Imperial Xian

Xian is, undoubtedly one of the most charismatic cities of China. Capital of twelve dynasties, political center of China during the centuries of his maximum splendor, starting point of the Route of the Silk, might be considered to be one of the most important cities of the history of the humanity. And in fact, while the suburban districts that Xian surrounds are replete with historical relics; the proper city, in spite of the successive destructions and reconstructions throughout the centuries, has managed to preserve a dynamic and cosmopolitan air, without moving away nevertheless from the everyday life of this rural and business-minded China in which it is immersed.

Xian, the capital of the province of Shaanxi, is, with his three million inhabitants and other three in the periphery, the economic, industrial and cultural center of the region Northwest of China. His universities are between the most important of the country. Some of the top technologies of China, like the aviation, or the pursuit of satellites, develop in his institutes and factories. Nevertheless, in spite of having taken part like the rest of the cities of China, in this wave of big changes experienced in the last years, Xian has been able to assimilate the progress without losing his style, harmonizing, as far as possible, the new constructions in his secular urban structure.

It is difficult to define the delight that Xian inspires, but there is not doubt that his nations, his streets, his ancient constructions, have anything special that it has turned it into one of the most visited cities of China.

Terracotta warriors

The Pit Number One is the biggest and the most important (it has more warriors). Neither more nor less than 6.000 warriors and horses of terracotta (cooked ground), of natural size and in formation of battle, in a pit 210 meters long for 60 wide one. The soldiers are of natural size, they have a 1,80 meters medium height, each one with his armors. The heads and the hands were molded apart and then added, when they were buried they were of color, that it has disappeared in the course of time, and the surprising thing is that in addition to the mastery with which they are constructed, every soldier has different characteristics, and different expression. Some have mustache, or pigtail. Some of them are They have, others belong to the villages of the north. They have the characteristics of his grade in the army, and even the expression of his faces allows to distinguish the veterans of the novices. Each of them was taking in the hand his corresponding weapon: swords, spears, javelins, arches.

The Pit Number Two has been the last one to open to the public, in 1995. And it is for me, the least interesting. In her there are approximately two thousand terracotta warriors. But the majority they are still without restoring, or that you see a head round there, a leg over there. It is supposed that the pit wanted to show to the visitors as there develop the works of excavation and restoration, but very few people meet working. To compensate his absence of interest, in the side corridors some of them exhibit terracottas protected by a glass. It is the best opportunity that is along the visit, to see them in detail.

The Number Three. Smaller. Only it has 69 figures of officials and personal details, they say that it was the headquarters, and four beautiful horses. When it was opened, a few years ago, the figures still had some color reflex, but it has already disappeared.

Big Pagoda of the Goose

It is placed inside the Monastery of the Grace, to approximately four kilometers of distance of the south wall of the city. Constructed by the emperor Gao Zong, of the dynasty Tang in the year 648, to preserve 657 writing volumes Buddhists that the monk Xuan Zhuang brought after his trip to the India, it turned into the most important center of translation of the epoch.

Kidling Pagoda de la Oca

To half a kilometer in direction of the center of the city is the Small Pagoda of the Goose. It is said that the names of these two pagodas allude to two schools of the Buddhism: known as of the Big Vehicle and Small Vehicle. The last one was constructed in the year 709, inside the Temple Jianfu, and his basic structure has remained intact even nowadays.

Wall of Xian

To a few hundreds of meters of the Small Pagoda of the Goose, there is the South Door of the Wall of Xian. Of course the most important. The Wall of Xian was constructed during the dynasty Ming, between the year 1374 and 1378, on the ancient Prohibited City of the Tang. It is a rectangular wall with 3,4 kilometers of this one on west and 2,6 of north on south. It is twelve meters high and his width in the base changes between 15 and 18 meters, and in his top between 12 and 14 meters.

Tower of the Bell

The Tower of the Bell, constructed in the dynasty Ming, is the Xian symbol. It is 36 meters high and it is the geographical center of the city. Of her four main streets go out: Big Street of North, Big Street of South, Big Street of the East and Big Street of the West. Formerly it was used to mark the hours. In the morning the sound of his bell was marking the hour of initiating the daily activities, and of opening the doors of the city.

Big mosque

Constructed in the year 742 to attend to the religious needs for a more and more important Moslem colony in the area, it is a good example of the merger between the Chinese and Moslem architectural styles, since, although the construction is externally a small stone, and his appearance is that of a Chinese monument, the internal structure, the engravings and the simbología of the same one, they show clearly the Moslem influence. Another example of this merger is discovered in the Principal Lounge, where there are numerous inscriptions in Arab, but arranged like Chinese characters. It is possible to visit the whole enclosure, where there are always children of the nearby houses playing, except the Room of Prayers, reserved to the believers.

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