A Charming City

Introduction

Xi'an, the historical city, was called Chang'an in ancient times, and is now the capital of Shaanxi province that located in northwest of China. Historically, it was famous for being called "a gold city stretching a thousand li" with its fertile soil, mild climate, adequate rainfall and rich products.

Xi'an has a long history. Since the earliest societies, humanity lived and multiplied here. It served as a capital for thirteen dynasties, including the Western Zhou, Qin, Western Han, Sui and Tang dynasties, spanning over 1120 years. It became the oriental cultural center of the Silk Road.

Many dynasties kept the city beautiful and magnificent. More than two hundred and seventy palaces and temples, for example, were built in the Qin dynasty, in the Han dynasty the "Three Han Palaces", namely Changle, Weiyang, Jianzhang Palaces, and numerous other palaces and watch towers were built. Now, from these architectural sites people still can imagine the general picture of what Chang'an City was like, then. All the emperors of the Qin, Han, Tang and other dynasties had their magnificent mausoleums built. Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum at the foot of Lishan Hill in Lintong county, for example, is the earliest example of a grand mausoleum for an emperor in ancient China. Xi'an is also famous for being "the Home of Calligraphy".

Terra-cotta Warriors and horse

In 221 B.C., Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin dynasty established the first centralized feudal dynasty in China. After his death, he was buried at the north foot of Lishan Hill in the east of Lintong county. The tomb is a rammed-soil mound, 47m. high and its base is 485m.กม 515m. In 1974, three large pits of terra-cotta figures were found 1.5 km. east of the mausoleum. Among the three, the largest one is pit No.1, covering 14,260 sq.m.. The pit is divided into eleven corridors in which arrayed 38 columns of life-sized clay warriors, horses and chariots.

Over 6,000 clay warriors could be assumedly unearthed from the pit if it would be completely excavated. This would be really an artistic reappearance of hundreds of Qin Shi Huang's warriors. With its artistic momentum, it could be acclaimed a piece of great masterwork. The figures, life-likely shaped and colorfully painted, are of high artistic value. Now, a big arch-roofed exhibition hall is set up over Pit No.1 where the restored terra-cotta warriors and horses are on display.

Han & Tang Dynasty Show

China once had its most prosperous period in her history, the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and even now all China Towns out of China is called as "Tang Ren Jie" in Chinese, meaning Tang People Street. The economic prosperity and social stability enabled the emperors and the officials, rich merchants to enjoy music, dancing, painting and poems. So Tang Dynasty is the golden age in China' s feudal period both in economy and in arts. One of the distinguished characteristics of Tang music and dance is its splendid extravagance and colors. So the show tourists going to see will be impressive. Han Dynasty (206 B.C. - 220), is relatively less developed than Tang Dynasty, thus its arts are also simpler and unadorned.

Classmate webpage http://cs12.cs.qc.cuny.edu/~grpa3140/homework9.html