Xi'an Municipal People's Government

Buried deep under a hill in central China, surrounded by an underground moat, an emperor has lain undisturbed for more than two millennia. He is China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, who died in 210 B.C. after conquering six warring states to create the first unified nation of China. Wanting protection in the afterlife, Emperor Qin created an army of 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses made of terracotta.

In 1974, some farmers happened to dig up what turned out to be a large-scale pit with terracotta soldiers and horses, belonging to the Emperor Qin. After 2,200 years, the Emperor's tremendous army stood as though living again. The life-size terracotta solider they dug out of the ground turned out to be just one of an army of thousands, each utterly unique, with individual clothing, hair and facial features.

With an area of 226 hectares, the Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum Site Museum was opened to the public on October 1, 2010. The site area includes the Museum of Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses and the Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum Site Park (Lishan Garden). The Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses is divided into three major sections, Pit 1, Pit 2, and Pit 3, named in order of their discovery. Over 7,000 pottery soldiers, horses, Chariots and weapons have been discovered in the excavations and are displayed in the museum. Other attractions within the site park include the Museum of Terracotta Acrobatics, the Museum of Terracotta Civil Officials and the Museum of Stone Armor, which are a part of Lishan Garden.

Exquisite bronzes of the Shang Dynasty (c.16th century - 11th century BC), unique gold and silver ware of the Han (206 BC-AD 220) and the Tang (618-907) dynasties, wall paintings of Tang imperial tombs, and terracotta figurines of varied types and postures, all showing the colorful culture of several past dynasties, are available for viewing at the Shaanxi History Museum.

Shaanxi province was the location of the capitals of 13 dynasties including the Zhou (c.11th century - 256 BC), Qin (221-206 BC), Han (206 BC- AD 220), and Tang (618-9047).

The Shaanxi History Museum was built in 1983 and opened on June 20, 1991 with its appearance recalling a typical Tang Dynasty architectural style. The Museum covers an area of 65,000 square meters and has 370,000 exhibits vividly showing the history of over a million years from prehistoric times (1.63 million years ago - 21st Century BC) to about 1840 AD.

There are three permanent exhibition halls in the museum: Prehistoric Times (1.63 million years ago - 21st Century BC), Zhou to Tang Dynasties, depicting the Western Zhou (1046 - 771BC) and the Qin Dynasty, the Han Dynasty (202BC- AD220), the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-581), and the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and Later Years, showing developments until 1911.

Two changeable galleries are devoted to the Relics of the Tang Dynasty and Mural Paintings of the Tang Dynasty. The first features 300 treasures selected from a hoard hidden in two pottery urns and a handled silver pot excavated at the Hejiacun village of Xi'an in 1970; the latter showcases the most distinctive collection in the museum, filling 1,000 square meters with 600 mural paintings from more than 20 noble tombs of the Tang Dynasty depicting aspects of people’s lives at that time. Some murals some show the decorations of the tombs of the crown prince Zhanghuai (Li Xian, 655-684) and the princess Yongtai (Li Xianhui, 684-701).

Eighteen cultural artifacts from the museum are Grade-one Cultural Relics of China, among them an ox-head agate cup with a gilded mouth dated to the Tang Dynasty (popularly known as the Rhyton cup; it is displayed in the Hejiacun hoard gallery). Its display outside China is prohibited. They also include the best crafted jade ware from the Tang Dynasty, which is said to be worth the value of half of Hong Kong and is considered museum’s most precious holding.

Thousands of years ago in the city of Chang'an (today's Xi'an), the West Market of the Great Tang Empire (618-907) was the largest trade center on the planet, dolling out spices, wares, and silks. It also laid the foundations for the formation of the Silk Road. The splendor of the ancient market has been lost with time, but the Tang West Market Museum will bring the Tang Dynasty back to life.

Located on the original site of the West Market, the museum occupies an area of 35,000square meters, of which 11,000 sq m are exhibition area and the remaining 2,500sq m are dedicated to preservation.

The museum is privately-run and opened in 2010. The ground floor of the museum preserves the archaeological site of the original streets and infrastructure of the West Market, including the "cross road" (shizijie), the well and ditch, the stone-panel bridge, and an expanse of stratum dated to the high Tang period where chariot grooves are still seen on the surface.

The museum’s collection has now expanded to include around 20,000 objects, made up of the archaeological finds of the West Market site and the private collections of the museum’s founder. The exhibits on display reflect the long history from the Shang Dynasty (16th century-11th century BC) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

The Museum is divided into five sections: the Permanent Exhibition, the Thematic Exhibition, the Temporary Exhibition, the Special Exhibition, and the Art Gallery. The basic exhibition displays cultural relics unearthed from this site, as well as various trade categories; the Thematic Exhibition showcases the traditional workmanship that existed on the ancient Silk Road. The Special Exhibition displays inscriptions and excellent works that inspire an appreciation of history.