Lanzhou:

Lanzhou is the capital city of Gansu Province in northwest China. The Yellow River, the Chinese Mother River, runs through the city, ensuring rich crops of many juicy and fragrant fruits. The city is the transportation and telecommunication center of the region. Covering an area of 1631.6 square kilometers (629.96 square miles), it was once a key point on the ancient Silk Road. Today, it is a hub of the Silk Road Tourism Ring, with Maiji Caves to the east, Bingling Temple Grottoes to the west, Labrang Monastery to the south and Dunhuang Mogao Caves to the north.

Lanzhou is the capital city of Gansu Province in northwest China. The Yellow River, the Chinese Mother River, runs through the city, ensuring rich crops of many juicy and fragrant fruits. The city is the transportation and telecommunication center of the region. Covering an area of 1631.6 square kilometers (629.96 square miles), it was once a key point on the ancient Silk Road. Today, it is a hub of the Silk Road Tourism Ring, with Maiji Caves to the east, Bingling Temple Grottoes to the west, Labrang Monastery to the south and Dunhuang Mogao Caves to the north.

Gansu Provincial Museum:

Gansu Provincial Museum, commonly called Gansu Museum, is a comprehensive museum located in Lanzhou City with a collection of over 350 000, including historical and cultural relics, modern cultural relics, ethnic cultural relics, paleontological fossils and specimen. There are fossils collected from the Cretaceous period, painted pottery of both the Paleolithic and the Neolithic, bronze, pottery, and jade wares of Shang and Zhou dynasties (1600BC-221BC), Silk Road Civilization of Tang Dynasty (618-907), and rich ceramics, wooden carvings, silk products and paintings of Chinese past dynasties.

Lanzhou Old Street:

Lanzhou Old Street is one of the major projects in Gansu Province to build as a 5A standard tourist and cultural scenic spot. Located in Qilihe District, the project of Lanzhou Old Street with a total investment of 2.8 billion yuan started construction in 2016 and completed in 2020. With a total construction area of 160,000 square meters, the project based on local historical heritages aims to offer a unique atmosphere where fashion, art, history, catering and business blend in harmonically.

The Zhongshan Bridge:

The Zhongshan Bridge is a steel truss bridge over the Yellow River in Lanzhou. Opened in 1909, it was the first permanent bridge over the Yellow River. The bridge is one of the most well-known landmarks of Lanzhou. Construction of the bridge began in 1907 and the bridge was completed in 1909.

The YellowRiver Mother Sculpture:

The Yellow River Mother Sculpture, regarded as one of the best sculptures depicting the mother river of Chinese civilization, is located on the southern bank of the Yellow River in Lanzhou. In the sculpture, the tall mother has a graceful figure with her right arm slightly flexing, and she has an affable smiling look with beautiful hair hanging about her shoulders, lying on her back against the roaring Yellow River waves. A lovely baby boy snuggles close to her right side with his eyes slightly looking to the left, smiling unconsciously. The sculpture has a profound message, and it symbolizes the Chinese people growing sturdily under the parenting of the Yellow River as well as the Chinese people's persevering spirit that makes the world go round.

Xining:

Xining is the capital of Qinghai province in western China and the largest city on the Tibetan Plateau. It's known for the Xining Dongguan Grand Mosque, blending Chinese and Islamic styles, and the Tulou Temple, built into mountainside caves. To the north, the Tibetan Medicine and Culture Museum displays traditional artifacts. Nearby are the sprawling Ta’er Monastery (Kumbum Monastery) and the vast Qinghai Lake, rich in birdlife.

Kumbum champa Ling

Kumbum Jampa Ling is a major Geluk monastery in Amdo built on the site of Tsongkhapa's birth. The monastery was built around the tree that marked this site. Construction began in 1560 by a monk named Rinchen Tsondru Gyeltsen around a stupa that Tsongkhapa's mother is said to have built in 1379. In 1583 the Third Dalai Lama, Sonam Gyatso, stayed there and requested the monk to expand it. Over the subsequent centuries, the monastic complex developed and expanded into one of Tibet's great monasteries. The Cheso, Ngago and Taktser incarnation lines all have seats there. Kumbum has four colleges: the Tantric College, which was built by Choje Lekpa Gyatso in 1649; the Debate College, built in 1612 by Duldzin Ozer Gyatso; the Medical College, which opened in 1725; and the Kālacakra College, established in 1820. The monastery has been sacked and rebuilt several times in its history.

