Around Xian

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.

The entrance ticket for Famen SI has the

I took tourism bus No. 2 at the Railway Station, which took about 3 hours. After visiting the temple, and having a look what there was further to see, I took a mini bus back to Xian, which made a stop at Huaquing Pool.

The history of Famen Si begins in the 2d century AD, when a pagoda was built to receive an Ashokan relic, believed to be a finger-bone of the historical Buddha.

The temple became the royal temple in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). In the 9th century the relic was sealed in the pagoda's subterranean crypt, where it stayed for the next 1100 years.

The original pagoda did not survive the centuries. In Ming times, a new pagoda was erected over the crypt.

In 1981 the Ming pagoda collapsed and archeologists fo und the original Ashokan relic together with many Tang area treasures and cultural relics.

The Famen Temple Museum was built in 1989 to preserve the findings which included gold and silver wares, glass, china, stone and iron wares, wood, genuine pearls, jades and many kinds of dry goods are housed in it.

Among all the treasures, a gold-plating Buddhist abbot's staff with a length of 1.96 meters is the oldest and biggest Buddhist object ever found. It also includes 13 pieces of royal china that could not be made today because the techniques of making them have already disappeared.

Famen Temple is really a must-see for both visitors and pilgrims alike.

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.

The hot springs Huaquing Pool

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 hot springs Huaquing Pool

The Fabulous 1,000-Foot White Pyramid of Xian

100km 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.

The sixteen pyramids of Xian

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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