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Xi'an

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Silk Roads Programme. An ancient imperial capital and eastern departure point of the Silk Road, Xi’an (formerly Chang’an) has long been an important crossroads for people from throughout China, Central Asia, and the Middle East, and thus a hub of diverse ethnic identities and religious beliefs.

Silk Roads Programme

The central location of Xi'an in what is now the Shaanxi Province, near the confluence of the Wei and Feng Rivers, helps explain why the area was the site of several important imperial capitals for almost a millennium of Chinese history. The first unified Chinese empire, the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), had its capital just north of the current city, where the impressive tomb complex of the Qin emperors was discovered, famously containing more than 8000 terracotta statues spread over some 56 square kilometres. The Qin were succeeded by the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), who began the construction of Chang’an. Meet Xian in the Starting Point of Silk Road. If comparing China as a tree, Beijing will be the tree crown, Xian will be the root system of the tree.

Meet Xian in the Starting Point of Silk Road

The deposit of Chinese culture continues in Xian from thousands of years ago till now. Xian is best known for hometown of Terracotta Warriors and Horses. Now with the rising of Silk Road Tour, Xian has one more tag: starting point of Silk Road. Day 1Bell Tower and City Wall Bell Tower and Drum Tower are the landmark of Xian city center. Descending Bell and Drum Towers you could walk southward for 1o minutes to visit City Wall. Some people prefer to join in a Small Group City Sightseeing Tour to see the city with a guide since most of sites in Xian are historical ones. Day 2 Xian City Sightseeing Daming Palace Ruins Park is a national heritage park built on the ruins of Daming Palace, the imperial palace of the Tang Dynasty. Xian Museum locates in the ancient Chinese garden style Small Wild Goose Pagoda Scenic Area.

Day 3 Terracotta Warriors Museum and Huaqing Hot Spring. Where is Starting Point of Silk Road. Nowadays Silk Road is an arising tourist route, but actually in 2000 years ago it was opened as a trading route.

Where is Starting Point of Silk Road

And when mentioning Silk Road Cities in China, Dunhuang, Kashgar, Turpan, and Urumqi may come to one’s mind first. So when planning a Silk Road tour, these cities are considered as the must see ones. Indeed these cities are among the crucial spots along ancient Silk Road, but in fact along the Silk Road there are much more cities. Some of them survived from history, and many small cities in today’s desert area disappeared due to either wars, natural disaster, land deterioration, or climate change. Some ruins of disappeared cities were discovered and open to tourist, and more of them are still sleeping in deep desert. Xian is best known as hometown of Terracotta Warriors and Horses and as capital city of 13 dynasties and kingdoms.

8 Facts Travelers Should Know Before Visiting Xi'an. Xi'an's Ancient City Wall Xi'an is often called the birthplace of Chinese civilization.

8 Facts Travelers Should Know Before Visiting Xi'an

Capital of Shaanxi Province and eastern end to the Silk Road, the history and cultural significance of Xi'an stretches through China's ancient past and into its bright future. Xi'an was the capital city of 13 imperial dynasties, the most for any city, and many ancient structures are preserved. "The First Emperor" united China from his base in the Xi'an area, and he has left a mighty legacy. Located in north central China, Xi'an is a popular tourist destination with foreigners and locals alike. 1.

The Terracotta Army Listed as one of "Must Visit" cities of China, Xi'an can often be found included on pre-planned tours of China. Xi'an is most famous for its Terracotta Warriors, which have become an international symbol of China's history. Nearly every type of traveler will find something to marvel at in Xi'an. 2. Xi'an cuisine Restaurants in Xi'an range from Cantonese to spicy Sichuan styles. 3. 4. Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a famous Buddhist pagoda in Xi'an. Situated in Da Ci'en (Great Kindness and Grace) Temple, about four kilometers from the urban center, Big Wild Goose Pagoda is one of the most famous Buddhist pagodas in China.

Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a famous Buddhist pagoda in Xi'an

When and Why the Pagoda Was Built The Pagoda was built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) for the study of Buddhist scriptures. Although it has been attacked by centuries of weather, war and seismic activity, which destroyed most of the original material of the structure, a pagoda by this name and style still exists on the site. The Tang regime gave orders to build a chamber for the translation of Buddhist scriptures in an effort to have the then widely renowned Master Xuanzang agree to be the head of the temple.

Big Wild Goose Pagoda Xuanzang was a Buddhist monk who traveled to India, translated Sanskrit scriptures and developed theories of consciousness, karma and rebirth that were adopted by some later popular schools of Buddhism. Da Ci'en Temple A pagoda was built on the site in 589 A.D. in the Sui Dynasty.