Qinghaihu and Erlangjian (Erlang’s sword) Scenic Area (Cruise and hop-on-off cart included)

Qinghai Lake

Qinghai Lake or Ch'inghai Lake, also known as Lake Koko Nor, is the largest lake in China. Located in the northeast of the Tibetan Plateau, this huge alkaline salt lake is usually No. 1 on "Most Beautiful Lakes in China" lists. Qinghai Lake is one of the sacred lakes for Tibetans and Tibetan Buddhists. Qinghai Lake has very different scenery in different seasons. In spring, the surrounding mountains and wetlands take on a fresh green look with scattered colorful flowers and white snow. You can stay beside Qinghai Lake, witness the melting ice, and welcome thousands of guests from afar — migratory birds. Discover nature waking up. In spring, the surrounding mountains and wetlands take on a fresh green look with scattered colorful flowers and white snow. You can stay beside Qinghai Lake, witness the melting ice, and welcome t in spring, the surrounding mountains and wetlands take on a fresh green look with scattered colorful flowers and white snow. You can stay beside Qinghai Lake, witness the melting ice, and welcome thousands of guests from afar — migratory birds. Discover nature waking up thousands of guests from afar — migratory birds. Discover nature waking up.

Qinghai Lake has a breathtaking range of landscapes — wetlands, grasslands, snow-capped mountains, and deserts! Surrounded by snow-topped mountains, the lake is bounded with vast grasslands, wetlands, and some desert. In the lake, there are different shaped islands: Three Stones, Bird Island, and so on.

Zhangye

Zhangye, formerly romanized as Changyeh or known as Kanchow, is a prefecture-level city in central Gansu Province in the People's Republic of China. It borders Inner Mongolia on the north and Qinghai on the south.

Mati Temple, located at the foot of Linsong Mountain, is about 80 km away from the South Yugur Minority Autonomous County of Gansu Province. The temple gathered the culture, the landscape, and the religious together, was built in the Jin Dynasty. Known for its charming landscape and cut between the cliffs, it is a good place to admire grottoes buildings, murals, Buddha statue and other ancient relics. It ranks of one of the top three Hexi Buddhism culture grottoes in China, due to its long history and important culture mean

Scenic ride by way of The Qilian Mountains - The Qilian Mountains, together with the Altyn-Tagh also known as Nan Shan, as it is to the south of Hexi Corridor, is a northern outlier of the Kunlun Mountains, forming the border between Qinghai and the Gansu provinces of northern China.

Zhangye National Geopark (aka Danxia Hills scenic spot)

Great works of art take time. The Zhangye Danxia hills in China have been crafted and perfected by nature over the past 24 million years, by the same collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates that produced the Himalaya. Eroding over time, at about eight metres a century, the red sedimentary, siltstone, and siliciclastic rock was pushed to the surface and exposed, painting this region with a "cake layer effect".

Historically, the Zhangye area was a thriving economic centre, vital to the Silk Road. Here, the Emperor Shuiyang of the Shui dynasty held his famous World Exposition. Eve The newly created geopark is divided into two main areas: the 510 square kilometre Zhangye Qicai (meaning seven colors) Danxia Scenic Area and the 332 square kilometre Bing Gou (meaning ice valley).

