Details:
Pick-up from your hotel between 7:00am and 8:30am.
1) History Museum This modern well organized museum was completed in 1992 and traces the history of Xian from prehistory to the Qing dynasty. The extensive galleries and exhibitions offer the visitor an excellent introduction to the area that greatly improve understanding of the numerous historical sites in Xian2) City Wall. The City Walls of Xian were first built during the Tang dynasty (618-907) when Chang’an (Xian) was capital of all of China. Today’s rectangular walls date back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and are the only complete city walls in China. They enclose the old city for 12km (8 miles) and have turrets, battlements and a moat
2) Big Wild Goose Pagoda. The 7 story Great Wild Goose Pagoda was built in AD 652. It is a striking elegant building and is the symbol of Xian. The famous Buddhist monk Xuan Zang returned from a 17 year pilgrimage and the square pagoda was built to house the 600 or so Buddhist texts that he had collected in India. Xuan Zang is a household name in China. The famous novel "A Journey to the West" is based on his long journey to India.
The pagoda - built within the compound of the Benevolence Temple - has high architectural value considering it is already 1,300 years old. Above the stone doors at the bottom of the tower, there remain the exquisite line-etched pictures from the Tang Dynasty. The bottom of the pagoda resembles a wild goose, hence the name, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
3) City Wall. The City Walls of Xian were first built during the Tang dynasty (618-907) when Chang’an (Xian) was capital of all of China. Today’s rectangular walls date back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and are the only complete city walls in China. They enclose the old city for 12km (8 miles) and have turrets, battlements and a moat.
Back to your hotel around 6:00pm