Shaanxi History Museum
"Pearl of the ancient capital, treasure house of China" (construction proposed by Zhou Enlai in 1973): over 370,000 artifacts distill the Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang dynasties — the beast-head agate cup (a relic prohibited from exhibition abroad), the gilt silver flask with a dancing horse holding a cup, the Empress's Seal and the Du Tiger Tally are national-treasure star exhibits; the Tang Tomb Murals Gallery...
Visitor info
- Opening hours
- 09:00-17:30 · closed Mondays
- Ticket
- Free · reservation required (peak-season ticket rush) · Treasures Gallery CNY 30
Price is indicative — final quote on inquiry.
"Pearl of the ancient capital, treasure house of China" (construction proposed by Zhou Enlai in 1973): over 370,000 artifacts distill the Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang dynasties — the beast-head agate cup (a relic prohibited from exhibition abroad), the gilt silver flask with a dancing horse holding a cup, the Empress's Seal and the Du Tiger Tally are national-treasure star exhibits; the Tang Tomb Murals Gallery's 29 full-wall original paintings form a display of one-of-a-kind caliber nationwide. Free (reservation required; ticket rush in peak season), Treasures Gallery CNY 30; open 09:00-17:30, closed Mondays; within walking distance of Xiaozhai Station on Metro Lines 2/3; enter early in the morning and allow 3 hours.
Getting there: Metro Lines 2/3, Xiaozhai Station
Photos
More in Xi'an
- Big Wild Goose Pagoda
Tang-dynasty Buddhist pagoda with nightly musical fountain.
- Muslim Quarter
Lantern-lit food alleys behind the Drum Tower since the Tang dynasty.
- Terracotta Army
8,000 life-size clay warriors guarding Emperor Qin Shi Huang since 210 BC.
- Xi'an City Wall
Ride a bicycle on the best-preserved Ming city wall in China.
- Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum
Discovered by villager Yang Zhifa while digging a well in 1974, the "Eighth Wonder of the World": Over 6,000 terracotta warriors in the First Pit infantry formation with "a thousand faces, a thousand looks"; the Second Pit features mixed arms formations and kneeling archers and green-faced figures; the Third Pit is the command headquarters; the Bronze Chariot and Horse Museum's First Chariot and Second Chariot are known as the "Crown of Bronze..."
- Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum (Lishan Garden)
The resting place of China's first emperor (built for 38 years, mobilizing 720,000 laborers): The burial mound has not been excavated—legends state it was "filled with mercury to simulate rivers, lakes, and seas" to mimic the terrain, which awaits archaeological verification; pit burials such as the Acrobatics Pit, Civil Official Pit, and Stone Armor Pit display the skills of various trades in the Qin Dynasty.