Xi'an

    Xi'an, known as Chang'an in ancient times, is the capital of Shaanxi Province. Xi'an is one of the famous historical and cultural cities in China. With a history of over 3,100 years, Xi'an ranks first in the seven ancient capitals in China and is known as one of the four major capitals with ancient civilization in the world together with Ancient Rome, Athens and Cairo. Xi'an is rich in tourism resources and embraces 98 historical monuments and cultural relics, more than 4,000 ancient ruins, mausoleums and tombs, and 120,000 unearthed cultural relics under city protection. The terra-cotta warriors, horses and bronze chariots of the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-207 B.C.) made a sensation at home and abroad.

Museum of the First Emperor Qin Shihuang's Terra
----cotta Warriors and Horses

    The museum is located 1.5 kilometers east of the Mausoleum of the First Emperor Qin Shihuang. The emperor's terra cotta army was found in three underground timber lined vaults. Pit 1 contained chariots and ranks of six thousand soldiers. Pit 2 held fourteen hundred figures of cavalrymen, horses and infantrymen, along with ninety wooden chariots. Pit 3 contained about seventy figures. Excavating them has been a massive undertaking. To date, more than a thousand warriors have been reassembled.

Mausoleum of the First Emperor Qin Shihuang

    Located 5 km away from Lintong County is the mausoleum of China's first emperor Qin Shihuang (259-210 B.C.), who was the first to unite the county. The tomb is 76 meters high and has a circumference of 2,000 meters.

The Greater Wild Goose Pagoda

    The pagoda in Ci'en Temple in the south of Xi'an is the symbol of the city. It was built in 652 in the Tang Dynasty to safekeep the 657 volumes of Buddhist scriptures brought back from India by Monk Xuan Zhuang.

Banpo Museum

    Located in the eastern suburb of Xi'an is the 6,000-year-old Banpo Site. It was a typical matriarchal clan community in the Yellow River Valley. Covering an area of 50,000 square meters, it includes a residential area, a pottery area, and a burial ground.

Huaqing Hot Springs

    The Huaqing Hot Springs, located about 35 kilometers east of Xi'an city at the foot of the Lishan Mountain, is a must for every visitor to Xi'an. For centuries emperors came here to bathe and enjoy the scenic beauty, and it has been a favorite spa since the Tang Dynasty.

City Wall

    Built during the Tang Dynasty when the city, called Chang'an, was the capital, the wall is the only complete city wall extant in China. The rectangular wall is 11.9 kilometers long, 12 meters high, 12-14 meters wide on top, and 15-18 meters wide at the base.

Shaanxi History Museum

    Situated to the west of the Greater Wild Goose Pagoda and covering an area of 70,000 sq. meters, Shaanxi History Museum, with a total floor space of 56,000 sq. meters, is one of China's first museums with modern equipments. The whole collection of the museum vividly reflects China's ancient history from the primitive society to the Tang Dynasty.

Qianling Tomb

    Lying on Liangshan Hill north of Qianxian County is the joint mausoleum of Tang emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi) and his consort Empress Wu Zetian.