Xian outside the city · Outside the city in Xian
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Outside the city in Xian
Outside the city in Xian
Army of Terracotta Warriors and Horses (兵马俑; Bīngmăyŏng), (A short distance away from the Qinshihuang Mausoleum, it is the last stop of bus 306). This mighty army of terracotta warriors and horses, found in three vaults, is perhaps the most popular tourist attraction of Shaanxi and one of the most popular in all of China. An in-site museum has been built over these pits, covering a floorspace of 20,000 square meters and displaying 8,000 life-like terracotta warriors, 100 or so chariots, and 30,000 weapons. The assemblage has been billed by the tourist industry as the Eighth Wonder of the World and a world cultural heritage site by UNESCO in 1987. The ticket office is next to the parking lot, which is a 5/10 minute walk away from the entrance to the museum. Buy your tickets at the ticket office or you can also buy them from resellers at the entrance for a 5 Yuan fee. ¥110, half-price students. �
Banpo Village Ruins. 6,000 year old ruins of a village site including the residential and pottery-making areas, ancient tools, as well as a burial ground. Take bus #42 from the train station. Visit also the Shaanxi Provincial Museum to see the best examples of the pottery found at Banpo. �
Famen Temple (法门寺). This Buddhist temple, which records mention as far back as 67AD, contains a 13-storied brick pagoda as part of the monastery. This pagoda fell down in the rain in August 1981 and revealed a 1000 year old underground vault full with 2,400 treasures belonging to the Tang and previous dynasties given as offerings. These included gold and silver utensils, glazed wares, porcelains, pearls, precious stones and textiles, as well as religious items. The biggest treasure is a finger bone of Buddha offered to the Emperor of China during the Tang dynasty. �
Huaqing Palace (华清池; Huáqīngchí), (First stop of bus 306). Built by the Tang emperor Xuanzong near hot springs at the foot of Li Shan in Lintong County so he could frolic with his favoured Imperial Lady Yang to his heart's content. It is possible to take hot baths inside. ¥70, hot bath ¥30. �
Mao Ling Mausoleum. The tomb of the fifth emperor of the Han Dynasty, includes many stone carvings. �
Qinshihuang's Mausoleum (秦始皇陵), (Third stop (second for the museum) of bus 306 before the Terracota Warriors). Mausoleum of the First Emperor of China. You can visit the surrounding gardens and mountains, but you can not get inside the mausoleum. There is a low quality museum with a reconstruction of the Mausoleum. Taking pictures in the dimly lit museum is forbidden, although staff will not control it too much. Mausoleum ¥40, museum ¥15. �
Qian Ling Mausoleum. The only shared tomb of the first empress of China Wu Zetian, and her husband Emperor Tang Gaozong of Tang Dynasty. �
Taiping National Park (太平国家公园), (44 km SW of Xi'an, N slope of Qinling Mountain). Famous for its waterfall and the largest area of wild Zijing flower (the city flower of Hong Kong) in north China. �
Xiangyu Forest Park (祥峪森林公园), (37 km S of Xi'an, N slope of Qinling Mountain). �
Hua Mountain, (About 2.5 hr outside of Xi'an, or 40 minutes by high-speed train. High-speed rail station is about 30minutes away from the bell tower by cab. Cab ride is about 35rmb. Once arriving at the Huashan high-speed train station it is a quick taxi ride (20rmb) to the mountain trailhead.). This is one of China's sacred mountains. Very beautiful misty mountain where you can climb steep stairs while holding on to chain railings for support. If you take the cable car up, you can climb around the four peaks in about 3-4 hours. Cable car is 80rmb/150rmb round trip and is located at the east gate and goes directly to the north peak. If you want to walk up you have to go to another entrance, the Yu Quan Yuan 玉泉圆 entrance.There are many tours that drive to the Mountain, just be aware that half of the time you will be stoping for jewelry, Chinese medicine, etc. Worthwhile if you get a nice coach. �
Tomb of Emperor Jingdi, (Near the airport). Han dynasty tomb containing 50,000 doll-sized terracotta figures. The "Underground Museum" at the excavation site has a glass floor so that you can look down on the ongoing excavations and is definitely worth a visit (although is best done as part of a journey to or from the airport). It's also worth getting a guide or following one around (note that English ones are more expensive than Chinese ones) because they will explain things in much more detail than the captions. Some people also climb up to the top of the burial mound (you can see a worn trail going up the side). The best way to get here is via tour or share a taxi (around �200 round-trip, not including waiting time). 80; half-price students. �
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Xian Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.