For this week, your teachers would like you to find out more about the many interesting places in Xi'an, including the primary school which you are going to visit. You may do a web search or ask your teachers to obtain more details and information. Share your findings here.To start you off, can you locate Xi'an on the world map below?
The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses is China's greatest archeological excavation. Life size terracotta figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formations symbolically guard the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang , the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (246-209B.C).There are altogether over 7,000 pottery soldiers, horses, chariots, and even weapons have been unearthed and displayed in the museum. It is cited as the 'Eighth Wonder of the World' .
ReplyDeleteTang Paradise is the biggest Tang culture theme park .
ReplyDeleteThe Xian ancient city wall in Xian is the largest and well- preserved ancient city wall in China and the Xian city wall is also one of the few remaining ancient military facilities in the world.
The Terracotta Army (traditional Chinese: 兵馬俑; simplified Chinese: 兵马俑; pinyin: bīngmǎ yǒng; literally "soldier and horse funerary statues") are the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shi Huang the First Emperor of China. The terracotta figures, dating from 210 BC, were discovered in 1974 by several local farmers near Xi'an, Shanxi province, China near the Mausouleum of the First Qin Emperor. (Chinese: 秦始皇陵; pinyin: Qín Shǐhuáng Líng). The figures vary in height (183–195cm - 6ft–6ft 5in), according to their role, the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians. Current estimates are that in the three pits containing the Terracotta Army there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits.[1]
ReplyDeleteThe Terracotta Army was discovered in eastern outer suburbs of Xi'an, Shaanxi Province by local farmers drilling a water well 1.5 miles east of Lishan (a mountain).[2]This discovery prompted archaeologists to proceed to Shaanxi Province, China to investigate. The Terracotta Army is a form of funerary art buried with the First Emperor of Qin (Qin Shi Huang, Shi Huang means the first emperor) in 210-209 BC (he declared himself the first emperor of China in 221 BC to the end of his life in 210 BC). Their purpose was to help rule another empire with Shi Huang Di in the afterlife. Consequently, they are also sometimes referred to as "Qin's Armies." Mount Lishan is also where the material to make the terracotta warriors originated. In addition to the warriors, an entire man-made necropolis for the emperor has been excavated.
ReplyDeleteThe Shanxi History Museum covers a building area of 70,000 square meters. The newly built modern building recreates Tang-dynasty architecture and successfully symbolizes the great extent of Shaanxi history and its remarkable culture.
ReplyDeleteExhibited in the main exhibition hall are 2,700 works of art.The exhibition space is divided into an introductory hall, permanent exhibitions, special exhibitions, and temporary exhibitions, as well as one that has been named the National Painting Hall.These works systematically exhibit the anient history of Shaanxi from 150,000 years ago to the year 1840.
The temporary exhibits hall, has had a variety of exhibitions including Tang-tomb wall paintings, The special exhibition hall has two exhibitions were a Shaanxi bronzes exhibit and a Shaanxi-through-the-dynasties terracotta masterpieces exhibit.
The Shaanxi History Museum contains 115,000 objects in its collections. The more representative of these include bronzes, Tang-dynasty tomb wall paintings, terracotta statuary, ceramics ottery and porcelain), construction materials through the dynasties, Han and Tang bronze mirrors, and coins and currency, calligraphy, rubbings, scrolls, woven articles, bone articles, wooden and lacquer and iron and stone objects, seals, as well as some contemporary cultural objects.
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda is a well-preserved ancient building and a holy place for Buddhists.. Standing in the Da Ci'en Temple complex, the temple has 13 separate courtyards, contained 1,879 magnificent-looking rooms altogether and was a place of grand extent in the Tang Dynasty. However, it went into gradual decay after the downfall of the Tang Dynasty.
ReplyDeleteThe Pagoda was first built in 652 A.D. in the Tang Dynasty to collect Buddhist scriptures. Although it is worn by wind and rain, the architecture is well preserved. Its five stories are 60 meters in height. However, the winds of war in the years to come reduced the pagoda almost to ruins, which in turn resulted in the construction of a 7-storey, 64-meter-high structure today.
The storied pagoda was an architectural marvel. It was built with layers of bricks but without any cement in between..The grand body of the pagoda with its solemn appearance, simple but appealing style of construction, and its new square in front of the temple, is indeed a good example of Chinese traditional architecture.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteXian is the capital of Shaanxi province, located in the southern part of the Guanzhong Plain. With the Qinling Mountains to the south and the Weihe River to the north, it is in a favorable geographical location surrounded by water and hills. It has a semi-moist monsoon climate and there is a clear distinction between the four seasons. Except the colder winter, any season is relatively suitable for traveling.
ReplyDeleteThere are still some of you who have not posted your responses to the question for this week.
