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There are too many historical events and cultural relics to talk about Shaanxi, Xi'an, and the thousand-year history of China.
Shaanxi has witnessed the rise of dynasties and the prosperity of a millennium-old empire. Fortunately, these past imperial generals, talented scholars, and skilled craftsmen have captured historical stories in artifacts, which have been discovered by future generations and help them explore the truth of history.
Shaanxi currently has a collection of more than seven million cultural relics and 319 registered museums (memorial halls) across the province.
When it comes to Shaanxi museums, the first ones that come to mind are definitely the Shaanxi History Museum that made a splash on the TV series "National Treasure", the Qin Shi Huangdi Mausoleum Museum with the Terracotta Army, the "Eighth Wonder of the World", and the Xi'an Museum, which combines museums, scenic spots, and city parks.
In addition to these world-famous museums, there are many more in downtown areas, near schools, and in rural areas. More targeted museums such as the Tang West Market Museum in Xi'an, the Baoji Bronze Museum, and the Liangdai Village Ruicheng Museum are worth exploring one by one.
Next, let’s enter the “Shaanxi Museum Time” together and listen to the self-introductions of these national treasures in the museum’s collection!
I was born during the reign of Qin Shi Huang. My parents were common craftsmen, and I served as his personal servant. For two thousand years, I slept beneath Mount Li. In the spring of 1974, I was awakened by the sound of well drilling. It was as if I had been reborn. What a bustling scene! From fragment to terracotta warrior, I have stood for over 40 years. Silence is a time for reflection.
But among his many comrades, only his "kneeling archer" is the most complete and unrestored terracotta figurine among the more than 1,000 "brothers" unearthed. After more than 2,000 years, the details of the hair are still clearly visible.
I’ll also tell you a little secret. When you get to the scene, don’t forget to take a look at the soles of his shoes. You will definitely be shocked!
Here's our "BMW," the car that accompanied the First Emperor on his tour of the country a thousand years ago and was featured on "National Treasure" last year, showcasing itself to the 21st century's new generation. I heard it recently moved to a new home, so let's go and hear what it has to say!
Hello everyone! I am Xi'an's most expensive chariot, the "Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum Bronze Chariot and Horses." Everyone is congratulating me on my new home, but little did they know that this is where I was unearthed! After undergoing renovations, it has become the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum Bronze Chariot and Horses Museum. Starting May 18th, you can come and see me.
Known as the "Crown of Bronze," I am the earliest, largest, and best-preserved bronze chariot and horse discovered to date, and I hold immense historical significance for the study of ancient China's chariotry system, sculpture art, and smelting techniques.
I am a cultural and creative product here. Everyone who has been here knows me. This can be said to be the trendiest museum in Shaanxi. It is known as the "Pearl of the Ancient Capital and the Treasure House of China". Do you know how trendy it is?
Here is a Western Zhou Dynasty bronze ware called Riji Gong, which has relief carvings of animal faces, Kuilong, birds, and tiger patterns on the same vessel, making it a classic Western Zhou bronze ware.
Here is a green-faced bronze crane from the Qin Dynasty, which is said to be the Qin Shi Huang's magical artifact for seeking immortality. It reveals the secrets of the bronze making technology of the Qin Dynasty.
Here is the "Queen's Seal" jade seal from the Western Han Dynasty. According to research, it was used by Empress Lü during her lifetime. It is the only Han Dynasty empress's jade seal discovered so far.
Here we have an animal-head agate cup from the Tang Dynasty, which is the treasure of our museum and the only colorful jade carving from the Tang Dynasty seen so far.
There are too many to list. Here are many of my trendy national treasures. I invite you to learn about Chinese civilization, understand Chinese culture, and become a trendsetter of the new generation!
As the only museum in Xi'an that integrates museums, historical sites, and urban gardens, my value has always been deeply underestimated.
