See: Updated listing for Bell Towers
← Older revision
Revision as of 09:01, 29 September 2013
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| phone= | tollfree= | fax=
| phone= | tollfree= | fax=
| hours= | price=¥40, ¥20 students (Sept 2010)
| hours= | price=¥40, ¥20 students (Sept 2010)
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| content=As the world's largest city wall, the Xi'an city wall has been restored and is 12m high, 18m wide is its bottom, 15m wide on the top, 13.7km long, and bikes(also bikes for two or three persons) are provided for renting, now it's ￥40 per 90 minutes/bike. You can hire one at the top of the South or East gate; you may return it to other stations on the wall (there is one at each of the four main gates), but be sure to verify this before stating your ride. Be aware that bikes will not be rented if there is any chance of rain, because the top of the wall becomes slippery. Check the weather forecast before you buy a ticket to enter the wall. If you want to foot it though, a complete loop of the walls takes 4-5 hours. The landscaped park around the base of the exterior walls and moat also makes for a pleasant stroll and gives a different perspective on the battlements and towers. The wall is lit up at night and makes for a pleasant stroll. The present city wall was built in the Ming dynasty(A.D.1368-A.D.1644) on the foundation of the Chang'an Imperial city wall of Tang dynasty(A.D.618-A.D.907). The Xi'an City Wall International Marathon is held each year in Nov. since 1993, running on top of the wall, athletes from more than 50 countries and regions have participated in the competition during the last 16 sessions. Also, the Xi'an city wall Cycling Race are held on top of the wall since two years ago.
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| content=As the world's largest city wall, the Xi'an city wall has been restored and is 12m high, 18m wide is its bottom, 15m wide on the top, 13.7km long, and bikes(also bikes for two or three persons) are provided for renting, now it's ￥40 per 90 minutes/bike. You can hire one at the top of the South or East gate; you may return it to other stations on the wall (there is one at each of the four main gates), but be sure to verify this before stating your ride. Be aware that bikes will not be rented if there is any chance of rain, because the top of the wall becomes slippery. Check the weather forecast before you buy a ticket to enter the wall. If you want to foot it though, a complete loop of the walls takes 4-5 hours. The landscaped park around the base of the exterior walls and moat also makes for a pleasant stroll and gives a different perspective on the battlements and towers. The wall is lit up at night and makes for a pleasant stroll. The present city wall was built in the Ming dynasty(A.D.1368-A.D.1644) on the foundation of the Chang'an Imperial city wall of Tang dynasty(A.D.618-A.D.907). The Xi'an City Wall International Marathon is held each year in Nov. since 1993, running on top of the wall, athletes from more than 50 countries and regions have participated in the competition during the last 16 sessions. Also, the Xi'an city wall Cycling Race are held on top of the wall since two years ago.
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There is a small museum inside the city walls at Hanguang Gate, about halfway between the southwest corner and the South Gate, accessible from the top of the city wall itself. Look for a staircase down inside a covered structure. Inside are the unrestored remains of a gatehouse and a calligraphy collection.
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There is a small museum inside the city walls at Hanguang Gate, about halfway between the southwest corner and the South Gate, accessible from the top of the city wall itself. Look for a staircase down inside a covered structure. Inside are the unrestored remains of a gatehouse and a calligraphy collection.
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| phone= | tollfree= | fax=
| phone= | tollfree= | fax=
| hours= | price=¥50 to enter the temple complex, another ¥40 to enter the pagoda
| hours= | price=¥50 to enter the temple complex, another ¥40 to enter the pagoda
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| content=Built by Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi（高宗李治) in 652AD. Emblem of the city of Xi'an. In the fountain in front of the pagoda there is a very nice water and music show sometimes during the day with pleasant parks and western eateries nearby.
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| content=Built by Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi（高宗李治) in 652AD. Emblem of the city of Xi'an. In the fountain in front of the pagoda there is a very nice water and music show sometimes during the day with pleasant parks and western eateries nearby.
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* {{see
* {{see
| name=Bell Towers | alt=钟楼; Zhōnglóu | url= | email=
| name=Bell Towers | alt=钟楼; Zhōnglóu | url= | email=
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| address= | lat= | long= | directions=In the exact center of the city
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| address= | lat=34.26096 | long=108.94233 | directions=In the exact center of the city
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| phone= | tollfree= | fax=
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| phone= | tollfree= | fax=
| hours= | price=¥27 (or ¥40 including Drum Tower)
| hours= | price=¥27 (or ¥40 including Drum Tower)
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| content=
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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 lifelike 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 fee. For ¥5, you can opt to take a small bus from the ticket counter to the entry to the site, which saves you about 10 minutes of walking. On the way back, however, you are forced to walk in order not to "miss" the countless opportunities to buy small terracotta warriors, other tourist articles and food. For those not interested in Chinese food, there is a KFC very near to the ticket counter. Student tickets can only be bought at the rightmost ticket booths, which do not sell regular tickets.
