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As taken from Wikipedia; Xi'an (Chinese: 西安; pinyin: Xī'ān)[1][2] is the capital of Shaanxi Province, and a sub-provincial city in China. One of the oldest cities in China, with more than 3,100 years of history, Xi'an is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China, Xi'an is the starting point of the Silk Road and home to the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
The Terracotta warriors are just one of many things you can see here in Xi'an. Pronounced "See Ann". I stayed in Xi'an from February 2 to February 8, 2014. When I arrived the weather was cool but by the third day it had began to snow. Luckily it only flurried for two days and accumulated less than two inches of snow. Below are only a few of the well over 500 photos I took while visiting this ancient city.
The Bell Tower was built in the 17th year of Hongwu (1384 A.D.) of the Ming Dynasty. There used to be a huge bell hung in the tower for reporting the time, hence the name, Bell Tower. The structure is built of brick and wood. It covers an area of over 1370 square meters with a total height of 36 meters. It’s the building of the Ming Dynasty, famous for its national architectural style. It has been renovated repeatedly and listed after 1949. Now it is an important historical place under China government protection.
The Drum Tower was built in 1380 (The 3rd year of Hongwu – Emperor Taizu’s reign period in the Ming Dynasty). There used to be a huge drum in the tower. Again hence the name. The structure is also constructed from brick and wood. With pronounced Ming style architecture, it stands 34 meters tall and covers an area of over 1840 square meters. It too has been renovated many times since 1949 and is registered in the list of major historical culture building under state protection.
A look at the drums that line the exterior of the building.
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