Here you can learn about Xi'an's thousand-year history as a capital and the history of its development. On the first floor lobby, there is a map showing the changes of Xi'an's capital. You can find the place where you live on the map. Maybe you were in the central CBD in a certain dynasty!
There are many other emojis circulating online, such as: a Northern Wei warrior terracotta warrior who can sing rap
A tri-color sculpture resembling Liu Huan
Plump Tang Dynasty ladies figurines
Terracotta warriors riding camels and playing music
Wait, come and unlock the secrets here together!
The Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum is 930 years old. There's nothing special about it, just the sheer number of steles. From the Han Dynasty to the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and on to the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, you'll find nearly every calligrapher imaginable. It boasts the largest collection of famous steles and epitaphs in the entire known universe.
You are worried about the authenticity of the calligraphy. There are more than 4,000 inscriptions here, all of which are authentic. It’s really hard to decide which one to explain.
How "Versailles" is "The Book of Filial Piety on the Stone Platform" - Wherever I am, there is the Imperial College.
The Six Horses of Zhaoling—I Followed Li Shimin on His Campaigns and Now I'm "Far Away"
"The Stele of the Yan Family Ancestral Temple" - I know the most about Yan Zhenqing's life.
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Kaicheng Stone Sutra - I would like to ask which Tang Dynasty imperial examination candidate doesn't know me?
Famen Temple and Famen Pagoda are only seven or eight feet high to the sky. During the prosperous Tang Dynasty a thousand years ago, Buddha bones were welcomed here six times. I am also known as the "ancestor of pagodas and temples in Guanzhong". It is also now a 5A-level tourist attraction.
But as for me, many of my friends don't know and underestimate my strength. Let me show it to everyone here.
"The King of Staffs in the World" - the twelve-ring staff with silver and gold flowers to welcome the true body. This staff is the earliest, largest, highest-grade and most exquisitely made Buddhist ritual implement discovered in the world.
The earliest and highest-grade imperial tea set discovered in the world today is a gilded silver tea set. The words "Wu Ge" (Fifth Brother) are engraved on this set in various places and were offered to Emperor Xizong of Tang, Li Xuan.
The largest Tang Dynasty sachet is a gilded hollow sachet with a wild goose pattern. The scientific principle of the gyroscope used in the production of sachets was not mastered by Europe until the 17th and 18th centuries, while China had already mastered this craft before the 8th century.
This place is known as the "Hometown of Bronzes" and I dare to say that "wherever there are museums in the world, there are Baoji bronzes."
Baoji is the place where the Western Zhou Dynasty rose. Human bronze casting technology reached its glorious peak in the Western Zhou Dynasty. At present, more than 20,000 bronze artifacts have been unearthed in Baoji.
The "Four National Treasures" of the late Qing Dynasty: the Maogong Ding, the Dayu Ding, the Guo Jizi Bai Pan, and the Sanshi Pan were all unearthed in Baoji and are now collected in the National Museum of China and the National Palace Museum in Taipei.
Of course, the most famous one here is the "He Zun"
The He Zun, a bronze vessel crafted by a nobleman surnamed He during the reign of King Cheng of the Western Zhou Dynasty, is a precious work of art from the early Western Zhou Dynasty. The vessel's base bears an inscription of 122 characters, three of which are damaged, leaving 119 remaining. Among them, "Ze Zi Zhongguo" (roughly meaning "I want to live in the center of the world," referring to Luoyang) is the earliest written record of "China."
Tips:
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9:00-17:00.
Closing time: Closed all day every Monday (except national holidays).
Although I am very low-key, I am also China's first modern underground site museum, China's first underground museum that is close to the imperial tomb and provides fully enclosed protection for the site, China's largest museum in terms of area, and the largest underground museum in the world.
The terracotta warriors unearthed here all have a mysterious and eternal smile like Mona Lisa, and can be regarded as the terracotta warriors with the highest "happiness index". They have diverse shapes, handsome looks, and elegant and dignified manners.
