Exploring the city of Xian
Trip Start
Jun 16, 2008
1
12
36
Trip End
Jul 20, 2008
Xianyang,
China
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Our first stop was the famous Shaanxi Historical Museum. It was incredible!!!! There were relics, pottery, utensils, art, building, pottery and so much more from every single dynasty in Chinese history. It really showed the history of China through its periods. It even started with a recreation of the first man found in China 1,150,000 years ago. The museum was just fantastic!
China-Warring States 403-221BC
China-Spring and Autumn Period 771-481BC
China-Qin Dynasty 221-207BC
China-Han Dynasty 206BC-220AD
China-Eastern Han Dynasty 25BC-220AD
China-Western Han Dynasty 206BC-9AD
China-Northern Zhou Dynasty 557-581
China-Southern Dynasties 420-479
China-Liang Period 502-557
China-Northern Wei Period 386-535
China-Tang Dynasty 618-690
China-The Tang Dynasty 618-690
China-Western Xia Dynasty 1038-1227
China-Jin Period 1115-1234
China-Northern Song Dynasty 960-1127
China-Yuan Dynasty 1271-1368
China-Song Dynasty 960-1279
China-Five Dynasties 907-960
China-Ming Dynasty 1368-1644
China-The Ming Dynasty 1368-1644
China-neolithic jade 3000BC
China-neolithic man 1.5 million years
China-Shang Dynasty 1766BC
China-Western Zhou Dynasty 1122-771BC
China-The Western Zhou Dynasty 1122-771BC
China-from Western Zhou Dynasty 1122-771BC
China-The Warring States Period 475-221BC
After lunch we visited the Big Wild Goose Pagoda which was built in the Tang Dynasty when a monk from China went to India to learn about Buddhism. He returned and built this Pagoda to house the knowledge of Buddhism in China. As the symbol of the old-line Xian, Big Wild Goose Pagoda is a well-preserved ancient building and a holy place for Buddhists. Originally built in 652 during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), it functioned to collect Buddhist materials that were taken from India by the hierarch Xuanzang.
Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Big Wild Goose Pagoda 4
Big Wild Goose Pagoda 6
Big Wild Goose Pagoda 8
Big Wild Goose Pagoda 2
Big Wild Goose Pagoda 5
Big Wild Goose Pagoda 9
The final stop of the day was the Grand Mosque. This was a Muslim site built in 742AD during the Tang Dynasty. Since it was Friday there just happened to be hundreds of Muslims of all ethnicities worshipping here was was a good site to see. After the Mosque there was a large Muslim market. I enjoyed seeing everything for sale here. I bought a traditional Chinese silk shirt and a bracelet.
The Great Mosque of Xian is the largest and best preserved of the early mosques of China. Built primarily in the Ming Dynasty when Chinese architectural elements were synthesized into mosque architecture, the mosque resembles a fifteenth century Buddhist temple with its single axis lined with courtyards and pavilions. The Great Mosque of Xian is thought to have existed as early as the seventh century. The mosque that stands today, however, was begun in 1392 in the twenty-fifth year of the Ming Dynasty.
Grand Mosque
Grand Mosque 1
Grand Mosque 2
Grand Mosque 5
Grand Mosque 6
I returned to the hotel early today at 3:30PM and had the rest of the day to relax. I used the internet for an hour and just unwound.
