Xi'an: A Journey Through Thousands of Years of Civilization

Xi'an, known as Chang'an in ancient times, is an important birthplace of the Chinese nation with numerous historical sites and places of interest. As the capital of 13 dynasties, Xi'an has witnessed the glorious course of Chinese civilization, which has been inscribed in the first batch of the "World Historical Cities" by UNESCO. Stepping into the museum complex in Xi'an is like being in the vast galaxy of ancient Chinese civilization. Every cultural relic and every exhibit are telling thousand-year-old legendary stories. 

(Source: quanjing.com)

The Shaanxi History Museum is China's first large-scale modern national museum. It houses more than 1.7 million pieces of cultural relics, ranging from simple stone tools used in the initial stage of ancient human beings to various utensils in social life before 1840, spanning a time period of more than one million years. Among them are many exquisitely beautiful bronze wares from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, various Terra-cotta figurines of different times, precious and magnificent gold and silver wares from the Han and Tang dynasties, etc. The treasured Gold Bowls with Mandarin Ducks and Lotus Petals in the museum are so amazing with exquisite patterns and superb craftsmanship. Whether you are a history enthusiast or a cultural explorer, this is an important window to understand ancient Chinese civilization.

(Source: quanjing.com)

Founded in 1944, the Xi'an Beilin Museum is an art museum that mainly collects, studies and displays steles, epitaphs and stone carvings of past dynasties. Based on the "Xi'an Beilin" with a history of over 900 years, the museum is an expansion of the ancient architectural complex of the Xi'an Confucian Temple. The Xi'an Beilin Museum has the largest collection of steles and epitaphs in China. The museum collects "Shitai Xiaojing (Stone Platform Classic of Filial Piety)," which is known as the "No. 1 Stele in the Beilin" and the "Kaicheng Shijing," which is the thickest and heaviest existing stone book. All these stone carvings have witnessed the thousand-year inheritance of Chinese civilization and attracted countless calligraphy enthusiasts and history researchers to explore. 

(Source: quanjing.com)

The Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum is a large-scale site museum based on the Terra-cotta Warriors Museum and relying on the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum National Archeological Site Park. The Terra-cotta warriors and horses discovered through archaeology here are known as the "Eighth Wonder of the World" and "One of the Great Archaeological Discoveries of the 20th Century," renowned both at home and abroad. More than 7,000 Terra-cotta warriors and horses are as large as real people and real horses, with vivid expressions and distinct personalities, enjoying extremely high historical, scientific and artistic values. Come to the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum to feel the shock of the Terra-cotta warriors and horses army formation!

Whether for the precious cultural relics in the museums or the astonishing wonders in the ruins, hundreds of museums carry the unique cultural genes of Chinese civilization, making the characters "Chang'an" a treasure trove for interpreting Eastern civilization.