Much earlier in geological time, oceans and lakes covered the region. Over the millennia, the waters evaporated and left behind large deposits of sand to solidify and bear the brunt of the elements. The Danxia landforms only occur in southeast, southwest, and northwest China. The Zhangye Danxia lies 1,700km from Beijing and 30km from the city of Zhangye and forms part of the Qilian Mountain Range, which almost ventures into Mongolia territory. Its otherworldly red valleys include plunging gorges, jagged pillars, cliffs, and natural pyramids

Jiayu Pass

Jiayu Pass or Jiayuguan is the greatest, oldest and most legendary pass among all the passes along the Great Wall. Jiayuguan Pass used to be the starting point of the ancient Great Wall built during Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644). It was the most important military defensive project guarding the far northwestern area of China because of its strategic location at the narrowest point of the western section of the Hexi Corridor which had been the vital defensive frontier since Han Dynasty (BC 202—220). After the Jiayuguan Pass was constructed, the army of Ming Dynasty used it to protect inner China from the invasion of nomadic groups. At the same time, the Jiayuguan Pass had also played as a key waypoint of the ancient Silk Road. Foreign travelers and traders came from Europe, Middle Asia, and entered the inner land of China. While commodities of China also were transported to Middle Asia and Europe from this pass. Along with the foreign trade, a cultural exchange of religion, art and custom also had been brought.

Jiayuguan Pass City

Jiayuguan Pass City is located in the middle of the narrowest valley in the Jiayuguan section oftheGreat Wall, on the highest Jiayu Mountain. The walls on both sides of the city pass cross the Gobidesert.It is famous for its dangerous terrain and majestic majesty. It is known as "the most majestic passin theworld". It echoes Shanhaiguan, the "first pass in the world" thousands of miles away, and is famousall overthe world.

Guancheng City Tower

Guancheng City Tower is mainly composed of the inner city, with a circumference of 640 meters, an area of ​​25,000 square meters, and a city height of 10.7 meters. It is entirely made of rammed loess. The west side is covered with 99,999 bricks. It is a famous architectural miracle in history; the east and west city walls opposite, there is Guanghua Gate in the east and Rouyuan Gate in the west, both of which have urn walls. There are also 14 archery towers, watchtowers, turrets, pavilions and gate towers built on the inner wall of Jiayuguan Pass. It is the most complete one among the many passes in the Great Wall.

The Overhanging Great Wall

The Overhanging Great Wall:The Overhanging Great Wall, was built on a steeply sloping valley mouth. When viewed from afar, the wall looks like a magnificent painting hanging over the cliff, which is how it got its name. Because it is very similar in appearance to the Great Wall at Badaling, it is also known as "Western Badaling". The Overhaning Great Wall is 14 km northwest of Jiayuguan City center, and about 8 km north of the Jiayu Pass Fort. It is an extended part of the Jiayu Pass military defense system, protecting water resources and acting as a northern lookout point. You can see austere panoramas from the Suspended Great Wall.

Climbed to the top of the steep 400 steps, the scenery is strikingly arid - north the desert extends to the horizon; there are a few oases north of Jiayuguan to the east; to the south and west are steep dry mountains and gullies.

Great Wall Museum

The Great Wall Museum is located at the east gate of the scenic area, which was opened to the visitor in October 1989 and it is the first one to exhibit the Great Wall culture comprehensively and systematically. The Great Wall Museum is an antique castle-style building with a simple appearance and unique style. It covers an area of 12,312 square meters and a display area of 1,766 square meters. The museum is divided into seven exhibition halls, which contains the basic display of the Great Wall of China, and is accompanied by textual illustrations. It displays more than 7,000 unearthed cultural relics, ancient weapons and equipment, and paintings and calligraphy works of the Great Wall. "Yongle Bronze Cannon" and "Jiayuguan Customs Printing Plate" are valuable materials for studying the history and culture of the Great Wall.

★★ (There are many steps from one tower to the other, please consider if you can walk and climb about 2hrs)★★

Dunhuang

Dunhuang, a city in western Gansu sheng (province), northwestern China. Situated in an oasis in the Gansu-Xinjiang desert region, it is at the far western limit of traditional Chinese settlement along the Silk Road across Central Asia. Dunhuang was the first trading town reached by foreign merchants entering Chinese-administered territory from the west. Dunhuang was a conduit not only for commercial goods traveling along the Silk Road but also for the intellectual currency carried by its travelers. In addition, Dunhuang is a famous historical city with many ancient sites, e.g. the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage – Mogao Caves, Yumen Pass, Han Dynasty Great Wall and so on.

Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring (included park cart ride and camel ride)

1.Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring (included park cart ride and camel ride)The Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake Nature Park is a popular attraction in Dunhuang to explore stunning desert scenery and take part in exciting sand dunes activities. The park consists of the Mingsha Mountain and the Crescent Lake surrounded by sand dunes of Mingsha Mountains. Dunhuang is also known as Shazhou (Town of Sand) in ancient time. This is how it gained the name.

Crescent Moon Spring

Crescent Moon Spring scenic area, in Gansu province's Jiuquan, is a national 5A-level scenic area.

Located 5 kilometers south of Dunhuang, a county-level city, in the Singing Sand (Mingsha) Mountains, the scenic area is quite literally an oasis in the desert. The spring's name derives from the crescent moon shape of the small pool between two large sand dunes. Although the area is very dry, the pool doesn't dry up as one might expect. Crescent Spring has nestled in the vast desert for thousands of years. Its water is very clear and sweet, even though it is exposed to stormy sands. It merely ripples in the breeze in the face of harsh weather.

Mogao Grottoes

The 'Caves of the Thousand Buddhas' (Qianfodong), also known as Mogao, are a magnificent treasure trove of Buddhist art. They are located in the desert, about 15 miles south-east of the town of Dunhuang in north western China. The Mogao Caves near Dunhuang were first constructed in the 4th century AD and were used as a site of Buddhist worship and pilgrimage. The caves contain over 400,000 square feet of frescoes and sculptures, making them one of the largest repositories of Buddhist art in the world. The fundamental idea of the composition was inspired by Plato's philosophic metaphor The Allegory of the Cave: Human beings sit in a cave, in chains, their backs to the entrance. The shadows of things moving outside are projected by the light onto an inner wall of the cave.

Yang Pass (Pass park cart ride included):

Yangguan was the chokepoint for China’s ancient overland external communications and a must-pass pass on the southern Silk Road. The location is located near Gutan, southwest of Dunhuang City, Gansu Province. In the Western Han Dynasty, Yangguan was built, so it was named because it was located to the south of Yumenguan. Together with Yumen Pass, it was the gateway to the Western Regions at that time. Since the middle and late Tang Dynasty, due to the gradual decline of land transportation in need to the west, the pass was abandoned.

In ancient times, there was a 70-kilometer Great Wall connecting Yangguan to Yumenguan in the north. There were beacon towers every dozens of miles, and there were more than a dozen beacons near Yangguan. In particular, the beacon called "Yangguan Ermu" on the top of Dundun Mountain on the north side of Guantan is the largest, with the geographic high altitude, the beacon was preserved relatively complete.

Yumen Pass

Yumen Pass and Yang Pass were important passes leading to the Western Regions on the "Silk Road" of the Han Dynasty. They were located on the line of the Han Great Wall in the west of Dunhuang City, Gansu Province today. These two ancient famous passes have been recorded in history, often praised in poetry. They have been passed down through the ages and are well-known at home and abroad. Yumen Pass is located in a place called Xiaofangpan, more than 80 kilometers northwest of Dunhuang City. Climbing up the castle, you can see the vast and magnificent scenery inside and outside the pass and the colorful and sparkling grace. The terrain near Guancheng is low-lying, forming a circular basin. The swamp is full of reeds and Populus euphratica is everywhere. Next to Guancheng lies the dry Shule River, with large and small pebbles shining brightly up and down the river. The south bank of the river stretches with endless sand dunes. The dunes are interspersed with traces of tamarisk and desert-specific wild plants. In the distance, there are the rolling peaks of Beisai Mountain to the north and the Changyunsuo Snow Mountains of Qinghai to the south. Looking to the northwest, the ruins of the avenue are vaguely visible in the desert. This was the northern route of the Silk Road of the Han Dynasty.

