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Enterprises with 4 Stars or Above in China Service Mall
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Introduction
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Xian, China's first capital and the start of the old "Silk Road," offers you a wonderful China trip to view the Terracotta Warriors, one of the world's most stupendous sights.
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Tour Length: 3-5 days
Departure Date:Everyday
Tour Price per person: $ 150-280
Accommodation: 4-5 Star Hotel
Starting City:Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou，Xi’an
Tour Type: Land tour + well selected hotel + domestic flights/trains, private guided with your own English speaking guide ( unless otherwise specified), your own driver at your own pace and schedule.
Introduction of the Tour
Xian, China's first capital and the start of the old "Silk Road," offers you a wonderful China trip to view the Terracotta Warriors, one of the world's most stupendous sights. With 20 other important cultural sites, your historical Xian tour will be a great highlight of your journey.
Tour Highlights
Terra cotta Warriors and Horses Museum 
The Terra cotta Warriors and Horses Museum is located about 1.5 km east of Emperor Qinshi Huang's Mausoleum. It is an attendant pit of the mausoleum. Among the three pits, No.1 pit is the largest one. More than 6,000 clay warriors and horses could be unearthed from No.1 pit. All of them are life-like. The Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses are arrayed in an oblong battle formation of the Qin Dynasty, facing east; they look healthy, strong and have different facial expressions, showing Emperor Qingshihuang's strong determination of wiping out the other six states and unifying the whole country. It is the most magnificent archaeological discovery this century. It is also a reflection of Chinese people's wisdom and artful skill two thousand years ago. Thousands of real weapons were unearthed from these terra-cotta army pits. These weapons were exquisitely made. Some of them are still very sharp since their surface were treated with chromium. They are as bright as new, though buried underground for more than 2,000 years. This indicates that Qin Dynasty's metallurgical technology and weapon-manufacturing technique already had reached quite a high level. In 1980, two teams of large painted bronze chariots and horses were unearthed 20 metres west of the mausoleum. Together with Terra cotta Warriors, they are called the eighth wonder of the world.
Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Situated in the Da Ci'en Temple, about four kilometers from the urban center, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is one of the most famous Buddhist pagodas in China. Originally built in 589 A.D. in the Sui Dynasty, the temple was named Wu Lou Si Temple. It was not until 648 A.D. when Emperor Li Zhi, sponsored a repair project on the temple. This was a symbol of thanksgiving to his mother for her kindness, after she had suffered an early death. The temple then assumed the present name Temple of Thanksgiving. The Wild Goose Pagoda was finished in 652 A.D. Its five stories are 60 meters in height. The decay of the earth-cored pagoda caused the new construction of a 10-storey pagoda from 701 to 704. It was built with layers of bricks without cement. The bracket style in traditional Chinese architecture was also used in the construction of the pagoda. The grand body of the pagoda with its solemn appearance, simple style and high structure, is indeed a good example of ancient people's wisdom and talent.
City Wall
Xi'an is one of the few cities in China where old city walls are still visible. The city wall of Xi'an is an extension of the old Tang Dynasty structure, as a result of this wall building campaign. Xi’an’s city wall after its enlargement in the Ming Dynasty stands 12 meters high. It is 12-14 meters across the top, 15-18 meters thick at bottom and 13.7 kilometers in length. There is a rampart every 120 meters. The ramparts are towers that extend out from the main wall, the top of the rampart being at the same level as the top of the wall. The distance between two ramparts is just within the range of arrow shot from either side. This allowed soldiers to protect the entire wall without exposing themselves to the enemy. There are altogether 98 of them on the wall; each has a sentry building on top of it. The weapons in ancient times were primitive. The gates of the city wall were the only way to go into and out of town. Therefore, these gates were important and strategic points, that the feudal rulers racked their brains to try to defend.
Provincial History Museum
Situated one kilometer north-west of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xian's southern suburb, the Shaanxi Provincial History Museum - a striking Tang-Dynasty style pavilion, houses a large collection of 113,000 historic and cultural artifacts unearthed in Shaanxi. It is an absolute must for every visitor to the city.
The main complex is a mixture of ancient palaces and courtyard buildings, harmonious and graceful in hue, in simple and elegant style. The exhibits on the ground and first floors are arranged in roughly three parts: Basic Exhibition Hall, the Theme Exhibition Hall and East Exhibition Hall. As well as the chronological dynastic exhibits including the Han, Wei, Jin, North and South, Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, the pre-historical and bronze period exhibits, together with terra cotta figures and murals from tombs of the Tang Dynasty, are highly recommended.