In addition to the smiling Mona Lisa from the Han Dynasty, there are also many lifelike pottery animals such as pottery cows, pottery sheep, pottery pigs, pottery dogs, pottery chickens, etc., which can be called "the prosperity of six domestic animals".
When you come here, you can feel the peaceful and prosperous scene of the Han Dynasty.
Tips:
We went to a city for a museum. This is the site of the West Market of Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty, the prosperous commercial soul at the starting point of the Silk Road. It is also the only museum rebuilt on the original site of the West Market of Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty and preserves the authenticity of the "West Market Site". It is an integral part of Xi'an's "Tang Imperial City Revival Plan".
There are more than 20,000 unearthed cultural relics, which restore the commercial prosperity and colorful life of the citizens in the West Market of the Tang Dynasty a thousand years ago, making the West Market of the Tang Dynasty three-dimensional and vivid.
Tips:
Address: No. 118, Laodong South Road, Lianhu District, Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province
Bus: Take Bus No. 24, 43, 106, 107, 322, 502, 503, 518, or 916 in downtown Xi'an and get off at Datang Xishi Station.
Opening Hours:
Winter (November 1st to March 31st): 9:00-17:00 (ticket sales stop at 16:00)
Summer (April 1st to October 31st): 9:00-17:30 (ticket sales stop at 16:30)
Ticket price: Visitors can visit the permanent exhibition free of charge and can obtain tickets with valid ID cards or other documents.
This is the earliest site museum in China and a typical representative of the Yangshao culture. The Banpo site is about 6,000 years old and is the site of a matriarchal clan commune village in the Neolithic Age.
Let us "travel through" six thousand years to see the Banpo people and explore the mystery of the human-faced net-patterned basin.
Among the many cultural relics unearthed from the Banpo site, the basin with human face and fish pattern and the basin with human face and net pattern are the most famous. The former is now in the National Museum, and the latter is in the Banpo Museum in Xi'an. Both are national first-class cultural relics.
Another representative artifact from the Banpo site is the pointed-bottom jar, a unique shape with a small mouth, a large belly, and a pointed bottom. Why did people at the time create such a strange jar? What was its purpose? Traditionally, it was believed to be a water-drawing vessel, but with the continued discovery of archaeological finds, it has recently been suggested to be a wine-making vessel. He Zhoude explains that the pointed-bottom jar was a versatile vessel, capable of both drawing water and brewing wine.
Tips:
Address: No. 155 Banpo Road, East Suburb, Xi'an
Subway: Get off at Banpo Station on Subway Line 1, walk 300 meters west to Banpo Road, turn left and walk 200 meters to the destination.
Opening hours: 8:00-18:00 (ticket sales stop at 17:30).
Ticket prices:
The full ticket price is 55 yuan per person, and the half ticket price is 27.5 yuan per person.
This little-known site tells the story of the demise of the tiny state of Rui, which existed 3,000 years ago. Despite its small size, archaeological excavations since 2004 have uncovered a 330,000-square-meter burial complex, over 1,300 ancient tombs, 64 chariot pits, and tens of thousands of artifacts. It was one of the "Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries in China in 2005."
The powerful Queen Zhong Jiang was buried with more abundant burial objects than her husband, the king.
Jade Pig Dragon - an ornament used to command the army in ancient times. Since it was buried with the dead, it has never been used for military purposes again.
The phoenix, a bracelet and anklet ornament, had its string broken and scattered throughout the tomb. Our ancestors were meticulous in their craft.
There are too many mysterious cultural relics here, and archaeologists are excavating them bit by bit. Let us uncover the millennium-old unsolved case on the Yellow River beach together.
Our visit to the Shaanxi Museum has concluded. Did any of you spot any national treasures? These are just the tip of the iceberg of Shaanxi's many museums. If you want to understand Chinese civilization, appreciate Chinese culture, and uncover more historical truths, Shaanxi is the place to go!
