Introduction of Xi’an
Xi’an City
Xi'an (Chinese: 西安), is the capital of Shaanxi Province, People's Republic of China. It is located in the center of the Guanzhong Plain in Northwestern China. One of the oldest cities in China, Xi'an is the oldest of the Four Great Ancient Capitals, having held the position under several of the most important dynasties in Chinese history, including Western Zhou, Qin, Western Han, Sui, and Tang. Xi'an is the starting point of the Silk Road and home to the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
Since the 1990s, as part of the economic revival of inland China especially for the central and northwest regions, the city of Xi'an has re-emerged as an important cultural, industrial and educational center of the central-northwest region, with facilities for research and development, national security and China's space exploration program. As of 2015 Xi'an has a population of 8,705,600 . It is the most populous city in Northwest China, as well as one of the three most populous cities in Western China.
The two Chinese characters "西安" in the name Xi'an mean "West, Peace".
两个汉字“西安”在西安这个名字的意思是“西方,和平”。
Xi'an lies on the Guanzhong Plain in the south-central part of Shaanxi province, on a flood plain created by the eight surrounding rivers and streams. The city has an average elevation of 400 meters above sea level. The Wei River provides potable water to the city.
The city borders the northern foot of the Qin Mountains (Qinling) to the south, and the banks of the Wei River to the north. Hua Shan, one of the five sacred Taoist mountains, is located 100 km away to the east of the city. Not far to the north is the Loess Plateau.
Xi'an has a temperate climate that is influenced by the East Asian monsoon. The Wei River valley is characterized by hot, humid summers, cold, dry winters, and dry springs and autumns. Most of the annual precipitation is delivered from July to late October.
Xi’an was chosen to host the 2011 World Horticultural Exposition, from April 28 to October 28, 2011.
1. Fortifications of Xi'an (Xi'an City Wall)
The city is surrounded by a well-preserved city wall which was re-constructed in the 14th century during the early Ming dynasty and was based on the inner imperial palace of Tang dynasty.
The fortifications of Xi'an (Chinese: 西安城墙), also known as Xi'an City Wall, in Xi'an, an ancient capital of China, represent one of the oldest, largest and best preserved Chinese city walls. It was built under the rule of the Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang as a military defense system.
The Xi'an City Wall is on the tentative list of UNESCO's World Heritage Site under the title "City Walls of the Ming and Qing Dynasties". Since 2008, it is also on the list of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of the People's Republic of China. Since March 1961, the Xi'an City Wall is a heritage National Historical and Cultural Unit.
The Xi'an Wall is rectangular in shape and has a total length of 14 kilometer. Along the top of the wall is a walkway, which would typically take four hours to cover. It is built in the Chinese architecture style. As a defense fortification, it was constructed with a moat, drawbridges, watch towers, corner towers, parapet walls and gate towers. The wall is 12 meters in height with a width of 12–14 meters at the top and base width of 15–18 meters. Ramparts are built at intervals of 120 meters, projecting from the main wall. There are parapets on the outer side of the wall, built with 5,984 crenels, which form "altogether protruding ramparts". There are four watch towers, located at the corners and the moat that surrounds the wall has a width of 18 meters and depth of 6 meters.
2. Terracotta Army (Terra-Cotta Warriors)
The Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang and his Terracotta Army are located 40 km to the east of the city center, in the city's suburbs.
秦始皇的陵墓和他的兵马俑位于市中心以东40公里,在这个城市的郊区。
The Terracotta Army (simplified Chinese: 兵马俑) is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BCE and whose purpose was to protect the emperor in his afterlife.
The figures were discovered in 1974 by local farmers in Lintong District, Xi'an, Shaanxi province. The figures vary in height according to their roles, with the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots and horses. Estimates in 2007 were that the three pits containing the Terracotta Army held more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which remained buried in the pits nearby Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum. Other terracotta non-military figures were found in other pits, including officials, acrobats, strongmen and musicians.
The tomb appears to be a hermetically-sealed space roughly the size of a football pitch (c. 100 x 75 m). The tomb remains unopened, possibly due to concerns over preservation of its artifacts. For example, after the excavation of the Terracotta Army, the painted surface present on some terracotta figures began to flake and fade. The lacquer covering the paint can curl in fifteen seconds once exposed to Xi'an's dry air and can flake off in just four minutes.