ReplyDeleteThe Terracotta Army was discovered in eastern outer suburbs of Xi'an, Shaanxi Province by local farmers drilling a water well 1.5 miles east of Lishan (a mountain).[2]This discovery prompted archaeologists to proceed to Shaanxi Province, China to investigate. The Terracotta Army is a form of funerary art buried with the First Emperor of Qin (Qin Shi Huang, Shi Huang means the first emperor) in 210-209 BC (he declared himself the first emperor of China in 221 BC to the end of his life in 210 BC). Their purpose was to help rule another empire with Shi Huang Di in the afterlife. Consequently, they are also sometimes referred to as "Qin's Armies." Mount Lishan is also where the material to make the terracotta warriors originated. In addition to the warriors, an entire man-made necropolis for the emperor has been excavated.
ReplyDeleteDear Eliasians,
ReplyDeleteHow's your preparations for this trip? Hope you will find time this week to learn more about the school that we are twinning with?
Cheers,
Mrs Han
My preparation for this trip is going fine.I hope I find time to find out about the school we are twinning with.
ReplyDeleteThe Terracotta Army are the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shi Huang the First Emperor of China. The terracotta figures, dating from 210 BC, were discovered in 1974 by several local farmers near Xi'an, Shanxi province, China near the Mausouleum of the First Qin Emperor. The figures vary in height according to their role, the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians. Current estimates are that in the three pits containing the Terracotta Army there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits.[1]
ReplyDeleteThis small but inspiring exhibition on the Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor of China's famous Terracotta Army brings together all the wonder of the discovery of these amazing treasures of ancient China.
ReplyDeleteThe terracotta warriors were created by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang di pronounced - Chin Shi Huang di. This amazing but meglomaniac man conquered and united China from a collection of warring states to become its First Emperor. He built the Great Wall and amassed great works of art. Obsessed with a quest for the secret of immortality, 70,000 workers built his tomb said to be filled with legendary treasures. His 3000 wives and concubines followed him to the grave.
Over 8000 fantastic life-size clay warriors protected his tomb. The Famous Terracotta Army - is now referred to as the eighth wonder of the ancient world. The exhibition at the Terracotta Warriors Museum in Dorchester features a small but spectacular group of these warriors, which have been specially replicated by museum and conservation technicians in China, and skilled craftsmen and specialists of World Heritage.
Also featured in the Museum are fabulous costumed recreations of the First Emperor of China, Qin Shih Huang di, himself and his uniformed officers. Dramatic audio and multi-media presentations bring the whole experience stunningly to life.
As the symbol of the old-line Xian, Big Wild Goose Pagoda is a well-preserved ancient building and a holy place for Buddhists. It is located in the southern suburb of Xian City, about 4 kilometers from the downtown of the city.It attracts numerous visitors for its fame in the Buddhist religion, its simple but appealing style of construction, and its new square in front of the temple. Originally built during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty,it functioned to collect Buddhist materials that were taken from India .First built to a height of 60 meters with five stories,it is now 64.5 meters high with an additional two stories. It was said that after that addition came the saying-'Saving a life exceeds building a seven-storied pagoda'. Externally it looks like a square cone, simple but grand and it is a masterpiece of Buddhist construction. Built of brick, its structure is very firm. Inside the pagoda, stairs twist up so that visitors can climb and overlook the panorama of Xian City from the arch-shaped doors on four sides of each storey. On the walls are engraved fine statues of Buddha by the renowned artist Yan Liben of the Tang Dynasty. Steles by noted calligraphers also grace the pagoda.As for the reason why it is called Big Wild Goose Pagoda, there is a legend. According to ancient stories of Buddhists, there were two branches, for one of which eating meat was not a taboo. One day, they couldn't find meat to buy. Upon seeing a group of big wild geese flying by, a monk said to himself: 'Today we have no meat. I hope the merciful Bodhisattva will give us some.' At that very moment, the leading wild goose broke its wings and fell to the ground. All the monks were startled and believed that Bodhisattva showed his spirit to order them to be more pious. They established a pagoda where the wild goose fell and stopped eating meat. Hence it got the name 'Big Wild Goose Pagoda'.
ReplyDeleteThe Bell Tower was build in 1384, at first it lies in the center of Xi'an City. In 1582, the city when through an expansion so the location of the Bell Tower changed. It than is situated towards the westside of the city. People then pulled down the original bell tower and rebuilt a bell tower in the center of expanded city and it is at the location now.
ReplyDeleteThe tower base is square and it covers an area of 1,377 square meters. It is 8.6 meters high and 35.5 meters wide and built completely with green bricks. The tower is a brick and timber structure and 36 meters high.
There are three layers of eaves on the external carved beams and internal is up and down layers. There are tops on four of the corners of the tower eaves. The engraved arcs under each eaves come with color designs. The arc is one of the specialties in ancient timber constructions. It is unique in the history of world construction. It not only make the construction firm, but also make it more beautiful.
