西安
Xi’an, located in central-northwest China, witnesses great changes of the country just like a living history book. Called Chang'an (meaning the eternal city) in ancient times, Xi’an is one of the birthplaces of the ancient Chinese civilization in the Yellow River Basin area. As the eastern terminal of the Silk Road and the site of the famous Terracotta
Warriors of the Qin Dynasty, Xi’an has won a reputation all over the world. More than
3,000 years of history, including over 1,100 years as the capital city of ancient dynasties, have endowed Xi’an with an amazing historical heritage. Tourists marvel at the numerous historical sites and cultural relics in and around the city.
Friday, 30 July
Morning:
Breakfast on the flight
6:00 am Depart from Nanjing University to Nanjing Lukou International Airport. Take the 8:10 flight and arrive at Xi’an Xi’anyang International Airport at 10:00 am. A bus will take you to the hotel in downtown Xi’an.
Lunch
Afternoon:
Visit Shaanxi History Museum (see profile #1 ) is the first large-scale state museum with modern facilities in China. It is often referred to as the "bright pearl of an ancient city and the treasure house of China.”
Following the museum tour, we will visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda (see profile #2), originally built in 652 during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty (618-
907). It functioned to collect Buddhist materials that were obtained from India by the renowned Monk Xuanzang.
Evening:
Dumpling Banquet (see profile #3) , regarded as the Chinese National Intangible Cultural
Heritage, at De Fa Chang Restaurant.
Following the feast, we will see the Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show (see profile #4) at the Tang Dynasty Palace. The show is an outstanding exponent of the ancient stable and prosperous society of Chang’an, former name of Xi’an city.

Saturday, July 31
Morning
Breakfast at the hotel
8:00 Trip to the Museum of Terra-Cotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shihuang (see profile #5), a treasure house of Qin Dynasty’s military affairs, science and technology, art and culture, with approximately 8,000 clay warriors and horses, more than 10,000 bronze weaposn.
Lunch
Afternoon
Visit the Grand Mosque (see profile #6), one of the oldest, largest and best-preserved
Islamic mosques in China. It was a result of Islam being introduced into Northwest China by Arab merchants and travelers from Persia and Afghanistan during the Tang Dynasty.
Tour the Moslem Street (see profile #7), the hub of the Moslem community in Xi’an City,
Shaanxi Province. It is about 547 yards long from south to north.
Tour the Bell Tower (see profile #8), the landmark of the geographical center of the ancient capital.
Evening
Dinner
Xi’an Local Food Banquet (see profile #9) at Xi’an Hotel
Then the bus will take us to the Grand Tang’s Ever-Bright City (see profile #10), a culture square with sculpture and architecture series during the Zhen Guan Reform of
Tang Dynasty.
Sunday, Aug 1
Morning
Breakfast at the hotel
Visit the City Wall of Ming Dynasty (see profile #11), the most complete city wall that has survived in China, as well as one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world.
Then tour the walking street of Shuyuan Gate (see profile #12) and the Forest of Stone
Steles Museum (see profile #13).
With 900 years of history, this treasure house holds a large collection of the earliest stone steles of different periods, from the Han Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty.
Lunch

Late Afternoon
Returning to Beijing or Shanghai
15:00 Depart from the hotel and take the bus to Xi’an Xianyang International Airport.
17:25~19:20 Flight from Xi’an to Beijing
18:00~20:00 Flight from Xi’an to Shanghai
Price:
$450 for returning to Shanghai and $480 for returning to Beijing
Price includes round-trip airfare, hotel accommodations based on double occupancy
(single supplement of $30 for single occupancy), all the meals specified and admissions.
Shaanxi Province is the birthplace of the ancient Chinese civilization. Xi’an City was the capital city in thirteen dynasties which in total lasted over 1100 years. Consequently, the ancient history of Shaanxi is to some degree the ancient history of China. The Shaanxi
History Museum considers it an obligation to be a showcase of ancient civilizations.
The museum has an area of 65,000 square meters, building place 55,600 square meters, cultural relics storerooms of 8,000 square meters, exhibition halls of 11,000 square meters with a collection of 370000 pieces of relics. The museum is an architecture of Tang style, "Hall in center, storied buildings in corners", elegant and dignified, magnificent scale, combination of traditional architecture and modern science, which completely embodied folk tradition, local feature, and epoch spirit.
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the renowned oldest extant ancient architecture in Xi'an, is situated in Da Ci'en
Temple, an ancient temple in the southern suburb of Xi'an with a history of thousands of years. This square coneshaped, wood-like pagoda build with bricks joined layer

