Private Xi’an City Tour of Museums

At the agreed-upon time this morning, your private guide and driver will meet you at your self-booked hotel in downtown Xi’an and then accompany you on a fantastic journey through the city’s prominent historical museums. 

Our first stop will be the Banpo Museum, where you’ll learn about the matriarchal clan of Yangshao Culture flourished during the Neolithic period about 6,000 years ago. As your guide commentates on some of thousands of prehistoric relics stored here, such as the primitive village ruins, farming tools, and living supplies made of stone, bone and pottery, you’ll feel as if you’ve traveled back to the ancient society, experiencing firsthand the real social structure, agriculture, customs and daily life of the Banpo people. Special attention should be paid to the Painted Pottery Basin with Fish and Human Face Design, one of the representative painted pottery artworks of Yangshao Culture, which would give you a glimpse into the significance of the fishing and hunting lifestyle at that time.

Afterward, we’ll make our way to the Stele Forest Museum, literally for the Beilin Museum, housing China’s largest collection of ancient stone steles and calligraphy masterpieces, spanning over 2,000 years of history. Linger before the reputed Nestorian Stele, on a level with the Rosetta Stele in the British Museum and the Moabite Stele in the Louvre Museum. Seeing that there is a cross engraved right above it, you can easily guess that the inscription is closely related to Christianity. With your guide’s explanation, learn that the emperors of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) had a very open attitude towards this foreign religion and provided considerable support during its introduction to China. Below, you’ll find a cluster of dead Syrian scripts alongside Chinese translations, key to deciphering newly discovered ancient scripts. Also, cast your eyes on the Six Steeds of Zhao Mausoleum, vivid relief sculptures of six galloping horses that helped a Tang emperor in battle, with four being the originals and two replicas; the two missing originals are now kept in the Penn Museum in the USA.

The Stele of the Preface to the Sacred Teaching Scriptures is also unmissable. Completed in 672 AD after 24 years of work, this 1,904-character inscription records the prefaces and postfaces of two emperors, along with Xuanzang’s (602-664 AD) translations of scriptures from India and his thanks to the emperor. The reason it is so valuable is that all the engraved characters are taken from the genuine works of Wang Xizhi (303-361 AD), the leading figure in ancient Chinese calligraphy. His originals had gradually been lost, so the number of available words at that time was limited, and the imperial power had also offered a large reward to collect the missing characters from the folk. Coupled with the sensation of a 27-character copy sold for USD 44 million at an auction, this high market value serves as an urgent call to protect such rare artifacts. Therefore, there were no more of the stele’s extensive rubbings once to be seen on the Shuyuanmen Cultural Street that we were about to pass by.Lunch is on your own arrangement and your guide is pleased to offer some suggestions on nearby dining options. Local specialties like Chinese hamburger or Cold Noodles are worth a try. 

Following that, let’s continue our visit to the Yangling Mausoleum of Han Dynasty, a cemetery where the fourth emperor of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - 24 AD) was buried with his empress. Unlike the battlefield depicted in the Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang (259 - 210 BC), China’s first emperor, this place focuses more on family and everyday elements, showcasing the diverse aspects of daily life at that time. Stepping into the main underground exhibition hall and strolling along the transparent glass walkway, you’ll witness numerous doll-sized naked terracotta figurines scattered all over the burial pit. Along with a large number of animal figurines, household utensils, as well as granaries, the scene of social prosperity then will be fully presented in front of you.At the end, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel. If you plan to leave Xi’an next by air or high-speed train, tell our travel consultant when you book this tour and we can also provide you a transfer to the airport or train station. Thank you for travelling with us!