Xian

... is the most important city in northwest China, capital of Shaanxi Province. The city reflects and recalls the rich and remarkable Chinese civilisation and culture. Named Chang'an in ancient times, Xian is one of the birthplaces of the ancient civilisation in the Yellow River Basin area of the country, enjoying equal fame with Athens, Cairo and Rome as one of the four major ancient civilisation capitals.

One of the major tourist attractions in Xian are the Museum Terracotta Warriors and horses, the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. The museum was originally a mausoleum, built for Qin Shi Huang who had begun works for it at just 13 and took 11 years to finish. Qin Shi Huang later beacme the Emperor of all China, and it is said that many buried treasures and sacrificial objects accompanied the emperor in his after life. Peasants later dug the grounds and found pottery and caught the attention of archeologist immediately. The State Council authorised to build a museum on site in 1975.

Another major tourist attraction is the Great Wild Goose Pagoda, which was built in 652 during the Tang Dynasty and originally had 5 storeys, although the structure was rebuilt in 704 during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian. The exterior black facade renovated during the Ming Dynasty. One of the many functions of the Pagoda was to hold sutras anf figurines of the Buddha that were bought to China from India by the Buddhist translator and traveller Xuanzang.

There are lots of shopping centres and department stores in and around the Xian City - the biggest being Kai Yuan Shopping Mall and Century Ginwa Shopping Mall.

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