Monthly Archives: February 2013

Huashan (Flower Mountain)

Huashan is made from the combination of two words. Hua means Chinese, brilliant or flowery and shan means mountain. Huashan is one of the five sacred mountains of Taooist in China. Huashan has a lot of other religious sites: pavilions, Taoist Temples and engraved scriptures which are scattered over the mountain
Hou mountain is famous for its plunging ravines and sheer cliffs. It is also considered as the most precipitous mountain under the heaven and probably the most dangerous mountain of the world freqented by the hikers.

This mountain is located at about 120 kilometers east from Xi’ans and it takes about three hours from city centre to reach there. There are total five peaks which make up the mountain namely Cloud Terrace Peak or North Peak, Jade Maiden Peak or Middle Peak, Sunrise Peak or East Peak, Lotus Peak or West Peak and the Landing Wild Goose Peak or South Peak. North Peak, being lowest of all these peaks is the starting point. There are three ways to go there. The six kilometer winding track from the Huashan village, cable car or the path beneath it.
Jade Maiden peak is next on this route. There is a story that the jade maiden was seen once riding a white horse among these mountains and hence it was named. You can choose to take left for seeing the Sunrise peak which is the best place to enjoy the view of the sunrise in the morning.

Huashan (Flower Mountain)

Alternatively you can also take to the right to the Lotus peak. Huashan means the Flower mountain and its name has been derived from the Lotus Peak which has the resemblance to the beatiful blooming flower of lotus. There is a gondola which can take you to the steep valley to the Landing Wild Goose peak which is the highest among these summits. The path there is characterised by the steep rock faces having a wide plack walkway which is fixed to the sheer rock face and there si a chain along the rock for support. The route has the foot hold in the rocks and chain for holding. After that you will get a vertical ladder in the cleft of the rock. The South Peak is very dangeours in winter however the view from this Peak is spectacular. This mountain is worth to see for anybody.

Banpo Museum is located at the eastern outskirts of the Xi’an city. It is the first prehistoric excavation museum site of China. Banpo (half slope) was one of the typical villages of Neolithic Matriarchal community of Yangshao culture in 5000-3000 BC which is around 6000 years ago. The culture of Yangshao was named after the discovery of the first civilization in Yangshao of Henan Province. More than 400 sites of this type around the Basin of the Yellow River have been discovered till now and the Banpo site being the largest among all of them.

Banpo Museum

This site was discovered in the year 1953 where the construction of a power plant was going in that area. Since after then, the work of excavation was started and it took almost four years. The Banpo site was then opened to the public in the year 1958. More than two million people have visited this site since then.

The Banpo site have occupied an area of about 50 thousand square meters and it has been divided into three major parts which are the pottery making area, the living area and the cemetery area. There are about 46 dwellings, over 200 storage pits, two domestic animal pens, 73 burial jars for the kids, 174 adult tombs, six kilns for pottery making and many domestic as well as production tools. This site provides the clear picture of the life styles of the primitive people of Banpo long ago.

Banpo Museum

Banpo Museum has two exhibition halls and one excavation site hall. In the first exhibition hall, the tools like stone knives, fishhooks, sickles, specula, etc are displayed which were used by the people of Banpo. These exhibits are the examples for the visitors to see the activities of the Banpo people. The second exhibition hall contains the showpieces which are the art items and major inventions reflecting the social life and fork culture of that time. Few artifacts present in this hall include a pointed bottom bottle, fish-and-human-face design pottery, pottery steamer and burial jars of children.

Forest of Stele Museum of Xi’an is located at the three school (15 Sanxue) street which is near the south gate of magnificent City Wall. It was established in the year 1090 during the period of northern Song Dynasty. The Stele Forest Museum of Xi’an is famous nationally for the fine and large collection of over one thousand inscribed stones which was engraved during the 2000 year period of the Han Dynasty to Qing Dynasty. It is one of the best places for getting closer to the history and culture of China.

Forest of Stele Museum

This museum is spread over the area of more than 30,000 square meters and is divided into seven main exhibition halls displaying historical records, stone carvings and ancient work of calligraphy.

The Exhibition Hall displays the text of the twelve confucian classic carved on the 14 steles The 12 works include the Book of Changes, Analects of Confucius, the Book of Songs and some others. All of these twelve classics are very much intersting to read for intellectuals to know about the feudal society o china. The stones were engraved about two thousnad years ago and at that time printing was not invented. For preserving these works and the pass them to the later generation, the rulers vave carved them on to these stones.

