one below, thus making the eaves curve inward, a characteristic of multi-eave pagodas in the Tang Dynasty. The exterior of the pagoda tapers gradually from the bottom. From the first to the fifth storey it tapers very little, but from the sixth storey up, it reduces drastically, giving the pagoda a smooth curved contour. The tubular interior of the pagoda has wooden flooring and a winding flight of wooden steps leading to other storeys, but there is little space and it is rather dark inside the pagoda. Since people cannot look at the view from the top of the pagoda, it was not built for people to climb up.

In the 1200 years history of its existence, there have even been many "magic healings" of the Pagoda. In 1487, there was an earthquake of 6 points on the Richter scale and a one-foot crack formed in the Pagoda from the top to the bottom. However, in 1521, 34 years after the quake, there came another one. The crack healed overnight, which amazed the local people. Therefore they began to call it the "Magic Healing". In September 1555, an official from the capital, named Wang He, stayed in the temple for a night on his way home. After he heard the story of the "Magic Healing" from a monk called Kan Guang who had personally witnessed the incident, out of disbelief, he engraved this story on the lintel of the Pagoda's north gate. However, when repair work started after 1949, it was found that the healing was not "magic", but "human". The early builders of the pagoda had made the foundation into the shape of a hemisphere in accordance with the geographic nature of Xi'an. The foundation therefore evenly divided the stress of the earthquakes. Thus, after enduring 70 quakes, the pagoda still stands as firm as when it was first established. Looking at this, we can only admire the marvelous workmanship of the ancient builders. In 1555, there was another earthquake in Huaxian County of this province. As a result, the top two storeys of the pagoda were destroyed and the present structure has only 13 storeys. In 1965, the Government embarked on a repair program on the Small Wild Goose Pagoda in the spirit of "returning the old to the original". The body of the pagoda was enforced with steel and concrete. Every brick, every piece of stone was checked or replaced. The stair- case of the pagoda was also rebuilt. And a lightening rod was fixed on top of the pagoda as well.

Qinling Wildlife Park

The Qinling Wildlife Park is the biggest wildlife park in Northwest China, with a total area over 133 hectares. There are more than 10000 rare wild animals from over 300 species in the park. The Qinling Wildlife Park consists of two parts: the Animal houses and Enclosures District and Prairie District.

The Animal Houses and Enclosures District, with a total floor space of 130,000 square meters, house over 8000 animals belonging to 260 species, including giant pandas, lesser pandas, golden snub-nosed monkeys, Bengal tigers, kangaroos, elephants, sea lions, sea dogs, hippos, white tigers and various kinds of rare birds.

The Prairie District can be divided into to parts: the Vegetarian Zone and the Predator Zone, coving a total area of 490,000 square meters. Visitors should take a sightseeing bus into the Prairie District. In the Vegetarian Zone, there are various kinds of vegetarian from different regions around the world, such as the white-lipped deer living only in China, the rare Himalayan tahr living only in the southern region at the foot of Mountain Himalaya; the zebra, gnu, antelope from Africa and so on. The Predator Zone is located in the southern part of the Qinling Wildlife Park. Visitors can appreciate the beasts of prey in very close distance, which will be very exciting and of course the visitors’ security can be safeguarded in the well-equipped sightseeing bus

Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang

Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang ( also called Mausoleum of the First Qin Empero) stands on the foot of Lishan , 30km east to Xi'an. Its south backs on to the Lishan and its north touches the Wei River. The big Mausoleum integrates with the Lishan mountains, offering unique landscape for sightseeing.

In 246 BC, after Qin Shihuang (means "the first emperor of the state of Qin" in Chinese) ascended the throne of Qin ( a state in that period), he ordered to build his final resting palace. This authoritative emperor left behind the world with great achievement and mysterious royal mausoleum as well. The construction lasted 38 years, confiscating over 720000 corvees and prisoners. Modern surveys of the site show that the mausoleum is indeed divided into an inner sanctuary and outer city. According to historical record, the mausoleum originally has 250000 sq. meters built—up area in the bottom and 115m high. Unfortunately, because of erosion and man-made breach, the mausoleum currently remains 120000 sq. meters in the bottom and 87 meters high. Around the mausoleum, there are lots of accompanying Mausoleums, which consist of 56.25 sq. km Mausoleum area. In addition to the discovered Terracotta Warriors Vaults and Bronze Horses Vault, there are more vaults containing other relics being discovered recently. As time goes by, it's bound to discover more relics. Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang boasts a Chinese history museum, therefore, it's well-known to the outside world.

Louguantai Wild Animal Breeding and Protection Centre

There are many rare and endangered animals at the Louguantai Wild Animal Breeding and Protection Centre in Zhouzhi County. The Centre is based approximately 76 kilometres (1.5 hours) from Xian. It is the first crested ibis breeding centre in China. Apart from crested ibis, there are also many other rare animals including giant pandas, golden monkeys, black bears, leopards, giant salamanders, peacocks, antelope, white lipped deer, musk deer, vulture and owl.

As one of the fifty rarest birds in the world, the crested ibis is regarded as an "Oriental treasure" and has been afforded special protection in China. In the last century the bird widely spread over Asia. China, Japan, Russia and many other Asian countries were once habitats of the crested ibis. As a consequence of the widespread destruction of forests and wetland habitats, and the illegal hunt for its long white breeding plumage, the species declined dramatically to a population of hundreds. The bird, somewhat like the Chinese egret, is extraordinary beautiful, with red cheeks, a hooked beak and white plumage. It was regarded as a symbol of happiness and good luck by the ancient Chinese and was even called the "bird of auspiciousness"

Shanxi is the only habitat for this rare bird in China. The Louguantai Crested Ibis Breeding Centre is a famous breeding base for the crested ibis away from its original birth places. 21 crested ibis have been bred over the last year and there are more expected this year. To help them avoid distraction from outsiders, workers here put each "couple" in an enclosed huge netting cage.

A Giant Panda Breeding Centre is also under consideration which will be the fourth of its kind in China after that in Wolong, Sichuan, Chengdu, and Beijing

Lishan Mountain

Lishan Mountain, a north-side branch of the Qinling Mountains, reaches 1256 meters and over 20 km long from east to west. From a distance, the mountain is spectacular and imposing as it appears like a bold stallion about to gallop. The mountain also has been described as being so attractive and charming that there are now many folk tales attached to it.

The mountain is home to some ancient and historic buildings. Among them is the Laojun Palace and the relics of Huaqing Palace Court. It once served as the sacred place for worshipping Laozi, the founder of Taoism.

Another is Bingjian Pavilion, a place in memory the Xi'an Incident on 12, Dec,1936, General Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng ordered his army to arrest their president to persuade the leader to unite the whole country to fight against the Japanese invasion.

Standing atop the Lishan Mountain, one can enjoy the magnificent sunsets and sunrises that will make your visit memorable.