Xian China is a town full of museums where you can find out how life was during ancient times. The culture of the Chinese people can be explored and you absolutely will be astounded by some of the exhibits in many of the Xian museums. Way back in the 11th century BC and the Zhou Dynasty, the town of Xian was a political and cultural area within China. History goes back much further than that however. People settled in the area and it has been documented by the find of Banpo village that was already 6500 years old when it was found in 1954.
The founding date of Xian is about 202 BCE when Emperor Liu Bang belonging to the Han Dynasty made his capital in Changan and a few years later he built a palace in Xian. During the Sui Dynasty about 582 a new capitol was built and there were three different sections one being Xian Palace. The city is in central China surrounded by 8 rivers and streams. Qinling Mountains are on the southern border and to the north is Wei River. With all the history of the area one would expect there to be some very good museums around and Xian has some excellent museums.
One of the most well known museums in Xian is the Terracotta Army Museum. Within just 16,300 square meters are more than 7000 terracotta figures that are life size. There are warriors in armor and horses and they were laid out in formations ready for battle. Do not miss this museum because it is purely astounding. The pits were discovered in 1974 by villagers who were just drilling wells on some land where nothing ever grew. They found some bronze weapons and decided to call in someone from Cultural Heritage. What they uncovered is one of the biggest and most important archaeological finds of the modern world. They built an arched, steel frame roof over the 3 pits in 1976 to protect the area and columns were raised to hold up the roof. There are warriors, horses, chariots all of which are not totally excavated even to this day.
Another museum that most have heard of is the Shaanxi History Museum in Xian City. The building is huge built in the Tang dynasty style. Inside just the main hall are 2700 pieces of art. There are permanent exhibitions and also some special ones brought in for just a time. The permanent exhibition is all about Shaanxi history. There are artifacts from all periods of time and many dynasties within the history of the area including Neolithic ceramics, bronze pieces including weapons, statues, swords, gold objects and many different photos of archaeological sites. There is a tip concerning the gift shop. There may be price tags on all the items for sale but you are expected to bargain with the clerk for the best price you can get.
The Hanyang Tomb Museum is relatively new opening just in 2006. It is an underground museum and is actually a tomb. Several pits were excavated and a glass floor placed over top allows you merely to look down to see the exhibit. There are other artifacts that are placed in glass cases that you can see very easily. This tomb was undisturbed for over 2000 years and it is still in the process of being excavated today. The site contains about 5000 tombs and includes a human sacrifice grave yard. You can view statues of both people and animals that are delightfully detailed. If you actually get to go down into the tomb itself do not be surprised if you are given two plastic bags to put on your feet in order to protect your shoes.
Banpo Village was a major settlement around 5000 BC. The Banpo Museum was opened in 1958 about 15 km from the city of Xian. The people that organized this city were community oriented because the village had a large hall in the middle of town and many different rooms were laid around that hall. The village did not have a fence but did have a large trench that was built to discourage large animals from getting in side. There was an area in the village where people made ceramics in kilns; there was a cemetery and about 46 houses. You can see the tools the people used and see what it was like to live in a Neolithic Village.
If you can find the Bell Tower you can find the Stele Forest Museum. Here you will find about 1000 pieces of stone that are inscribed with calligraphy created in the Han to the Qing dynasty. This museum was formally a very popular Confucius temple. It is filled with stone tablets that are as old as 4000 years and continue up into the 20th century. All are inscribed with beautiful calligraphy. Guides will help you make your own calligraphy if you wish.
Xian is a very historic place and the history goes back much further than it does in many places. You can visit a Neolithic village or explore the dynasties of China. The terracotta warriors are definitely worth a visit and you might even try to write in Chinese calligraphy. There are also many other museums rich with the culture of China just in this one city.
Museums in Xi’an will give you extensive background of the local culture and some will amaze you with the exhibits that are there for you to explore. We have got the ultimate inside info on the best Xian Travel and museums.