4-Day Xi’an In-depth Experience Tour including Terracotta Warriors and Horses, The Song of Everlasting Sorrow Show and Great Mosque

Attractions: No
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Xi’an

Welcome to Xi’an! Upon arrival, be greeted by our local tour guide who is holding a sign with your name in the Arrival Hall of Airport or Railway Station. Then a comfortable vehicle (non-smoking) with an experienced driver will transfer you directly to your hotel in Xi’an downtown. Your guide will help you check in. The rest of the day is on your own to discover this beautiful city.

Attractions: Terracotta Warriors and Horses, Ancient City Wall, The Song of Everlasting Sorrow Show
Meal: Not included
Hotel: Overnight in Xi’an

After breakfast, go to take a wonderful stroll on the Ancient City Wall, the largest and best-preserved ancient city wall in China. Enjoy panoramic views of modern Xian while you leisurely examine this well-maintained city wall which is 12 meters high and 18 meters wide with a total circuit of nearly 14 kilometers. (Optional experience: rent a bike to enjoy a relaxing cycling on the Ancient City Wall) Then you will visit a local family to check out what is the daily living of a traditional Chinese Family. You will also be taught to make Chinese dumplings under the friendly instruction of the host. Enjoy lunch with the local family.

After lunch, drive about 40km to discover one of the greatest man-made wonders in the world – the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, built by the first emperor of China Qin Shihuang to protect him in his afterlife. Over 8,000 life-size warriors, horses and chariots, buried in 3 pits for more than 2,000 years until uncovered by a local farmer in 1974, form an ancient military army with complete battle units of infantry, cavalry, etc. Standing in front of these figures, one can’t help being amazed not only by the ambition of Emperor Qin Shihuang but also by the fabulous artistic skills of ancient Chinese artisans. 

This evening around 20:00, you will be taken to enjoy the grand show of The Song of Everlasting Sorrow which is a large-scaled live-action show based on the love story between Emperor Tang Xuanzong and his consort Yang Guifei. Since the official performance in 2007, it has been performed for more than 2,500 times and 3.5 million audiences have watched the show, including many foreign heads and leaders, highly praised by the audiences. Some people said the show was so real that he could even smell the fragrance when the Consort Yang starting to bath in the scene, felt the scorching of the war and the drizzles after Yang’s death during the war.

Attractions: Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi’an Museum, Bell Tower, Drum Tower, Muslim Quarter, Great Mosque
Meal: Not included
Hotel: Overnight in Xi’an

This morning you will go to visit the Small Wild Goose Pagoda and Xi’an Museum to learn a lot about the history and culture about the ancient city of Xi’an. They are together located in a clean and beautiful park. The Small Wild Goose Pagoda is rather smaller and 55 years younger than its “sister” – the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. Built during 707 to 709 AD, the pagoda is 43.4 meters tall with 13 tiers (originally 15 tiers), looking like a very tall rectangular pyramid. Then you will go to visit Xi’an Museum which is only several minutes’ walking from the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. This museum has more than 130,000 pieces of jade relics, seals, paintings, porcelains, Buddhist statues, stone carvings and many other precious relics. The rest time of this morning is to experience an elaborate class of Chinese calligraphy in Tangbo Art Museum. You will be taught to use ink brush to write some basic Chinese words (maybe your name). 

In the afternoon, you will go to enjoy some leisure time around Zhonggulou Square where the famous landmarks of Bell Tower and Drum Towers stand on. There is a Chinese saying, “morning bell and evening drum”, which describes the ancient Chinese stroke the bell in the bell tower and beat the drum at the drum tower to announce the time of the day. With grand side and superb decoration, the Bell Tower and Drum Towers in Xian are the most grandiose architectures of their kinds. You will climb up to one of the towers to enjoy the panoramic view of Xian. The rest time of this afternoon is to spend some leisure time at the bustling and lively Muslim Quarter, a place where you can try different local snacks and explore Muslim culture. Don’t miss the Great Mosque of Xian which is a fusion of Chinese culture and Islamic culture, a sacred religious site with huge ancient architectural complex, also a surprisingly quiet land away from bust Muslim Street. After the Great Mosque visit, you will be escorted back to your hotel.

Attractions: Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, Hanyangling Museum
Meal: Not included
Hotel: Overnight in Xi’an

After breakfast, head to Da Cien Temple, a famous Buddhist sutra translation site during the Tang Dynasty. Giant Wild Goose Pagoda is the most famous building in the temple. The pagoda, rising to a height of 64.5 meters, was built by the famous Buddhist master Xuanzang to preserve classic scriptures he bought back from India during the early Tang Dynasty. Xuanzang was the prototype character for Tang Seng in the famous Chinese novel “Journey to the West”. (Note: It costs an extra 30 RMB if you want to climb up the Big Wild Goose Pagoda) After (or before) visiting the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, you will be provided a free experience of trying on the Hanfu which is the solemn costume of the emperors and their families, the ministers and the noble in the ancient dynasties of China. Seize this rare opportunity to take some photos to record this unique memory!

Next is an educational visit to Hanyangling. Compared with the Terracotta Warriors, Hanyangling is much less crowded so that you can enjoy a quiet lesson in archaeology. Here you can find many mini terracotta figures of not only warrior and horses, but also maidens and other animals. You actually walk on glass over top of the archaeological site, which gives an intriguing perspective.

The rest of the day is free for you until be escorted to catch the flight/train to leave Xian. Tour ends.