Standing at the crossing of the East, West, South, and North avenues in city proper, the Bell Tower has been a symbol of Xi' an.
ReplyDeleteThe tower was originally built in 1348, over 600 years ago and it was moved the present site in 1552 and then rebuild and enlarged in the Qing Dynasty. It has been the symbol of Xi'an. There used to be a huge iron bell hung in the tower, which was used to strike hours, thus the name Bell Tower. The bell fell sometime later and now it was placed on the northwest corner of base.
The bell tower was a wooden structure topped with dark green tiles. It is a grand ancient building with traditional Chinese architectural features. The Bell Tower is beautifully lit at night.
From the top the Bell Tower, visitors can get a bird's eye view of the surrounding areas and the building's brightly-decorated eaves.
The Bell Tower in Xi'an is situated in the very heart of the city and at the junction of four main roads. The original city Bell Tower was situated to the west of this site and the present construction was built in 1582 and restored in 1739.
There is a huge bell hanging on the roof of the tower which was traditionally used to tell the time by and there are other, smaller bells on exhibit in the tower too.
Today, the Tower can only be accessed form the Subway on Bei Dajie where visitors must also buy their tickets.
xxYIWENxx:
ReplyDeleteWhen Zhu Yuanzhang, the first Emperor of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), captured Huizhou, a hermit named Zhu Sheng admonished him that he should 'built high walls, store abundant food supplies and take time to be an Emperor,' so that he could fortify the city and unify the other states. After the establishment of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang followed his advice and began to enlarge the wall built initially during the old Tang dynasty (618 -907), creating the modern Xian City Wall. It's the most complete city wall that has survived in China, as well being one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world.
After the extension, the wall now stands 12 meters (40 feet) tall, 12-14 meters (40-46 feet) wide at the top and 15-18 meters (50-60 feet) thick at the bottom. It covers 13.7 kilometers (8.5 miles) in length with a deep moat surrounding it. Every 120 meters, there is a rampart which extends out from the main wall. All together, there are 98 ramparts on the wall, which were built to defend against the enemy climbing up the wall. Each rampart has a sentry building, in which the soldiers could protect the entire wall without exposing themselves to the enemy. Besides, the distance between every two ramparts is just within the range of an arrow shot from either side, so that they could shoot the enemy, who wanted to attack the city, from the side. On the outer side of the city wall, there are 5948 crenellations, namely battlements. The soldiers can outlook and shoot at the enemy. On the inner side, parapets were built to protect the soldiers from falling off.
Since the ancient weapons did not have the power to break through a wall and the only way for an enemy to enter the city was by attacking the gate of the city wall. This is why complicated gate structures were built within the wall. In Xian, the city wall includes four gates and they are respectively named as Changle (meaning eternal joy) in the east, Anding(harmony peace) in the west, Yongning (eternal peace) in the south and Anyuan (forever harmony) in the north. The south gate, Yongning, is the most beautifully decorated one. It is very near to the Bell Tower, center of the city. Important greeting ceremonies organized by the Provincial Government are usually held in the south gate square.
Each city gate has three gate towers: Zhenglou, Jianlou and Zhalou. The most outside is Zhalou, which stands away from the City Wall and is opposite to Zhenglou. It was used to raise and lower the suspension bridge. Jianlou with small windows in the front and flanks was used as a defensive outpost. Zhenglou, in the inner, is the main entrance to the city. The wall connects Jianlou and Zhenglou Towers. The area between them within the wall was called 'Wong Cheng', in which the soldiers stationed. From Wong Cheng, there are sloped horse passages leading to the top of the city wall.
Initially, the wall was built with layers of dirt, with the base layer including also lime and glutinous rice extract. Throughout the time Xian City Wall has been restored three times. In 1568, Zhang Zhi (the government officer of that period) was in charge to rebuild the wall with bricks. In 1781, another officer, Bi Yuan, refitted the city wall and the gate towers. More recently (since 1983) the Shaanxi Provincial Government restored the city wall again. A circular park has been built along the high wall and the deep moat. The thriving trees and flowers decorate the classical Chinese architecture of the wall, adding additional beauty to the city of Xian.
Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province, was called Chang'an in ancient times. It is situated in the central part of Weihe Plain. The city is bounded by the Weihe River in the north and the Qinling Ranges in the south. As one of China's seven ancient national capitals, it served as the capital for 12 dynasties spanning more than 1,000 years. Xi'an therefore, has a great number of precious relics and historical sites. More than 4,000 historical sites and tombs have been excavated and over 120,000 historical relics remain unearthed.