The terracotta figures are life-sized. They vary in height, uniform, and hairstyle in accordance with rank. Their faces appear to be different for each individual figure, scholars however have identified 10 basic face shapes. There are however many variations in the uniforms within the ranks. There are also terracotta horses placed among the warrior figures.
真人大小的陶俑。他们在高度不同,制服,按照等级和发型。脸上似乎为每个单独的图不同,然而学者发现了10个基本脸型。然而有许多变化中的制服。在兵俑间还有一些马匹。
A collection of 120 objects from the mausoleum and 12 terracotta warriors were displayed at the British Museum in London as its special exhibition "The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army" from 13 September 2007 to April 2008. Other exhibitions were held in Barcelona, USA.
3. Bell Tower & Drum Tower
The Bell Tower of Xi'an (Chinese: 西安钟楼), built in 1384 during the early Ming Dynasty, is a symbol of the city of Xi'an. The Bell Tower also contains several large bronze-cast bells from the Tang Dynasty. The tower base is square and it covers an area of 1,377 square meters. The tower is a brick and timber structure and close to 40 meters high.
4. Giant Wild Goose Pagoda
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda or Big Wild Goose Pagoda (Chinese: 大雁塔), is a Buddhist pagoda located in southern Xi'an. It was built in 652 during the Tang dynasty. The structure was rebuilt in 704 during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, and its exterior brick facade was renovated during the Ming dynasty. One of the pagoda's many functions was to hold sutras and figurines of the Buddha that were brought to China from India by the Buddhist translator and traveler Xuanzang. The pagoda currently has seven stories, standing at a height of 64 m tall and from the top it offers views over the city of Xi'an.
宝塔目
The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and Small Wild Goose Pagoda are both spectacular towers and both are well over 1,000 years old and have survived great earthquakes. They protected Buddhist writings in the past.
大雁塔和小雁塔都是壮观的塔,都是超过1000岁,经历了大地震。过去它们用来保存佛教著作。
5. Tang Paradise
Tang Paradise (simplified Chinese: 大唐芙蓉园) is a large theme park in the city of Xi'an. The park features numerous buildings, squares, and gardens, all incorporating features of traditional Tang Chinese architecture, such as eaves and cornices. Some features are named after historical sites or buildings.
In the evening the many thousands of visitors are treated to a spectacular Lake Show, featuring Lasers, video projection onto water screens, fountains and other special effects.
6. Shaanxi History Museum
The Shaanxi History Museum has a large collection of artifacts both modern and ancient, which is one of the first huge state museums with modern facilities in China and one of the largest. The museum houses over 370,000 items, including murals, paintings, pottery, coins, as well as bronze, gold, and silver objects. The modern museum was built between 1983 and 2001 and its appearance recalls the architectural style of the Tang Dynasty.
Shaanxi was the ancient imperial capital of China, having been the seat of more than 13 feudal dynasties, including the Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang dynasties. The province is rich in cultural relics. With the completion of the Shaanxi History Museum, it collected over 370,000 precious relics which were unearthed in Shaanxi Province, including bronze wares, pottery figures, and mural paintings in Tang tombs.
Since the opening of the museum, it has followed the policy of collecting, conservation, publicizing, education, and scientific research, using its many historical relics, and conducted various types of display. The relics have also been exhibited overseas in cities in Japan, France, the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany.
7. Huaqing Pool
Huaqing Pool (Chinese: 华清池) or the Huaqing Hot Springs are a complex of hot springs located in an area characterized by mild weather and scenic views at the northern foot of Mount Li, one of the three major peaks of the Qin Mountains. The Huaqing Hot Springs are located approximately 25 km east of Xi'an. It was built in 723 by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty as part of the Huaqing Palace, using the locally-occurring geothermal heating, and is famous as the supposed scene of Xuanzong's romance with his consort Yang Guifei. This site was also the scene of the 1936 Xi'an Incident, when Chiang Kai-shek was kidnapped by former warlord Zhang Xueliang and forced to participate in a United Front with the Chinese Communist Party to oppose Japanese encroachment on China. Huaqing Pool is now an important tourist spot, classified as a AAAAA scenic area by the China National Tourism Administration.
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