The
is six kilometers east of Xi'an. This excavated site of a village
dates back to 4500 BC and was discovered in 1953. The village during
this period was called Yangshao and 45 houses, 6 pottery kilns, 200
storage pits, 250 adult's tombs and children's burial jars, 10,000
tools and utensils were unearthed.
The distinct
culture of these villagers was known as Yangshao culture. The most
interesting aspect of this is that Yangshao culture was very artificial. There are more female tombs and graves here than male, and
the women's graves contain more objects and valuables than their male
counterparts do.
Today, the
site itself is pretty flat and uninspiring. It takes a lot of
imagination to picture how this place used to be and the Disney-style
"Yangshao Village" which has been reconstructed at the site
makes this area less appealing.
Opening
hours: 8:00-18:00
Admission Tickets: RMB20
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Dufu
Temple is a the family Temple of Dufu, a famous poet from the Tang
Dynasty. Political frustration and a life of poverty inspired this
"Saintly poet" to write over 1,400 poems, most of which
detail contemporary events.
The Temple is
an example of typical Tang dynasty architecture and contains a huge
stone statue of the great poet. The most precious historical relic
here is an ink copy of a stele written by Dufu which is the only
existing inscription by the poet in the world.
If you have a
particular passion for Chinese arts or poetry then the Temple is an
interesting place to visit. Today, the Temple is still an important
site for practicing Buddhists.
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Located
at the foot of the Mountain Li and 2 km west of the Terracotta army,
is the tomb of the Qin Emperor that the warriors were built to
protect. This is a very tourist oriented site and it leaves many
people feeling cold. Today, its hard to imagine the incredible glamour
and grandeur that must have surrounded this tomb in 221 BC.
Emperor Qin
ascended the throne when he was only thirteen years old and his reign
is widely interpreted as being one dominated by centralized rule and
tyranny. The terracotta army face eastwards, a reflection of the
Emperor's fear of eastern invasion.
Although the Emperor did bring
peace to the eastern states and unified China, he also ordered that
all books be destroyed (except those concerning the Qin Dynasty) and
implemented high taxes to fund the Great Wall. Modern historians have
revised the opinion of the Emperor as a philistine and dictator. They
argue that the wealth of treasures found in his tomb and the artistic
value of the warriors themselves are examples of high culture and
artistic talent.
Whatever the
historical opinion, there is no disputing that this was once an
incredible and impressive Tomb. Archaeologists believe that the tomb
was originally decorated with gold, silver and pearl .
The artists
who deigned and constructed the mausoleum were buried alive with the
Emperor and thereby forced to literally take their secrets to the
grave. According to the Emperor's official biography, "The
Emperor Qin Shi Huang was buried at the foot of Mount Li. The Emperor
started to build his mausoleum as soon as he came to the throne.
When he
unified the whole country, the Emperor Qin Shi Huang conscripted more
than seven hundred thousand convicts to help build his mausoleum...
and install crossbows, which were automatically discharged to prevent
tomb plunderers."
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Sightseeing
Index