ReplyDeleteThe main tourist attractions include The Terra cotta Warriors and Horses, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Huaqing Hot Springs , Banpo Museum, Stele Forest, Great Mosque, QianLing Mausoleum, Famen Temple and Maoling Mausoleum. Xi'an was the starting point of the Acient Silk Road that extended from Asia to Europe and played an important role in cultural exchange between the East and West in ancient times
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAncient City Wall
ReplyDeleteXi'an City Wall Photo;
Xi'an City Wall Tours;Overview
The first landmark visitors will encounter in Xi'an is the ancient city wall, which stretches round the old city. The northern side runs parallel to the railway. Xi'an was originally a walled city, and even today the wall is considered a landmark dividing the city into the inner part and the outer part. The city wall is massive - tall, long and thick. The South Gate and North Gate are the two main entrances to the inner city. The city itself is neatly arranged along the city wall.
History
Xi'an City Wall was erected in the 14th century Ming Dynasty, under the regime of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. When Zhu Yuanzhang captured Huizhou, long before the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, he was admonished by a hermit named Zhu Sheng, who told him to "build high walls, store abundant provisions and take your time in proclaiming yourself emperor." This advice Zhu Yuanzhang heeded. Once the whole country was unified, he sent orders to the local governments to build city walls on a large scale. Zhu assured that "out of all the mountains and rivers in the world, the area of Central Qin is the most strongly fortified and strategically impregnable." The current city wall is an enhancement of the old Tang Dynasty structure, as a result of the emperor's wall building campaign.
The Structure of the City Wall
The first city wall of Xi'an was built of earth, rammed layer upon layer. The base layer was made of earth, quick lime, and glutinous rice extract, tamped together. It made the wall extremely strong and firm. Later, the wall was totally enclosed with bricks. A moat, wide and deep, ran around the city. Over the moat, there used to be a huge drawbridge, which would cut off the way in and out of the city, once lifted.
Xi'an City Wall Photo;
Xi'an City Wall Tours;Xi'an's city wall, after its enlargement in the Ming Dynasty, stands 12 meters high. It is 12-14 meters across the top, 15-18 meters thick at bottom, and 13.7 kilometers in length. There is a rampart every 120 meters. The ramparts are towers that extend out from the main wall. The ramparts were built to allow soldiers to see enemies trying to climb the wall. The distance between the ramparts is within the range of arrows fired from either side. This allowed soldiers to protect the entire wall without exposing themselves to the enemy. There are altogether 98 ramparts; each has a sentry building on top of it.
The Gates
The gates of the city wall were the only way to go into and out of town. Therefore, these gates were important strategic points, which the feudal rulers racked their brains to try to defend. In Xi'an's case, the north, south, east and west gates, each consist of three towers: the gate tower, which holds the drawbridge, the narrow tower and the main tower. The gate tower stands proud of the wall. It is used to lift and lower the drawbridge. The narrow tower is in the middle. Its inner walls have square windows to shoot arrows from. The main tower is the innermost one, ande forms the entrance to the city.
Tunnels
The narrow tower and the main tower are connected by tunnels, in which soldiers could be stationed. From the tunnels there are also horse passages leading to the top of the wall. There are gradually ascending steps, made so that it was easy for war horses to ascend and descend. There are all together 11 horse passages around the city.
Watch Towers
A watch tower is located on each of the four corners of the wall. The one at the southwestern corner is round, probably after the model of the imperial city wall of the Tang Dynasty, but the other three are square-shaped. On top of the watch towers there is a corner rampart, higher and larger than the ordinary ramparts. This shows the strategic importance of the corners of the city wall in war times.
Battlements
Along the outer crest of the city wall there are crenellations or battlements. Under each of the 5,984 crenels there is a square hole, from which arrows were shot and watch was kept. The lower, inner walls are called parapets. They were used to prevent soldiers from falling off the wall, when traveling back and forth.
The Terracotta Army Museum lie 1.5 km east to the Tomb of Qin First Emperor.
ReplyDeleteThe Terracotta Army figures lie underground for more than 2000 years. In 1974, farmers digging a well about 1500 meters east of the tomb uncovered one of the greatest archaeological sites in the world. The firstly discovered site of Terracotta Army was named Vault One. In 1976, the other two vaults were uncovered 20-25 meter close to the Vault One, and were named Vault Two and Vault Three respectively. Excavation of the underground vaults of earth and timber revealed thousands of life - sized Terracotta Army in battle formation - a whole army which would accompany its emperor into immortality. The excavation was a real big shock to the whole world - the vaults are so big, the figures are so vivid and the number of the figure is so incredible!
Every figure differs from those around in facial features and expressions, clothing, hairstyle, gesture. The horsemen, the longbow bearers, the archers, the senior officers and generals were positioned in strict accordance with the ancient directives on the art of war. Many of the figures originally held real weapons of the time, such as bronze swords, longbows, arrowheads, spears, dagger-axes and other long-shaft weapons. Surface treatment of theweapons made them resistant to rust and corrosion so that after being buried for over 2000 years they were still sharp.