upon lay, looks simple and magnificent with distinctive national features and the style of Tang Dynasty. It is the masterpiece of the Buddhist architecture.
The historical record shows that in the 3 rd year of the Reign of Yonghui
(652AD), the accomplished monk Master Xuan Zang pleaded with emperor Gao
Zong with a design of the pagoda for the permission to build a stone pagoda in front of Duanmen Gate of the temple to house the Buddhist scriptures, statues, and relics so as to reveal the grandeur of Buddhism and the power of Tang
Dynasty. The square cone-shaped wood-like brick pagoda with seven stories is the typical brick pagoda of ancient tower-styled pagodas in the country.
Xi’an, an ancient city that has been the nation’s capital during no less than eleven dynasties spanning more than a thousand years is regarded as the home if not the birthplace of the great dumpling tradition. It was here that the art of creating the most tasty and delicate of dumplings was refined and no visit to the city is complete unless you partake of a Dumpling Banquet.
This is an experience of the dumpling connoisseur, the flavors, shapes and colors will tempt the palette, while the elegant names and stories attached to each variety are truly amazing.
Tang music and dance not only inherit the songs and dance of the preceding dynasties but also assimilate the new and exotic cultures that came along the Silk
Road. Xi’an was at the

crossroads where travelers, merchants and indigenous minority tribes converged to trade within the Tang cultural predominance of this great ancient civilization.
The Tang Dynasty was distinguished as the most progressive and prosperous era in the history of China and its music and dance symbolize the splendor and the glory of the Chinese civilization. This performance, the Tang Cultural Show, may be in total contrast to the contemporary musicals of Broadway and Las Vegas, but is nevertheless hailed by visitors as the “Lido” of the Orient.
d the glory of the Chinese civilization.
The Terra Cotta Warriors and
Horses are the most significant archeological excavations of the
20th century. Work is ongoing at this site, which is around 1.5 kilometers east of Emperor Qin
Shi Huang's Mausoleum in
Lintong, Xi’an, Shaanxi
Province. It is a sight not to be missed by any visitor to China
.
The Museum of the Terracotta
Army was opened to the public in 1979. It is the world-famous museum that is constructed on the site of its findings. The main exhibits of the Museum of the Terracotta Army are three exposed pits with clay warriors and horses, as well as the hall of the two bronze chariots and horses. Approximately 8,000 clay warriors and horses, more than 10, 000 bronze weapons have been found in the pits. The museum is like a treasure house of
Qin Dynasty’s military affairs, science and technology, art and culture. It has been listed as an UNESCO “World Heritage Site”. Today the “Eighth Wonder of the
World” has become a synonym for the well-known terracotta army.
The front five corridors, covering an area of 2000 sq. meters, are now on display, including 1087 terracotta figures, 8 battle chariots and 32 horses. It is estimated that as many as 6000 terracotta figures and more than 180 chariot horses can be found in
Pit is completely excavated.
The Grand Mosque in Xi’an is one of the oldest, largest and best-preserved Islamic mosques in
China and its location is northwest of the Drum Tower (Gu Lou) on

Huajue Lane. According to historical records engraved on a stone tablet inside, this mosque was built in 742 during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). This was a result of Islam being introduced into Northwest China by Arab merchants and travelers from Persia and
Afghanistan during the mid-7th century when some of them settled down in China and married women of Han Nationality. Their descendants became Muslim of today. The
Muslim played an important role in the unifications of China during the Yuan and Ming
Dynasties. Hence, other mosques were also built to honor them. Occupying an area of over 12,000 square meters, the Great Mosque is divided into four courtyards, 250 meters long and 47 meters wide with a well-arranged layout. Landscaped with gardens, the further one strolls into its interior, the more serene one feels.
Just as its name implies, Moslem
Street is the hub of the Moslem community in Xi’an City, Shaanxi
Province. Located beside the Drum
Tower, it is about 500 meters (about
547 yards) long from south to north.
This street is paved with dark colored stone with green trees providing heavy shade during summer; the buildings on both sides of the street are modeled on the styles of both the Ming (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasties (1644-1911).
Some of the constructions are restaurants; while others are stores. But here there is one thing in common: the owners are all Moslems.
Walking along this twisted, narrow street which is aligned with stores on both sides, you can see that Moslem men with white hats sit inside the stores and talk leisurely with each other. It is stated that once you have been to Moslem Street, you won't feel regretted for the snacks of Xi’an. There are also fruit pies made with persimmon here which are considered as the unique refreshment in
Xi’an.
The Bell Tower is a stately traditional building, that marks the geographical center of the ancient capital. From this important landmark extend East, South,
West and North Streets, connecting the
Tower to the East, South, West and
North Gates of the City Wall of the Ming
Dynasty.
The wooden tower, which is the largest and best-preserved of its kind in China, is 36