Dunhuang Yardang National Geopark (UNESCO)

90 kilometers away from the west of Yumen Pass in Gansu Province. It is about 25 kilometers long from east to west and 1-2 kilometers wide from north to south. This attraction appearance is very difference in daytime and evening. People said at night, due to the geographic environment, the wind blow out loud sound like a devil crying, therefore the native local name it devils city and pass on till now. Despite the scary legend, the whole park is like an ancient medieval city. This special "castle" has city walls, streets, buildings, squares, churches and sculptures. Its image is vivid and lifelike, which makes the world stunned. These masterpieces of nature are truly miraculous and endlessly wonderful.

Show: "SEE DUNHUANG AGAIN" opera or similar.

See dunhuang again is a scene integration performance. It is not a traditional style of performance. It brings viewers to the story instead of relying on sight and hearing. The architectural design of the performance is based on multi-level interpretations, including the Mogao Grottoes, murals, rock walls and many other cultural elements; reappearing the Mogao Grottoes from the opening of the cave to the prosperous, and then to the Taoist priests to show the long-standing mystery Throughout the process, each interpretation space will remake the connection point between the present and history. "See also Dunhuang" guiding the audience to re-interpret the mysterious and graceful art of Dunhuang dance music by the resurrection and restoration of the exquisite and oriental classical sight of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes.

Dunhuang Museum

Dunhuang Museum, located in the downtown area, is a perfect place for you to gain some knowledge about Dunhuang and the ancient Silk Road. There are more than 10000 items for you to appreciate, including some exquisite and vivid replications of the murals and sculptures in Mogao Grottoes. Dunhuang Museum is well laid out in a chronological order. There is one Preface Hall and five Exhibition Halls. The Perfect Hall mainly introduces the prehistoric civilization of Dunhuang; with the theme of “A City Where China and the World Meet”, The Exhibition Hall 1 shows Dunhuang in the Han Dynasty. Exhibition Hall 2 - Dunhuang in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. Exhibition Hall 3 - Dunhuang in Sui and Tang Dynasties. Exhibition Hall 4 - Dunhuang from Five Dynasties to Ming. Exhibition Hall 5 - Dunhuang in the Qing Dynasty.

After lunch, transfer to airport and fly to Xian. After dinner, then transfer to hotel.

Xian

Xi'an is a large city and capital of Shaanxi Province in central China. Once known as Chang’an (Eternal Peace). Its claim to fame is the terracotta soldiers and the start of the Silk Road — a long trade route that stretched all the way beyond the Roman Empire. All that trade (the spices, the cultures) melded into a food culture unique to the region.

Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors

The Terracotta Army (Terracotta Warriors and Horses) are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. Work is ongoing at this site, which is around 1.5 kilometers east of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum in Lintong, Xian, Shaanxi Province. It is a sight not to be missed by any visitor to China. The museum covers an area of 16,300 square meters, divided into three sections: No. 1 Pit, No. 2 Pit, and No. 3 Pit respectively. They were tagged in the order of their discoveries. No. 1 Pit is the largest, first opened to the public on China's National Day - Oct. 1st, 1979. There are columns of soldiers at the front, followed by war chariots at the back.

★★ Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BCE with the purpose of protecting him in his afterlife. The 8,000-odd warriors and horses were made out of fired clay and construction started in 246 BC. The figures were found close to the site of Qin Shi Huang’s mausoleum, now a forested hump rising from the plains outside Xi’an. You might just glimpse it in the distance on your way to view the warriors in their purpose-built museum. There’s a grisly backstory to their existence: before Qin Shi Huang, combatants would be buried alive alongside their leader on his decease. Seeing this as a waste of human resources, Emperor Qin decided to engage a huge taskforce in creating sculptures modeled precisely on his own imperial army. Reputed to be a tyrant in life (despite his considerable achievements, such as standardizing Chinese writing), one theory goes that he desired an army to defend him in death. The figures were buried in pits 15 to 20 feet (4.5 to 6 meters) deep. The largest of them stretched as far as two football fields laid end to end. In accordance with custom the tomb was begun while the emperor was alive, and actually quite young, so that he could oversee all aspects of its construction. The Terracotta Army was discovered completely by accident. The Terracotta Army was discovered on 29 March 1974 when farmer Yang Zhifa uncovered fragments of pottery when digging a well. This pottery led to the discovery of the first warrior of the famous Terracotta Army. ncredibly, despite the vast number of warriors, each warrior has unique facial features and styles. The warriors of different ranks were buried in battle formation to represent a real army and are split into infantrymen, archers, generals, cavalrymen, charioteers, officers, and guards of honour - all different in their expressions, clothing, and hairstyles.

