The History of Xian

Xian was called Changan in Han Dynasty. The connotation of "Changan" is "a place of permanent peace". It was not until the prosperous Tang Dynasty that Changan became famous both at home and abroad as the largest and busiest international metropolis of that age in the world. Xian obtained its present name in 1369. It stands first on the six largest ancient capitals. From the 11 century B.C. onwards, Xian or its vicinity was established as the capital city by 11 dynasties successively, including the Western Zhou, the Qin, the Han, the Sui and the Tang, and it also served as the capital of two peasant regimes respectively under the rule of Huang Chao and Li Zicheng. The city's capital status lasted for 1,608 years. As regards of the number of dynasties and the span of time, Xi'an served as an ancient capital beyond compare.

During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Xian was the largest city in the world. Chang'an, was linked to many central Asian regions and Europe via the Silk Road , with thousands of foreign traders living in the city.

Xian is the capital of Shaanxi Province and also the political, economic and cultural center of the Northwest China . With the development of travel industry and the implementation of the government's open policy, it has become one of the nation's key tourism cities and tourism itself has become the mainstay in Shaanxi 's economy.

Xian is also a world-famous tourism city, a treasure house of cultural relics. The remains of past civilizations furnish evidence of every major epoch in China 's half a million history, making a particularly illustrative textbook of Chinese culture. The apparent history in Xian is so ancient and continuous that the city has no parallel anywhere as a cultural site. Here one can visit the sites once inhabited by its primitive people; admire the bronze wares manufactured in the Bronze Age; wander through the city ruins of the Qin, Han, Sui and Tang Dynasties; imagine for oneself the clamour of the old Oriental metropolis; explore the imperial tombs of the Qin, Han and Tang Dynasties, testimony to the pervasive power of the feudal ruling class; ramble in temples and pagoda courtyards, tracing vestiges of the Silk Road; and study stone inscriptions to appreciate Chinese calligraphy. Not least, Xian is the site of excavation of the vast army of terracotta warriors and horses from the tomb of China 's First Emperor, Qin Shihuang, from whom the country derives its name.

Xi'an was the starting point of the world-famous Silk Road . It can be well likened to a history museum. Moving around this old city is like going through thousands of years back in time. In this vast museum you will see the Banpo Village Remains of a matriarchal community; the Huaqing Hot Springs which was noted as early as the Zhou Dynasty more than 3,000 years back; Qin Shihuang's terra-cotta warriors and horses, known as the eighth wonder of the world; the imperial cemetery grounds of the Han and Tang dynasties; the Great Mosque with unique features; the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the Small Wild Goose Pagoda built in the Tang Dynasty; the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower of the Ming Dynasty; and the Forest of Steles with a rich collection of age-old stone steles.

As one of old capital city of China , you can find out a lot of history relics which is dated back to thousand years ago . From that, you will have a chance to deeply touch Chinese culture and understand its development. Come to Xi'an , a great and historical city is waiting for you.

Xian Tour

A. An appearance of historical Xian (Regular Tour)

　1  One Day Rush Tour in Xian

　2  Two Days Regular Tour in Xian

　3  Three Days Wonderful Tour in Xian

B.  Touch of Xian (Single Travel Requirement)

　1  Ground Transfer

　2  Accommodation only

　3  Half day tour

　4  Eating in Xian

　5  Shows or entertainment in Xian

C.  Deep breath of the Xian's air ( Distinguishing Xian)

　　1. Learning of Tang Dynasty

D. Your Dreams in Xian (Any of your options or special interest)