City: Shaanxi
Top Things to do in Shaanxi
Top Hotels in Shaanxi
- 1. The Ritz-Carlton, Xi'an
- 2. W Xi'an
- 3. InterContinental Xi’an North
- 4. The Westin Xi'an
- 5. Holiday Inn Express Xi'an North, an IHG hotel
- 6. Shangri-La Xian
- 7. Sofitel Xian on Renmin Square
- 8. HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts Xi'an Hi-tech Zone, an IHG hotel
- 9. Renaissance Xi'an Hotel
- 10. Novotel Xian SCPG
The 10 Best Museums in Shaanxi, China
Shaanxi (Chinese: 陕西; pinyin: Shǎnxī) is a province of the People's Republic of China. Officially part of the Northwest China region, it lies in central China, bordering the provinces of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), Ningxia (NW), and Inner Mongolia (N). It covers an area of over 205,000 km (79,151 sq mi) with about 37 million people. Xi'an – which includes the sites of the former Chinese capitals Fenghao and Chang'an – is the provincial capital. Xianyang, which served as the Qin dynasty capital, is located nearby. The other prefecture-level cities into which the province is divided are Ankang, Baoji, Hanzhong, Shangluo, Tongchuan, Weinan, Yan'an and Yulin.
Restaurants in Shaanxi
1. Former Revolutionary Headquarters at Wangjiaping
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4 reviews
2. Jiangshi Manor
3. The Museum of Qin Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 14,943 reviews
One of the most significant archaeological finds in the world, this 16,300-square-meter excavation reveals more than 7,000 life-size terracotta figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formations.
Reviewed By DWoerner - Georgetown, United States
The famous Terra Cotta Warriors are a huge collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China, buried with the emperor in 210–209 BCE with the purpose of protecting the emperor in his afterlife. These were only discovered accidentally by local farmers in 1974, and the excavation and restoration is still continuing. The statues are displayed in three huge buildings, each one the size of an enclosed football stadium. The restoration work goes on in the rear of the buildings and may be observed by visitors. Incredibly, each of the thousands of statues is unique, with a body posed uniquely and with distinct facial features. Many statues are in damaged condition on being excavated and are cleaned and restored before being returned to their original place.
4. Shaanxi History Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,619 reviews
This history museum, housed in a magnificent Confucian Temple, features more than 370,000 pieces of historical relics mainly from the Zhou to the Tang periods (1100B.C. to 907 A.D.).
Reviewed By Synthomer - Shanghai, China
An amazing collection of artefacts and relics plus a good overview of Shaanxi's history - the cradle of Chinese history from homo erectus to the Tang dynasty, 1500 years ago. 30 mins by taxi from city centre, traffic around the museum very congested. Subway 10 mins walk away. You have to book in advance online - hotel can help you. Officious security at entrance, be patient! Best galleries are 1/2/3. Need at least 2 hours. Plenty of wording in English, so quite foreigner friendly. Passable canteen in basement and quite a few drinks vending machines. Not to be missed if you are staying in Xi'an and have some interest in Chinese history
5. Zhaoling Mausoleum Museum
6. Xi'an Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 591 reviews
Reviewed By Alistair450 - Auckland Central, New Zealand
This museum is well worth a visit as it has very good displays of historical items that help you learn about and understand China's past. It is not easy to spend more than two hours in one go in a museum and a second visit would be rewarding. It would be worth your while to hire a guide to take you through the museum.
7. Revolutionary Memorial Hall (Geming Jinianguan)
8. Han Yang Ling Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 83 reviews
The joint mausoleum of Emperor Jingdi and Empress Wang, his consort.
Reviewed By ThaiCookingRocks - Changchun, China
This is a great counter point to the Terracotta Warriors. Everything is smaller, and it in tunnels not pits. One of the great parts is that you are able to walk over some of the pit areas on glass and see the artifacts still in their tunnels. Its helps you understand how they are and how they were found. In places it was too dark honestly, and I am not sure why there is some areas that are decently lit and others that aren't so much. I used Travel China Guide for my trip and they were wonderful and Tracy a gem, and she was able to explain things that otherwise wouldn't have been known. For some they will say that tit pales in comparison but I think it was a wonderful way to compare different eras.
9. Baoji Bronze Ware Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 23 reviews
Reviewed By ptseng
I did not have much expectation when a group of us were taken to the museum by the host. The building looks quite massive on the outside. There is a lot of empty spaces inside. This is a problem as we visited in January when the temperature was minus 5 degrees. There was no heating inside the museum and it would be impractical given the large amount of space inside the building. I felt sorry for the security guards and the workers in the building as it was bitterly cold throughout the building. However, the history and quality of the bronzewares more than compensated for the discomfort. Baoji was the cradle of the glorious bronze age civilization in the central plains of China more than 3,000 years ago. The large number of exhibits demonstrated the beauty of the various bronzewares, utensils and ornaments. Our tour guide did a very good job explaining the background and significance of the exhibits. The star attraction of the the museum is in fact a "national treasure" which will never leave the museum, it is an utensil where the two words Zhong Guo (China) were inscribed inside for the first time in history. I would have loved to linger a bit longer inside the museum but the bitter cold was a deterrent, as well as lack of English translation. Unless there is an English speaking tour guide at the site, otherwise there is very little or no information on individual exhibits in English.
10. Xi'an Calligraphy Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 35 reviews
Reviewed By 928fayel - Gold Coast, Australia
We actually went inside this museum and a teacher taught us how to write our name using Calligraphy - it was quite amusing, on finishing she announced that we can all have our name done by a master and it was for free. So we all lined up - as ours was not the best writing you would frame - but his was.
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