Posts Tagged ‘Xi’an’

Last Day in Xi’an – Museum

On my way to the Xi’an airport, I had a tour guide/driver take me to a couple of sights. He was a substitute for the one I’d booked the night before, who had to take a large tour on unexpectedly. The older man I got instead didn’t speak any English and was not the sharpest cleaver on the chopping block.

He was a plodding driver too that sometimes threatened to drive me to distraction as I only had a limited time. I whizzed through the sites I wanted to see, taking far less time than we’d booked, but we always got stuck in the traffic, because he wasn’t an agressive driver like most. When he suddenly pulled over, told me to get out, and left me standing on a corner, I was most dismayed. Turned out ee was stopping to get gas at some special taxi outlet, and for some reason I couldn’t be in the car. He wasted precious minutes, but eventually we got back on the road. He hadn’t had the forsight to gas up before he started that morning.

My first stop was the Shaanxi Provincial Museum, which gives a fantastic overview of the ancient Chinese history in a nut shell. Shaanxi Province is the birthplace of the ancient Chinese civilization. Xian City was the capital city in thirteen dynasties which in total lasted over 1100 years, so the museum is appropraitely in this city.

This modern museum is China’s most important archaeological museums. It measures 44,000sq.m/474,000sq.ft in area and consists of several buildings containing a large number of rooms in which more than 3000 exhibits, displayed in seven chronologically arranged sections, illustrate the origins, achievements and flourishing of Chinese culture from prehistory to the Qing period (1368-1911).

They have some interesting architecture and wonderful Feng Shui landscape outside the buildings.

The No 1 exhibition on the first floor hall displays the articles used during the period from 1.7 million years ago to 206 BC of the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-206 BC). This exhibition contains rough stone tools used by the ape man, the pottery, bronze sacrificial vessels, weapons and terracotta figures. Papermaking, one of China’s great inventions, and some important historical events are portrayed on the scroll paintings in the museums.

Walking through the exhibits in this largest comprehensive museum in the province is like walking through the history of what came to be known as the Silk Road. First, there are items from the Xia (2200 B.C.-1700 B.C.) and then the Ming and Qing dynasties. The collection from the Han through the Tang (618 A.D.-907 A.D.) and Song (960 A.D.-1279 A.D.) dynasties shows the changes of art and craftsmanship. http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi/xian/provincial_museum/

On display are bronze vessels from the Shang and Zhou period (16th-3rd C BC), porcelain from the Tang and Song era (7th-13th C), gold and silver jewelry from the Tang period (618-907), a rich collection of frescos from the tombs of Tang rulers which depict scenes from court life, and musical instruments. Evidence of trade with the west is provided in the shape of gold dishes, brooches and silver-plate from the Sassanid (Persian, AD 211-651) empire.
http://www.planetware.com/xian/historical-museum-of-shaanxi-province-chn-sn-xhm.htm

One of the displays that caught my eye featured mirrors, particularly as I have been doing research about them for a book I am writing.

I spent far too little time in this museum (I whipped through in less than 45 minutes) and would love to go back there again some day.