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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 lifelike 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 fee. For ¥5, you can opt to take a small bus from the ticket counter to the entry to the site, which saves you about 10 minutes of walking. On the way back, however, you are forced to walk in order not to "miss" the countless opportunities to buy small terracotta warriors, other tourist articles and food. For those not interested in Chinese food, there is a KFC very near to the ticket counter. Student tickets can only be bought at the rightmost ticket booths, which do not sell regular tickets.
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| phone= | tollfree= | fax=
| phone= | tollfree= | fax=
| hours= | price=Mausoleum ¥40, museum ¥15
| hours= | price=Mausoleum ¥40, museum ¥15
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| content=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.
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| content=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.
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| phone= | tollfree= | fax=
| phone= | tollfree= | fax=
| hours= | price=¥80; half-price students
| hours= | price=¥80; half-price students
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| content=Han dynasty tomb (known locally as HanYangLing) containing 50,000 doll-sized terracotta figures. There are human figures (think small and naked version of the terracota warriors) as well as a whole army-like formation of life-like animals (pigs, dogs, etc). 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 (especially easy to do if done as part of a journey to or from the airport). There's a very unique holographic movie experience as part of the exhibit (no 3D glasses required, English and some other language translation available, ¥10 though it is unclear if it's a legitimate fee). 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). If you cross the road you can see the Archaeological Exhibit Center (where some of the best figures are kept), a deer park (with actual live deer), and ruins of a "sacrifice temple" (not too impressive). The grounds around the mausoleum are nice to stroll in, with fragrant wild grasses and a rose garden next to the Arch. Ex. Center. It is possible to get to the site via tour or share a taxi (around ¥200 round-trip, not including waiting time). By public transit, take the subway to XingZheng ZhongXin station (North of the city, ¥3). When you exit, you'll see a huge roundabout. You need to catch bus #4 from there, which can be a bit tricky. You can take exit B3 from the subway (South road from the roundabout, West side), go south until you see Hotel Liu Lian on your right - there's a bus stop right next to it. Or, take exit A2 from the subway (North road from the roundabout, West side), go North until you see a bus stop (the East entrance to City Sports Park and a stadium will be on your left). Both stops seem like they go the wrong way (South instead of North), but don't worry, the bus turns around soon after them. As of June 2012, bus #4 seems to be a small pink bus, comes every 30min or so, and costs ¥2. Be careful since it may not actually stop! You must actively flag it down. If you miss it, you can run to the other, East side of the road (be very careful crossing all these lanes of traffic) and you can flag it down as it turns around and starts going North. This is a bit easier to do at the City Sports Park stop. As of November 2012, the easiest way seems to be to take the subway to XingZheng ZhongXin station, then take exit B3. After leaving exit B3 walk for 100 yards straight ahead, you will see a bus stop across the street. Bus #4 stops here at the following times: 08:30/09:30/10:30/12:00/13:30/15:00/16:00/17:00. The departure times from the Tomb are approximately half an hour to an hour after these times.
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| content=Han dynasty tomb (known locally as HanYangLing) containing 50,000 doll-sized terracotta figures. There are human figures (think small and naked version of the terracota warriors) as well as a whole army-like formation of life-like animals (pigs, dogs, etc). 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 (especially easy to do if done as part of a journey to or from the airport). There's a very unique holographic movie experience as part of the exhibit (no 3D glasses required, English and some other language translation available, ¥10 though it is unclear if it's a legitimate fee). 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). If you cross the road you can see the Archaeological Exhibit Center (where some of the best figures are kept), a deer park (with actual live deer), and ruins of a "sacrifice temple" (not too impressive). The grounds around the mausoleum are nice to stroll in, with fragrant wild grasses and a rose garden next to the Arch. Ex. Center. It is possible to get to the site via tour or share a taxi (around ¥200 round-trip, not including waiting time). By public transit, take the subway to XingZheng ZhongXin station (North of the city, ¥3). When you exit, you'll see a huge roundabout. You need to catch bus #4 from there, which can be a bit tricky. You can take exit B3 from the subway (South road from the roundabout, West side), go south until you see Hotel Liu Lian on your right - there's a bus stop right next to it. Or, take exit A2 from the subway (North road from the roundabout, West side), go North until you see a bus stop (the East entrance to City Sports Park and a stadium will be on your left). Both stops seem like they go the wrong way (South instead of North), but don't worry, the bus turns around soon after them. As of June 2012, bus #4 seems to be a small pink bus, comes every 30min or so, and costs ¥2. Be careful since it may not actually stop! You must actively flag it down. If you miss it, you can run to the other, East side of the road (be very careful crossing all these lanes of traffic) and you can flag it down as it turns around and starts going North. This is a bit easier to do at the City Sports Park stop. As of November 2012, the easiest way seems to be to take the subway to XingZheng ZhongXin station, then take exit B3. After leaving exit B3 walk for 100 yards straight ahead, you will see a bus stop across the street. Bus #4 stops here at the following times: 08:30/09:30/10:30/12:00/13:30/15:00/16:00/17:00. The departure times from the Tomb are approximately half an hour to an hour after these times.
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