Attraction & Sightseeing In Xi'an

BanPo Neolithic Village (banpo yizhi)

The is six kilometers east of Xi'an. This excavated site of a village dates back to 4500 BC and was discovered in 1953. The village during this period was called Yangshao and 45 houses, 6 pottery kilns, 200 storage pits, 250 adult's tombs and children's burial jars, 10,000 tools and utensils were unearthed. 

The distinct culture of these villagers was known as Yangshao culture. The most interesting aspect of this is that Yangshao culture was very artificial. There are more female tombs and graves here than male, and the women's graves contain more objects and valuables than their male counterparts do.

Today, the site itself is pretty flat and uninspiring. It takes a lot of imagination to picture how this place used to be and the Disney-style "Yangshao Village" which has been reconstructed at the site makes this area less appealing.

Opening hours: 8:00-18:00

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Dufu Memorial Temple

Dufu Temple is a the family Temple of Dufu, a famous poet from the Tang Dynasty. Political frustration and a life of poverty inspired this "Saintly poet" to write over 1,400 poems, most of which detail contemporary events. 

The Temple is an example of typical Tang dynasty architecture and contains a huge stone statue of the great poet. The most precious historical relic here is an ink copy of a stele written by Dufu which is the only existing inscription by the poet in the world.

If you have a particular passion for Chinese arts or poetry then the Temple is an interesting place to visit. Today, the Temple is still an important site for practicing Buddhists.

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Emperor Qin Shihuang's Tomb

Located at the foot of the Mountain Li and 2 km west of the Terracotta army, is the tomb of the Qin Emperor that the warriors were built to protect. This is a very tourist oriented site and it leaves many people feeling cold. Today, its hard to imagine the incredible glamour and grandeur that must have surrounded this tomb in 221 BC.

Emperor Qin ascended the throne when he was only thirteen years old and his reign is widely interpreted as being one dominated by centralized rule and tyranny. The terracotta army face eastwards, a reflection of the Emperor's fear of eastern invasion. 

Although the Emperor did bring peace to the eastern states and unified China, he also ordered that all books be destroyed (except those concerning the Qin Dynasty) and implemented high taxes to fund the Great Wall. Modern historians have revised the opinion of the Emperor as a philistine and dictator. They argue that the wealth of treasures found in his tomb and the artistic value of the warriors themselves are examples of high culture and artistic talent.

Whatever the historical opinion, there is no disputing that this was once an incredible and impressive Tomb. Archaeologists believe that the tomb was originally decorated with gold, silver and pearl . 

The artists who deigned and constructed the mausoleum were buried alive with the Emperor and thereby forced to literally take their secrets to the grave. According to the Emperor's official biography, "The Emperor Qin Shi Huang was buried at the foot of Mount Li. The Emperor started to build his mausoleum as soon as he came to the throne. 

When he unified the whole country, the Emperor Qin Shi Huang conscripted more than seven hundred thousand convicts to help build his mausoleum... and install crossbows, which were automatically discharged to prevent tomb plunderers."

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Sightseeing Index

	Famen Temple		Forest of Steles		Huaqing Pool
	Huashan		Lintong Museum		Mount Lishan
	Bell Tower and the Drum Tower		Imperial Tombs		Large Wild Goose Pagoda
	Small Wild Goose Pagoda		Terracotta Warriors		Tomb of Concubine Yang
	Xi'an City Walls