The Terracotta Army figures supply abundant and real objects of military, culture and economy to the study of the history of that period. The Terracotta Army figures excavation was regarded as one of the greatest discovery in the 20th century. In Dec. 1987, the UNESCO ranked the Tomb of the First Emperor (including the Terracotta Army Vaults) into the list of World Cultural Heritages. Standing in the exhibition hall, one would be shocked by such a grand ancient army formation, which will lead you back to the ancient warring situation. The tomb is a treasury for the Chinese people and for the whole world as well.
Shanxi Provincial Museum
ReplyDeleteLocated to the northwest of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, in the south suburb of Xian city, the Shanxi Provincial Museum is a epitome of Shaanxi' glamorous imperial past. The museum building was designed in China's ancient Tang Dynasty style, grand and elegant.
Shanxi was a premier in China's imperial past. Xian, was served as capitals of 12 dynasties over years. It was the seat of some oldest civilization. Xian, a place of significant importance in history is well-endowed with many historical sites and relics. Now most of these relics scattering around everywhere in the region have found their way in the Shanxi Provincial Museum. The building covers a area of over 70,000 square meters and houses more than 37,000 historical relics evacuated around Shanxi area, including Bronze wares from the Western Zhou Dynasty, 3 thousands years ago, terra cotta figures, gold and silver wares and murals discovered in Tang tombs, and much more.
The exhibit, main part of the museum is composed of three sections: the Basic Exhibition Hall, the Theme Exhibition Hall and the Temporary Exhibition Hall.
The Basic Exhibition Hall
This hall covers 6,000 square meters and displays more than 2, 000 historical remains. The hall can be divided into three parts: Preface Room, the Shanxi Local Historic Exhibition Room and the Main Room. The Shanxi Local Historic Exhibition Room is arranged into seven small parts of the Prehistoric Period, Zhou, Qin, Han, Wei, Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Sui Dansty, Tang Dynasty, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing dynasties, with a focus on the social development from the Stone Age to the decline of China's imperial history in 1840.
The Theme Exhibition Hall
Many theme items reflecting Shanxi's characteristic local culture are displayed in this hall, including the Silk Road Exhibition, Yaozhou Porcelain Exhibition and so on.
The Temporary Exhibition Hall
This hall mainly used for temporary exhibition from home and abroad. The most impressive exhibits here are the murals from the Tang Dynasty tombs. The murals are of great value to explore Tang Dynasty's social life and its grand culture.
The world-famous Qin Terra Cotta Army Museum is a site museum in China. Built on the site of the terra-cotta warriors and horses pits in the Emperor Qin's Mausoleum, the museum is located at the northern piedmont of Lishan Mountain 7.5 kilometers east of Lingtong County in Shaanxi Province and 37.5 kilometers west of Xi'an City.
ReplyDeleteIn March 1974, a group of peasants digging a well made what was to become the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century when they unearthed fragments of a life-sized Terra Cotta Warrior. Excavation of the vault revealed thousands of terra-cotta warriors and their horses, an entire army designed to follow its emperor into eternity. The emperor's terra cotta army was found in three underground timber lined vaults.
The museum, a hangar-like building constructed over Pit 1, place of the original discovery in 1974, was opened to the public in 1979. The exhibition hall of Pit 3 was built in 1987 and opened to the public in 1989. Later in October 1994, Pit 2 was opened to the public. Three main buildings of the museum, which were named Pit 1, Pit 2 and Pit 3, were constructed on their original sites.
The museum covers an area of 190,000 square meters. Among all, Pit 1 has an area of 14,000 square meters for exhibition halls and Pit 3, 1,200 square meters, and the exhibition hall of copper vehicles and horses and the auxiliary exhibition hall cover over 600 square meters each.
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.
The multiple exhibition halls lies to the east of Pit 2, covering a series of exhibits, such as two sets of bronze chariots and horses, the new findings from the Emperor Qin's Mausoleum, the history of the museum and all kinds of temporary exhibits. These displays systematically depict the history of the Qin Dynasty (221-206BC) and can help the viewers to have a better understanding on the terra-cotta warriors and horses. The south of Pit 1 is a circle vision hall. The movie inside lasts 20 minutes and provides vivid materials for telling the story of Emperor Qin and his Terra-cotta Army 2,200 years ago. The halls on the northwest of Pit 3, which covers 4,282 square meters, are the multiple service halls where the visitors can have meal, do shopping and take a rest.
