Tourism Attractions

1.Cultural Tourism

Rich in cultural tourist resources, Shaanxi is home to over 70 mausoleums, including those of the Yellow Emperor, the Yandi Emperor, the Emperor Qinshihuang, and emperors of the Han and the Tang dynasties, as well as many ancient architectural complexes that can be regarded as national treasures.

Xi'an City Wall, is the biggest and best-preserved ancient city wall still extant in China. The City Wall, together with the moat and annular park, forms a part of the fantastic scenery of Xi'an.

Situated at the center of Xi'an, the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower are landmark buildings of the city. The two majestic Ming Dynasty buildings echo each other from afar.

Both the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and the Small Wild Goose Pagoda are representative physical evidence of the fusion of the ancient Indian Buddhist temples' architectural form with Chinese culture.

Situated at Lintong District, Xi'an, the Huaqing Palace is also known as the Huaqing Pond. The palace is famed for the sentimental love story between Emperor Minghuang and his concubine Yang as well as the world-shaking Xi'an Incident.

The Tang Paradise was rebuilt according to the style of imperial gardens on its site of the Tang Dynasty. It is China's first large scale imperial garden-themed park that showcases the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty comprehensively.

Chang'an had been an important center of Buddhism from the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern dynasties to the Sui and the Tang dynasties, and left many ancestral chambers and temples such as Famen Temple and Caotang Temple.

2.Landscape Tourism

Shaanxi Province, which is long and narrow in its topography, boasts a wealth of unique landforms, and integrates the northwestern scenery with the southern scenery to create a colorful and fantastic view.

Northern Shaanxi, boasting continuous mountains and valleys, is a majestic view. A 400 km-long section of the Qinling Mountain Range runs across the Guanzhong region where the plains and plateaus interlace with each other. Southern Shaanxi features green hills mirrored in the crystal rivers and picturesque sceneries dotted with lakes, mountains, canyons and water-eroded caves.

The Yellow River, the Weihe River and the Hanjiang River are characterized with their distinctive majestic beauty and winding charm.

The Qinling Mountain Range is located in central China as a vast, grand and majestic mountain, enjoying the fame of "National Central Park". In 2009, Shaanxi Qinling Zhongnanshan Geopark was listed as one of the world geoparks. Mount Taibai, the highest peak of the Qinling Mountain Range,has been famed for its height, cold, steepness, fertility and mystery from ancient times. The so-called "Snow-capped Mount Taibai in Summer" is one of the top eight scenic attractions of Chang'an.

As one of the five famous mountains in China, the Huashan Mountain has an altitude of 2,154 meters. Being an upright, steep mountain perennially capped with clouds, it connects the Qinling Mountains in the south, overlooks the Yellow River and the Weihe River in the north, and guards the plain in the Great Northwest. It has long been given the name of "The Number One Most Dangerous Mountain under Heaven".

3.Museum Tourism

Shaanxi is known as China's "natural history museum". The cultural relics and historical ruins found here are concentrated, numerous and representative, encompassing almost every historical period in Chinese history. It is home to nine state first-level museums and dozens of free museums which comprehensively reflect China's long history and splendid culture.

Shaanxi History Museum is China's first large scale national museum equipped with modern facilities. It collects cultural relics with a time span of over one million years. The gold and silver wares of the Han and the Tang dynasties are the most exquisite in China. The murals in the Tang tombs are unrivaled in the world. The museum is honored"Pearl of Xi'an and treasure of China".

Emperor Qinshihuang's Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum is built on the original pit for the terracotta warriors and horses. More than 7,000 vivid terracotta warriors and horses with various postures in arrays were unearthed from the Pits No.1, 2 and 3. It is one of the greatest discoveries in the world archaeological history. In 1987, the UNESCO inscribed the Terracotta Warriors and Horses and the Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang into the World Cultural Heritage List.

Xi'an Beilin Museum (Forest of Stone Steles Museum) is the earliest museum in Shaanxi. It mainly focuses on the collection, exhibition and research of steles, epitaphs and stone inscriptions. It gets the name Beilin from the Chinese meaning of forest of stone steles. The famous "Kaicheng Stone Sutra", "Stele for the Spread of Cippus Nestorianism in China" and four steeds of the Six Steeds of Zhao Mausoleum are collected in the museum.

Yan'an Revolutionary Memorial, located in Baota District, Yan'an City, is one of the earliest revolutionary memorials built after the founding of the People's Republic of China. It exhibits numerous valuable revolutionary relics, literature and photos, vividly representing the older generation revolutionary leaders' glorious feats.

The Terracotta Warriors and Horses:One of the Eight Wonders of the World

Terracotta Warriors and Horses, world cultural heritage, known as one of the eight wonders of the world, is an important heritage site under state protection.

Jia Yi recorded the process of Qin state from rise to final hegemony through several generations of monarchs in his essay The Faults of Qin with vigorous writing style. Terracotta Warriors are a symbol of the powerful face of the Qin Empire, which eradicated six states and dominated China.

The rise of the state of Qin cannot be separated from the courage of every Qin soldier and general, as well as the advanced sharp weapons in their hands, nor can it be separated from such a tight and solid military array. They terminated the tangled warfare of vassals contending for hegemony after the Warring States Period and established the first unified empire in Chinese history, exerting a profound impact on China's subsequent politics, economy and culture for thousands of years.

Terracotta Warriors and Horses are not only a rich military treasure-house, a three-dimensional military book of the Qin Dynasty, but also a brilliant art palace.

The layout of the Terracotta Warriors truly simulates the gathering of the troops of the Qin Dynasty, which also makes these artistic works appear flesh and blood, with personality and emotion. One by one, the terracotta figures are tall in shape, harmonious in proportion, lifelike and one-of-a-kind in expression and some soldiers even wear smiles; their hair is clear, and their fingers are vivid. They, standing or kneeling, or leading a horse or pressing a sword, are dignified and brave.

Terracotta Warriors have shaped a variety of rich and vivid characters with certain personality. Its refined and mighty style as well as touching artistic charm marks the maturity of ancient Chinese moulding art. It not only inherits the ceramic tradition of China since the Warring States Period, but also lays the foundation for the prosperity of moulding art of the Tang Dynasty. It plays a connecting role and is honored as"the eighth wonder in the world" and "the treasure of ancient human spiritual civilization".