Xian Museums Exploration Of The Huge History Of The City
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.
Visit the Shaanxi History museum righ in the south of town. The building is modern but made with Tang dynasty architecture. The main hall holds about 2700 art pieces from all eras. This museum houses permanent exhibitions and also a few temporary ones. In the permanent collection are artifacts from all dynasties including weapons, statues, gold cast objects and you can also view photos from other archaeological digs in China. When purchasing an item from the gift shop be sure to argue about the price. It is totally acceptable and expected.
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.
Another interesting museum is the Stele Forest Museum which is located near to the bell tower. Inside is a collection of over 1000 inscribed monuments made in stone and created during the Han to the Qing dynasty. The stele forest is in an eleventh century Confucius temple. The stone tablets are about 4000 years old up to the twentieth century. All are in ancient and modern calligraphy. You might even try creating some calligraphy on your own with the help of a guide.
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.
