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Around Xian

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There's a lot of places to visit around Xian. Unfortunately most visitors visit only the Terracotta Warriors museum. That's a real shame because there are some other very interesting places to visit. Here are three of the best known and most interesting to visit places. The Terracotta Warriors are already mentioned on the main Xian page.

Famen Si

One of the most spectacular places to visit is Famen Si, a Buddhist temple 115km north west of the city. The temple has the reputation of being the 'forefather of pagodas and temples in Central Shaanxi,' because it holds the finger bones of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism. The finger bones are actually on display but are not allowed to be photographed.

You will not find many tourist visiting the Famen Si but there's plenty of Chinese on pilgrimage.

The hot springs Huaquing Pool

The hot springs Huaquing Pool are in the vicinity too. The pool is nothing much to my humble opinion but the local Chinese seem to think the hot springs are a "must see". The surroundings are more interesting though. Spectacular hills made this trip still worthwhile.

You can leave your bicycle in Xi'an and do the Famen Si and the hot springs Huaquing Pool by bus or taxi in a day visit. The town nearby the Famen Si temple has a few basic hotels. In the same vicinity there are countless other royal tombs to visit. However, none of them have the beauty of that of the Emperor Qin and his Terracotta Army.

The Fabulous 1,000-Foot White Pyramid of Xian

40 miles south-west of the ancient Chinese capital of Xian, in the mountainous Qin Ling Shan region lies the White Pyramid of Xi'an. Although I have been south west of Xian, I haven't seen the pyramids. There are 16 in total and the tallest should be around 200 feet. They are maybe around 4500 years old but the Chinese government does not do much to promote or even restore the pyramids. Rumors go that there is a secret military base in the area which explains the lack of promotion.

It's hard to get decent information about the pyramids though. Transport to the area is difficult too. It is however possible to visit the pyramids. Several of the pyramids supposed to have little museums.

You can go around Xian on bicycle but it may take you some time. For visiting the Famen Si temple I left my bicycle in the hotel and took a bus. It was a good deal, it took me 2 hours to reach the temple and on the way back I had a stop at the hot springs. It was a nice day out.

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