Bell
Tower
Standing in the centre of downtown
Xian, the Bell Tower is a classical building with carved beams and painted
rafters.
The tower got its name from an ancient
practice of striking a huge bell in its premises every morning. This is an
iconic symbol of Xian and an important historical monument.
City
Wall
Famed for being the largest city wall
in the word, City Wall is the best-preserved ancient city architecture in
China.
This ancient structure is 12 meters in
height and 13.7 kilometres in length. As it was originally built to defend the
city, the wall is extremely robust.
Drum
Tower
About 500 meters northwest of the Bell Tower on the West Street stands the Drum Tower, built in the Ming Dynasty. In ancient times, the city’s people would sound a big drum on the tower every evening for ten minutes.
The bell in the Bell Tower and the
drum in the Drum Tower have been referred to as "the Morning Bell"
and "the Dusk Drum".
Famen
Temple
Located in Fufeng County, 118
kilometres from Xian, Shaanxi Famen Temple was originally built in 300 AD to
promote Buddhism during the Eastern Han Dynasty.
The most significant structures in the
temple, famous for housing a finger bone of the Sakyamuni Buddha, are the Famen
Temple Pagoda and Famen Temple Museum.
Goose
Pagodas
Located in the southern part of the
city, the Goose Pagodas are two of the finest remaining Buddhist sites in the
city centre.
Visitors can climb to the top of the
pagoda through an interior staircase to take in a beautiful birds-eye view of
Xian
Terracotta
Warriors
This army of life-size warriors has
silently guarded the First Emperor's Tomb for over 2,000 years. One of the most
exceptional qualities about the Warriors is that each soldier’s face is unique
– there are no copies.
The
Great Mosque
The Great Mosque, located in Huajue Lane, is a
major site for the religious activities of over 60,000 Muslims in Xian. Unlike
Arabian mosques with domes and minarets, this mosque was designed in a
traditional Chinese style.