Huaqing Pool (aka Huaqing Hot Springs)

Huaqing Palace, also known as Huaqing Hot Springs, is a well-known historic site and an AAAAA tourist attraction of China. It gets its fame for being the place where the romantic story of Emperor Tangxuanzong of Tang Dynasty (618-907) and his beloved Yang Guifei (or Concubine Yang) took place.

The site had been as an imperial palace for emperors' short stays away from the capital for more than 3000 years. Emperors of Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui and Tang dynasties spent the winter at this place every year. Emperor Zhouyouwang of Western Zhou Dynasty (1046BC-771BC) is said to be the first emperor who ordered to build a palace at the site. In the following dynasties, the palace was repaired and expanded for several times, given the name of "Hot Spring Palace" and finally denominated "Huaqqing Palace" by Emperor Tangxuanzong. The palace was constructed above hot springs, hence the site is also called "Huaqing Hot Springs". In Tang Dynasty, emperors would come to Huaqing Palace with their concubines every October and did not leave until spring came. It is recorded that Emperor Tangxuanzong and Yang Guifei visited it most frequently, as many as 36 times from 714 to 755, with the Flying Frost Palace as the bedroom.

Suffering from continuous wars, the grand original structures had been destroyed in fires and the existing one is built in 1959 according to historical records.

Entertainment and Dinner

Performance: Empress of the Great Tang

The Story:

Empress Wu was born in 624 CE and became a concubine of the Taizong Emperor when she was only 14 years old. After Taizong died, she was sent to a Buddhist monastery to be a nun for several years until she was called back to the palace by the new emperor Gaozong who was then the crown prince that she had befriended when she was in the palace. Years of living in the palace had made her tough and smart. With her wisdom, talents and persistence, she managed to become the first wife of the emperor soon and in 690 CE eventually ascended the throne to be the empress in her own right after her husband died.

With a classical Chinese live orchestra and a state-of-art stage design, this five-part dance and music show will bring back to us the legendary Empress Wu Ze-tian and the glory and splendor of the Great Tang Empire.

The Synopsis

• Act 1 - The Beauty to be Chosen. The bell rings, the drum beats and the bugle trumpets; and the palace gate opens. The Tang Emperor descends from his dais. Wu Ze-tian, also known as Mei-niang, awaits in prostration to meet the emperor, the man who will change her life.
• Act 2 - Breaking into the Wende Hall without Permission The beautiful and elegant Wu Mei-niang practices dancing in the moonlight. Out of curiosity she takes the mask down. All of sudden the emperor arrives and she is caught facing the anger of his majesty.
• Act 3 - The Battlefield The Tang Emperor fights bravely in the battle and suddenly the enemy shoots arrows towards the emperor. Mei-niang uses her own body to protect the emperor from the rain of arrows.
• Act 4 - The Palace Intrigue The emperor’s love has brought Mei-niang with jealousy, smear and slander of all kinds. All of these have made the naive young girl to become tough. She has to fight her way to survive and ultimately to the throne.
• Act 5 - Ascending the Throne. On the first day of the first month of 690 CE, in the solemn music and percussion, with colorful auspicious clouds in the sky, Empress Wu Ze-tian receives blessings and cheers of her thousands of subjects to ascend the throne to become the Empress.