The museum is not only a treasure house, but also a main scenic spot of Xi'an city. Today the eighth wonder of the world has almost become synonym of the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses in 1987; the Emperor Qin's Mausoleum was put on the list of the UNESCO as a world-class cultural heritage site. Now the museum is widely known as a huge modern site museum and it is going to be one of the best in the world.
xian's attractions:
ReplyDelete(Xi'an Half Day City Tour - Shaanxi History Museum, City Wall, Drum Tower )
the ancient walls surrounding the city and how it still plays an active part of city life that bustles all around it. Also, learn about the renowned Shaanxi Province and the Dynasties that protected the lands and admire preserved antique relics that can tell a story in itself. Highlights of the tour include Shaanxi History Museum, the City Wall and Drum Tower.
Since the Terra Cotta Army Museum tour takes up an entire day, those who wish to extend their stay in Xi'an can experience the amazing history of the city itself on this half-day tour .
As the region's capital and doorway to the Silk Road, Xi'an was one of the richest, most well-protected cities in all of China. The renowned Shaanxi History Museum introduces the visitor to area's rich culture, from Emperor Qin Shihuang to the present day in this walled city. You'll end your tour with a visit to the exquisite Drum Tower, the outside of which is ringed with enormous drums. Inside the tower you'll see the museum-quality collection of percussion instruments from all around the region.
Pei Qi:
ReplyDeleteChina's First Emperor, the boy king who united the country in 221 BC and began construction of the first Great wall, was not only obsessed with building but also a fanatic about death. After experimenting with potions to prolong his life, the megalomaniac king resigned himself to death on his own terms. He would build a standing army of 7,000 soldiers to enforce his rule over the afterlife. Since his birth in 259 B.C., China's First Emperor was destined to become one of the most important political leaders to rule the country. Beginning at age 13, and for the next 38 years, he assigned over 700,000 workers to build an enormous mausoleum with life-size terra cotta warriors to protect him throughout eternity. This terra cotta army of soldiers, servants, musicians, acrobats, and animals silently remained underground for two thousand years. Until, in 1974, Chinese farmers digging a well made the startling discovery of a terra cotta head.
Xi'an is the capital of the Shaanxi province in the People's Republic of China and a sub-provincial city. As one of the oldest cities in Chinese history, Xi'an is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China because it has been the capital (under various names) of some of the most important dynasties in Chinese history,[2] including the Zhou, Qin, Han, the Sui, and Tang dynasties.[2] Xi'an is the eastern terminus of the Silk Road and known as the site of the Terracotta Army, made during the Qin Dynasty.[1] The city has more than 3,100 years of history, and was known as Chang'an before the Ming Dynasty.
ReplyDeleteGiant Wild Goose Pagoda or Big Wild Goose Pagoda is a Buddhist pagoda located in southern Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China. It was built in 652 during the Tang Dynasty and originally had five stories, although the structure was rebuilt in 704 during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian and its exterior brick facade 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 traveller Xuanzang.
Yi Wen:西安师范附属小学的前身是创建于1908年的“陕西师范学堂附属两等小学堂”，隶属于当时的陕西省教育厅管理。1934年学校改名为“陕西省西安师范附属小学”。1965年3月至1969年1月直属西安市教育局领导管理。1969年1月至1986年4月由碑林区教育局领导管理，并于1972年9月1日改名为“碑林区书院门小学”。1986年4月学校复名为“陕西省西安师范附属小学”，直属西安市教育局管理至今。
ReplyDelete建校近百年来，学校的教育工作者以提高学生素质,发展学生个性为已任，严谨治学，刻苦钻研，取得了骄人的成绩。学校先后涌现出了追求进步，民主治校的校长王汇百；潜心钻研，献身科学，发明“三球仪”的教师张俊德；为人师表，教艺精湛的西安市首批特级教师马起秀等优秀教师群体。在近百年的岁月里，学校为国家培养了数以万记的栋梁，他们中有原中共中央办公厅第一副主任杨德中上将；原全国政协副秘书长杨拯民；原陕西省人大常委会副主任何承华，现陕西省人民政府副省长张伟；西安市老一辈特级教师王德惠、李瑞鸾等。
近年来，学校坚持以丰厚的传统奠基，以优良的作风树魂，以优秀的队伍固本，以过硬的质量立校为思路，从树立科学的办学理念，改善办学条件，提高教师素质，优化育人环境入手，求实奋进，开拓创新，使百年老校又焕发出勃勃生机。学校先后被省人民政府命名为“文明校园”、“绿 色学校”；被全国少工委命名为“全国红旗大队”；被省教育工委、教育厅评为“文明校园”、“陕西省示范小学”；被西安市人民政府命名为“西安市文明校园”，“ 园林化单位”，被团省委命名为“陕西省红领巾示范学校”；被西安市人民政府督导室评为“素质教育督导评估优胜学校”；被西安市教育局评为“西安市一级小学”、“西安市德育工 作先进学校”、“西安市绿色学校”、“西安市校务公开先进学校”、“西安市教育收费规范学校”、“创建国家卫生城市先进单位”；被碑林区教育局评为“教学质量评估优秀学校”、“十有十无文明校 园”。校党支部被中共西安市委授予 “先进基层党组织”。