meters (118 feet) high. It stands on a brick base 35.5 meters (116.4 feet) long and 8.6 meters (28.2 feet) high on each side. During the Ming Dynasty, Xi’an was an important military town in Northwest China, a fact that is reflected in the size and historic significance of its tower.
The tower was built in 1384 by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang as a way to dominate the surrounding countryside and provide early warning of attack by rival rulers.
Shaanxi Cuisine, also known as Qin Cuisine, is represented by Guanzhong, south Shaanxi and north Shaanxi cuisine styles. Shaanxi Province occupies an important position in the development history of
Chinese culture. Its cooking techniques can be traced back to Yangshao Culture period. In the Han and Tang dynasties,
Shaanxi's cooking techniques reached a splendid period.
Thanks to its unique position in the Chinese history, Shaanxi chefs gathered all eating and cooking advantages from all over the country, and formed its own characteristics.

When Zhu Yuanzhang, the first
Emperor of the Ming Dynasty
(1368-1644), captured Huizhou, a hermit named Zhu Sheng admonished him that he should
'built high walls, store abundant food supplies and take time to be an Emperor,' so that he could fortify the city and unify the other states. After the establishment of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang followed his advice and began to enlarge the wall built initially during the old Tang dynasty
(618 -907), creating the modern
Xi’an City Wall. It's the most complete city wall that has survived in China, as well being one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. On the outer side of the city wall, there are 5948 crenellations, namely battlements. The soldiers can outlook and shoot at the enemy. On the inner side, parapets were built to protect the soldiers from falling off.
Since the ancient weapons did not have the power to break through a wall and the only way for an enemy to enter the city was by attacking the gate of the city wall. This is why complicated gate structures were built within the wall. In Xi’an, the city wall includes four gates and they are respectively named as Changle (meaning eternal joy) in the east,
Anding (harmony peace) in the west, Yongning (eternal peace) in the south and Anyuan
(forever harmony) in the north. The south gate, Yongning, is the most beautifully decorated one. It is very near to the Bell Tower, center of the city. Important greeting ceremonies organized by the Provincial Government are usually held in the south gate square.

Situated on the eastern side of the South Gate,
Shuyuan Gate is a cultural street factually restored in the style of the ancient architectures of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. It is 570 meters (about 623 yards) long and 10 meters (about 11 yards) wide. Shuyuan
Gate won its name because the Guanzhong
Shuyuan (central Shaanxi academy, established in the Ming Dynasty), which was one of the leading academies in ancient China and the highest institution of Shaanxi Province in Ming
Dynasty and Qing Dynasty, was located here.
Xi’an Normal School and its attached primary school are now established on the site of
Guanzhong Shuyuan. Rambling down the street, you may taste the true life of people in Xi’an and find the remains of an ever-refulgent dynasty.
Once the site of the Temple of
Confucius during the Northern
Song dynasty (960-1127), the
Forest of Stone Steles Museum is situated on Sanxue Street, near the south gate of Xi’an City
Wall. It was initially established in AD 1087 when some precious stone steles were moved here for safe keeping, including the 'Classic on Filial
Piety' written by Emperor
Xuanzong in AD 745 and 'the
Kaicheng Stone Steles' carved in
AD 837. With an area of 31,000 square meters, the Forest of Stone Steles used to be the principal museum for
Shaanxi Province since 1944. Then because of the large number of stone steles, it was officially named as the Forest of Stone Steles Museum in 1992.
With 900 years of history, this treasure house holds a large collection of the earliest stone steles of different periods, from the Han Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. All together, there are 3,000 steles and the museum is divided into seven exhibitions halls, which mainly display the works of calligraphy, painting and historical records. All of these record some achievements in the development of the Chinese culture and reflect the historical facts of the cultural exchanges between China and other countries.