• Bell Tower

	The Bell Tower is a huge building in the centre of Xi'an that you enter through an underpass on the north side of the tower. The original tower was built in the late 14th century ,but was rebuilt in the present location in 173 during the Qing dynasty , the large iron bell in the tower used to mark the time each day,hence the name. Upstair is an elaborate waxworks display of Qin,Han and  Tang emperors of Chang'an .

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• City Walls    
  
  

  	Xi'an is one of the few cities in China where old city walls are still visible .The walls were built on the foundations of the walls of the Tang Forbidden City during the reign  of Hong Wu,first emperor of the Ming Dynasty . They form a rectangle with a circumference of 14km ,on each side of the walls is gateway, and over each stand three towers, At each of the four corners is a watch tower ,and the top of the wall is punctuated
  	with defensive towers. The wall is 12 metres high , with a width at the top of 12 to 14 metres and at the base of 15 to 18 metres .  Air-raid shelters were hollowed out of the walls when the Japanese bombed the city ,and during the Cultural Revolution caves were dug to store grain ,most sections have been restored or even rebuilt but others have disappeared completely (through they're still shown on the maps ), so unfortunately it's not possible to walk right around Xi'an along the city walls.

  
  
  

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•  Big Goose Pagoda  
  

  	This Pagoda stands in what was formerly the Temple of Great Maternal Grace in the south of Xi'an. The temple was built about 648AD by Emperor Gao Zong (the third emperor of the Tang Dynasty)when he was still crown prince, in memory of his deceased mother. The building that stands today date from the Qing Dynasty and were built in a Ming style . The original pagoda was built in 652 AD with only five storeys , but it has been renovated ,restored and added to many times .It was built to house the Buddhist scriptures brought back
  	from India by the travelling monk Xuan Zang ,who then set about translating rises 64 metres ,you can climb to the top for a view of the countryside and the city.

  
  
  
  

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