学校现有教学班24个，教职工64人，学生1410人。学校占地面积10150平方米（其中操场面积 4300平方米，绿化面积2100平方米。），建筑面积8629.4平方米。富有浓郁民族风格的教学院、办公院与现代风格的综合楼、教学楼错落有致，体现了古朴典雅与活泼灵动的和谐统一。近年来，学校积极改善办学条件，努力打造优质教育资源。学校现有大队部、微机室、语音室、图书室、科技室、心理咨询室等 一部二十室 ，均按照 陕西省示范小学 的标准配齐了设备。24间教室实现了电视机、录音机、影碟机、视频展台、空调进教室。最新建成的数字化校园网络，使学校信息化教学水平得到了进一步提高。这些硬件设施的到位，有效地提高了学校的教学质量，反映了政府不断加大教育投入的力度，树立了良好社会形象。
学校拥有一支年龄结构合理、文化程度高、思想观念新、科研能力强、创新精神足的教师队伍。现有教职工平均年龄35岁，岗位合格率100%；具有大专文化程度的教师27人(占52%，其中本科在读17人)；具有本科文化程度的教师24人(占44%)。他们中，有国家级骨干教师1人，陕西省教学能手2人，市级骨干教师11人，校级学科带头人8人，这些教师分布在学校各个学科，发挥着辐射示范作用。
YI WEN:~~Anyway,this is the link where i got the info above from:
ReplyDeletehttp://ks.cn.yahoo.com/question/1590000757705.html
in case anyone wants to go there
Terra Cotta Pit No.1 was discovered accidentally by local villagers in March 1974 when drilling for wells on a piece of barren land. They found some fragments of terracotta warriors and many bronze weapons, which received great attention from the relevant departments. The State Administration of Cultural Heritage sent a team of archaeologists and conservation experts to make field investigation and organized Shaanxi archaeologists to start a full-scale excavation of the site.
ReplyDeleteIn order to protect the find, a large arched hall with a steel frame was built above the pit in 1976. Covering an area of 19,136 square yards, the hall has provided the pit with good ventilation and daylight conditions. In addition, it is burglarproof and fireproof and has temperature and humidity monitoring systems.
Inside the hall, Terra Cotta Pit No.1 is an east-west rectangular pit, measuring 252 yards long, 68 yards wide and 16 feet deep. There are five sloping entrances on both the eastern and western sides. Two side doors are installed on the northern and southern sides. Every three yards, there is a puddle wall, which separates the underground army into different columns. The walls were fortified with wooden columns, earth and reeds while the floor was covered with black bricks. Now visitors see the puddle walls were lower than the terracotta warriors, and it is because once the Pit 1 was taken in water which caused partial collapse of the walls.
There are over 6,000 terra cotta warriors and horses in Pit 1, of which 1,000 have been unearthed. They are marshaled into a well-organized battle array composed of the infantry and cavalry. The vanguard includes 210 foot soldiers divided equally into three lines. The cavalry and war chariot follow close in line, forming the main body of the battle formation. The foot soldiers are alternated with the chariots drawn by horses, lined into 38 columns. On both the northern and southern sides of the war formation stand 180 warriors which serve as flank guards. The rear guards are on the western end, with two lines facing east and another facing west. Some soldiers are armed with battle robe, and some are equipped with armor.
The war formation in Pit No.1 is elaborately set in a line and is posed so to seem prepared for battle at any moment. Every soldier and horse warrior is life-like, recapturing the formidable array of Emperor Qin Shihuang. One can only marvel at the grand artistic ability of the remote Qin Dynasty.
Besides the terracotta warriors and horses, the cultural relic unearthed in the Pit 1 also include the bronze swords, spears, crossbows, arrows and Wugou. Wugou refers to a kind of swords which were produced in Wu State under the order of the King Helu. The edge of Wugou is curved and sharp.
According to the history records, the construction of the terracotta warrior pits were started in 221BC and forced to stop during the peasant uprisings in 209BC. At the end of the Qin Dynasty, Xiangyu set fire to the pit, making the pit collapsed and many terracotta warriors and horses crushed, which is indeed a loss and pity of the great Qin terracotta warriors.
SOURCE: www.travelchinaguide.com
ReplyDeleteThe Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century.This site is around 1.5 kilometers east of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum, Lintong County, Shaanxi Province. It is a sight not to be missed by any visitor to China.