Hall two has the calligraphy steles which were written by some of the prominent calligraphers of the China’s Tanag Dynasty. The Dynasty of Tang has witenessed the wide creativity in various fields. The classic calligraphy of China has reached in the gloden age during this period. You can find many works of Yan Zhenqing, Zhang Xu, Ouyang Xun and many other ancient calligraphers in this hall.

Third Hall also exhihits excellent works of calligraphy. The steles inscribed have five different varieties of calligraphy i.e. seal characters, regular script, official script, cursive hand and running hand. These steles will give you the clear idea about the development of the Chinese writing. These calligraphy of China are very much important part of magnificent culture of China and these stone tablets have become an important way to explore the long and magical ancient culture of China.

Forest of Stele Museum

Hall four have various sculpture of stones and these are the works of Han Dynaty to the Tang Dynasty. These sculpture inclueds various portraits of Buddha and confucius. Hall five displayes some of the historical records engraved in steles and many poems are displayed in the Hall Six and Seven.

The Bell Tower stands at the crossing of East, West, North and South avenues in the city proper is a well known symbol of Xi’an. This tower was originally built in the year 1348 at the end of the Yuan dynasty. It was moved to its present site in the year 1552 during the period of the Ming Dynasty.

Bell Tower

It was enlarged and rebuilt during the period of Ming Dynasty. There was a huge iron bell which was hung in the tower and used for striking the hours. It is very grand ancient building and has the features of traditional Chinese architecture. This Tower is very beautifully lit at the night. The tourists can get the bird’s eye view from the top of this town of the areas surrounding and the brightly decorated eaves of the building.

The Bell Tower acts as central landmark of this city and four prosperous commercial streets stretch towards in each direction. A must see to Ming city, the Drum Tower is located nearby in the west direction of the Bell tower. They are the outstanding example of ancient architecture. While entering to the old gate of Drum tower, you will be warmly welcome by the old street having bluestone pavement and it is full of the Muslim restaurants which are decorated in the Ming and Qing Dynasty style.

Bell Tower

There is Beiyuanmen Muslim Market, where you can get the taste of local snacks. The Great mosque is only a block away from the Drum Tower and is the spiritual root of more than 60 thousand Muslims mainly of Hui minority working and living here. If you wish to know the city wall earlier than Ming then Hanguan Gate Site Museum provides you the perfect description of the ancient wall of about 1,400 years ago at Zenith of the Xian history. There are many attractive ancient and historical sites around the Bell Tower and a worth to watch.

Xi’an Great Mosque is located at Change feeling (30 Huajue) lane, which is in the center of the city. It is one of the largest and most important Islamic places for worship in China.

This mosque was constructed in the year 724 ad, Which was the 1^st year of the Tianbao Era of Xuanrong reign in the Dynasty of Tang. The additions were made in the Dynasties of Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing which makes this mosque an ancient architectural complex and representative of a long period of time and history.

Xi’an Great Mosque

During the period of Tang Dynasty, The Islam was introduced in china by several Arabian merchants. During that time, many Muslims settled in China and married to Han people. Then, at that time, this Great Mosque was constructed honoring the founders of Islamic religion in China. After then several other mosques have been constructed all across this country.

This Great Mosque covers an area of approx 6000 square meters. The whole complex has been divided into the four courtyards. First courtyard has the wooden arch in it. This arch is nine meters in height and covered with glazed tiles which can be traced back to seventeenth century. There are three chambers which stand on the either side of the arch. This displays some furniture which is preserved from the Ming and Qing Dynasty. There is a steel arch having two steels on the both side of it at the center of the second yard. There are popular calligraphic writings on the steels from the prominent ancient calligraphers. Fourth of the courtyard contains the big prayer hall which can easily accommodate over thousand people.

Inside view of Xi’an Great Mosque

This mosque is the combination of traditional Chinese architecture as well as Islamic art. In the style of Chinese thee are series of the pavilions and the four courtyards having mosque between them. However, the wall is decorated with the Islamic art. It is the only mosque which is open to visitors in china. But, non-Muslim visitors are not allowed to visit the main prayer hall. This mosque was added I the list of UNESCO Islamic Heritage in the year 1985.