Ancient City Wall

The existing Xian Ancient City Wall was built from 1,370 to 1,378 AD under the order of the first emperor of Ming Dynasty – Zhu Yuanzhang (朱元璋). Long before the establishment of Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang took an advice from a recluse: build up high walls, hoard abundant food supplies and take time to claim the throne. After he united the country and established Ming Dynasty, he started to build city walls all over the country. Xian Ancient City Wall was built at this time. Xian was once the capital city of Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD), once called Chang An (长安) at that time. The Ancient City Wall built in Ming Dynasty was constructed and enlarged on the foundation of imperial city wall of Tang Dynasty. Now, Xian Ancient City Wall is the largest and best preserved existing ancient city wall in China.

Bell tower of Xian

The Bell Tower in Xian is the largest and well-preserved ancient tower in China. It is not only of a cultural and historical, but also of art value. It was built in the XIV century under Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Dynasty first emperor, in the center of Xian. The tower was located at the intersection of southern, northern, eastern and western roads that led to the main gate of the City Wall. . The Bell Tower rests on a square brick base. It is followed by three wooden tiers with dark green-tiled roofs, the corners of which are curved up. The total height of the tower is 36 meters; inside it, there is a spiral staircase. The building’s interior is decorated with the traditional patterns of the Qing and Min eras. The patterns are applied not only to the walls, but also to the ceilings, wooden beams and crossbeams. There was time, when the tower roof was also decorated with gold and precious jasper. An interesting fact is that no nails were used in the construction of the Bell Tower. The whole structure is joined by the grooves and spikes. This type of construction in China is called dougun.

Pagodas

Pagodas are Chinese architectural versions of stupas, whose original purpose was to contain relics of the historical Buddha or other important holy persons. This stone pagoda structure is called the Great Wild Goose Pagoda enclosed within the Ci’en (Temple of Mercy) monastery in present-day Xi’an. It was erected in 652 to commemorate the return of the temple’s abbott, the celebrated monk Xuanzang. This heroic figure to Chinese Buddhist history traveled west across the Silk Road and throughout India for sixteen years, exploring the homeland of Buddhism before returning with hundreds of sutras (Buddhist texts). His monumental journey formed the basis of the popular Ming-dynasty novel Journey to the West (see “Journey to the West“).The contemporary structure has been restored a number of times, although many of these restorations took place during the Tang, so overall the building remains essentially a Tang structure. Visitors can still climb the interior staircase to appreciate the surrounding view.

Huimin Street

Muslim Street of Xian, known as Huimin Jie as well by Chinese, is a Muslim community in the city. It is a 1100-meter-long annular walkway including the lanes of Beiyuanmen (北院门), Xiyangshi (西羊市), and Huajue Lane (化觉巷), the first of which is the busiest one known to people. The district houses the architectures in the style of Ming and Qing dynasties, with the Drum Tower in the south and memorial archway in the north, and embracing many ancient courtyards as well as some 10 mosques in diverse sizes that built in different time, around where inhabited bout 20 000 Muslims retaining their pristine religious tradition and life style.

The Huimin Street is famous as a "snack street" because rich delicious local Xi'an delicacies and typical Shaanxi snacks are concentrated here, which attract visitors home and abroad. This featured bluestone-paved old street is also the favorite haunt for locals because of the most tasty food and leisure atmosphere. In particular in summer nights, a great many of citizens enjoy their time here in the Hui people-operated restaurants or booths with all sorts of halal foods and local snacks, some of the shops are the old honored brands. For those adventurers, the Muslim Street with its around areas is also the most authentic life of Xi'an people.

Distinctive

Distinctive from other historical sites or museums, Grand Tang Dynasty Ever Bright City (大唐不夜城), with no reservation required, takes you through time and space and back to the flourishing Tang Dynasty (唐朝) by changeable live-action landscape and diverse night activities. Going through this amazing street is like coming across a time tunnel, where a thousand years of prosperous Tang Dynasty with inclusive spirit reappears between the turns of light and shadow. It’s a wonderful place for nightlife and various immersive experiences. You can see both local and tourist will put on the ancient Chinese costume wondering in the square and to take pictures, make you feel like you are back to Tang Dynasty.

After breakfast, will transfer to airport.