Terra Cotta Pit No.1 is an east-west rectangular pit, measuring 252 yards long, 68 yards wide and 16 feet deep. There are five sloping entrances on both the eastern and western sides. Two side doors are installed on the northern and southern sides of the pit.
There are over 6,000 terra cotta warriors and horses in Pit 1, of which 1,000 have been unearthed. They are marshaled into a well-organized battle array composed of the infantry and cavalry. The vanguard includes 210 foot soldiers divided equally into three lines.
The Pit No.2 in Xian Qin Terra Cotta Warriors Museum is located 22 yards to the northeast of Pit No.1. Covering an area of 7,176 square yards, Pit 2 is L-shaped, measuring 136 yards from east to west, 107 yards from north to south, and sixteen feet deep.
ReplyDeletePit No.2 is the most spectacular of the three pits. Compared to Pit No.1, the combat formations in Pit No.2 are more complex, and the units of armed forces are more complete. According to preliminary calculations, there are over 80 war chariots, about 1,300 terra cotta warriors and horses, and thousands of bronze weapons.
The terracotta warriors in Pit No.3 are posted on guard duties. There are animal bones and deer horns strewn about, probably sacrifices offered on the eve of a battle. You could find the terracotta warriors with painted faces and wearing painted armor. Archeology experts attribute to this group the command center or headquarters group for those in the other two pits.
ReplyDeleteWell,the source is from
ReplyDeletewww.travelchinaguide.com
Esmond: Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum:
ReplyDeleteThe terra cotta Warriors and Horses Museum is located about 1.5 km east of Emperor Qinshi Huang's Mausoleum. In the early spring of 1974, a number of peasants accidentally discovered some ancient bronze weapons and pieces of broken terra cotta armored warriors.
The Ancient City Wall:
The first landmark visitors will encounter in Xian was its ancient City Wall, which stretches just outside the railway station. Xi'an was originally a walled city, and even today the wall is considered a landmark dividing the city into the inner part and the outer part.
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda:
Situated in the Da Ci'en Temple, about four kilometers from the urban center, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is one of the most famous Buddhist pagodas in China. The Pagoda was built in the Tang Dynasty to collect Buddhist scriptures. Although it is worn by wind and rain, the architecture is well preserved.
The ShaanXi History Museum:
Shaanxi History Museum, a large modern museum of the national level, is situated 1km away, northwest of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. It is a giant architectural complex in the Tang-dynasty style. It occupies an area of 70,000 square metres, and the construction area being more than 50,000 square metres. It focuses on the highlights of the Shaanxi culture and depicts the development of the Chinese civilization.
Exhibited in the main exhibition hall are over 2,700 works of art. The exhibition space is dcut into such halls as an introductory hall, permanent exhibition hall, special exhibition hall, and temporary exhibition hall, as well as one that has been called the National Painting Hall.
The Museum's permanent exhibition mainly show Shaanxi's ancient history. Representative relics and ancient pieces from all periods have been chosen to depict the development of civilization in this area. The exhibition space of this hall is over 4,600 square meters. It covers the three exhibition rooms,which are cutinto seven parts ( Prehistory, Zhou, Qin, Han, Wei-Jin-North and South dynasties, Sui-Tang, and Song-Yuan-Ming-Qing). All of this is mixed by models of archaeological sites, and drawings, and photographs.These works systematically show the anient history of Shaanxi from 150,000 years ago to the year 1840. Because Xian were once the several their capitals on Shaanxi territory, such as Zhou, Qin, Western Han, Sui and Tang, the exhibits have stress on these periods and these places. This not only show the span of culture in ancient Shaanxi, it also show the highest level of cultural development of China's social economy.
The temporary exhibits hall on the east side of the museum, has various exhibitions covering Tang-tomb wall paintings. Shaanxi's wall murals of this kind takes the first placw in the whole country. They are rich in concept and line, they have rich details. They both show Tang customs and are superb works of art.
The Shaanxi History Museum totally keeps over 115,000 objects in its collections. Some of the most representative are bronzes, Tang-dynasty tomb wall paintings, terracotta statuary, ceramics, construction materials through the successive dynasties, Han and Tang bronze mirrors, and coins and currency, calligraphy, rubbings, scrolls and so on.
The Terracotta Army (traditional Chinese: 兵馬俑; simplified Chinese: 兵马俑; pinyin: bīngmǎ yǒng; literally "soldier and horse funerary statues") are the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shi Huang the First Emperor of China. The terracotta figures, dating from 210 BC, were discovered in 1974 by several local farmers near Xi'an, Shanxi province, China near the Mausouleum of the First Qin Emperor. (Chinese: 秦始皇陵; pinyin: Qín Shǐhuáng Líng). The figures vary in height (183–195 cm - 6ft–6ft 5in), according to their role, the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians. Current estimates are that in the three pits containing the Terracotta Army there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits.
ReplyDelete