Xian UNESCO – UNESCO sites in Xian
Last Update: 25th November 2019
What are the UNESCO sites in Xi’an?
As an old capital of 13 dynasties in ancient China, Xi’an has 6 UNESCO World Heritage sites to explore.
Xi’an UNESCO Sites
In 1987, Terracotta Amy and Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Terracotta Amy offers terracotta warriors, horses, and chariots sizes of which are similar to the real ones. They were placed into battle formations.
The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor (259 BC – 210 BC) is located around 1.5 kilometers. It is one of the largest mausoleums with the most unique structure. It is composed of an underground palace, the core part which has not been excavated, the inner city, the outer city and the area outside of the outer city.
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Located in the Ci’en Temple, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is the existing oldest and largest brick tower of square attic-type tower in the Tang Dynasty (618 -907). It was listed into the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites on June 22, 2014. The Buddha’s relics are well-preserved there. The Buddha’s relics are well-preserved there. On the 6th Floor, you could see a fine lotus caisson ceiling on the top. In addition, it offers the panoramic views of the old city in Xi’an.
Just like the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda was listed into the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites on June 22, 2014. Originally built in the Tang Dynasty, it was originally to preserve the Buddhist texts and the images of the Buddha brought by the eminent monk, Yijing (635 – 713) during the period of time. The highlights are the stone Buddha statue without head in the Tang Dynasty, the building with Buddhism lection and joss in the Tang Dynasty and the iron bell cast in the Jin Dynasty (115 – 1234).
- Daming Palace Site
Declared as the UNESCO World Heritage Site on June 22, 2014, Daming Palace Site originally built in 634 covers an area of 3.2 square kilometers – 4 times of the area of the Forbidden City in Beijing. The wall of the palace is 7.6 kilometers long. It offers 11 gates. The number of the sites of found buildings is more than 40. It offers not only the sites but also the Chinese Calligraphy Museum and the Museum of Tang Tri-color Glazed Ceramics to explore.
- Site of Weiyang Palace in Chang’an City of Western Han Dynasty
Declared as the UNESCO World Heritage Site on June 22, 2014, the Site of Weiyang Palace in Chang’an City of Western Han Dynasty is located around 40 minutes drive from the Old City Wall in Xi’an. Weiyang Palace was originally built in 200 BC and destroyed in the end of the Tang Dynasty. It experienced the history of more than 1,040 years, witnessing the ups and downs from the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC – 8 AD) to the end of the Tang Dynasty. Archives of the royal family and the court, a variety of building materials for the palace in the Western Han Dynasty, weapons and old articles of daily use were discovered there.
- Xingjiao Temple Pagoda
As the existing oldest attic-style pagoda, Xingjiao Temple Pagoda was built to preserve the relics of the eminent monk – Xuan Zang (602 – 664), his disciples, Kui Ji (632 – 682) and Yuan Ce (613 – 696). The pagoda is composed of three pagodas all of which has a history of more than 1,000 years. The pagoda of Xuan Zang offers the inscriptions in the Tang Dynasty, the pagoda of Kui Ji features a clay figure of Kui Ji while the pagoda of Yuan Ce also has a clay figure of Yuance. All of the pagodas reflect the development of Buddhism along the old Silk Road and influence of the Buddhism on the Korean Peninsula.
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