X'ian - Cradle of Civilisation
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In the provinces of Shaanxi and Henan is the cradle of Chinese civilisation. Here, in the fertile valleys of the loess-covered landscape, the ancestors of the Chinese settled in the 3^rd century of BC. The fertile loess soil attracted the first human settlements, while irrigation difficulties forced people to work in close cooperation. As a result, the first and strongest states developed in this region.

Shaanxi Province :

The capital of Shaanxi Province, Xi’an, lies in the protected valley of the Wei river, a few dozen miles to the west of the confluence of the river Wei and the Yellow River. It was here that the first emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, unified China for the first time, During the Tang Dynasty, X’ian was the largest city in the World. It was linked to many central Asian regions and Europe via the Silk Road and thousand of foreign traders lived in the city. Following the demise of the Tang Dynasty, X’ian slowly lost its importance and began a gradual decline. Today, X’ian is a modern industrial town, known amongst other things for aviation and textile industries. There is about 3 million inhabitants and is an important centre for travel to the interior. Despite its modern buildings and the many new roads and districts, the centre of X’ian still remains the old layout from the Tang Dynasty. Right in the city where X’ian two main roads crosses is the Bell Tower, a 23 metres high tower which dates from 1384 and have been renovated. Around the Bell Tower is shopping and commercial centres. To the south, directly by the city wall is the Shaanxi Provincial Museum. It holds more that 4,000 exhibits in three buildings. The first building has a chronologically arranged exhibition about the Chinese history from earliest time to the end of the Tang Dynasty. The Shaanxi Provincial Museum, is one of the best and most important in the whole of China, regularly holds special exhibition. In a southern direction from the Bell Tower is the Great Wild Goose Pagoda or Dayanta which was built at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty in the 7^th century. The famous monk Xuanzuang went on a pilgrimage to India in 629 and returned with many Buddhist scriptures, which were stored in the pagoda and translated into Chinese. There is a lovely view of the city from the top of the Great Wild Goose Pagoda.

The most important sight of X’ian is the underground Army of Terracotta Warriors of the first Chinese emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi. It lies 23 km south of X’ian at the foot of Mount Lisban in the county of Lintong famous for its pomegranates. In 1974, peasants digging a well uncovered these life-size horse and warrior figures. There were approximately 7,000 figures from the tomb have been restores by archaeologists and are exhibited in a hall built above the excavation site. Several hundred thousand workers spent 36 years building the tomb which was destroyed and plundered by rebelling peasant shortly after the death of the emperor in 206 BC. Hot Springs of Huaqing which is on the path back from Lintong county, have been known for over 3,000 years. There are baths and pavilions in the beautiful park area.

Luoyang or "eastern imperial city" is on the east of X’ian was the residence of eastern Han Dynasty emperors. Luoyang like X’ian served as the capital for several dynasties. It flourished during the Tang and Song Dynasty but gradually lost its importance in comparison to the increasingly prosperous coastal towns. Today it is an industrial city. Many factories were built including the first tractor factory in China. An attempt has been made to make it more pleasant by creating green spaces and there are many herbaceous areas in the town. When the peonies are in bloom, Luoyang looks like one big flower garden.

The most spectacular cultural and historic sights in Luoyang are the Buddhist Longmen Caves situated 13 km south of the town. The caves were created between the 5^th and 7^th century. Most of the figures and grottoes were sponsored by noblemen. There are over 1,300 grottoes and 700 niches containing 40 pagodas, 2780 inscriptions and more than 100,000 statues and images. The most striking part of the site is the Fengxian Temple which contains 17 metres tall central statues, surrounded by bodhisattvas and heavenly guards.

Some 80 km south-east of Luoyang, in the county of Dengfeng, is the Shaolin Monastery which is situated at the western edge of the Songshan mountains. The monastery was badly ruined but has been restored in recent and now houses monks again. In main hall, the Thousands Buddha Hall, there are still dents which remind us of the tough combat exercises carried out by the monks.

South-west of the monastery is the Pagoda Forest with 220 tombs, the oldest of which probably go back to the Tang Dynasty.

Henan Province :

The provincial capital of Henan Province is Zhengzhou. Zhengzhou is an industrial town with 100 million inhabitants. The town which have very few historic sights, has many parks and green areas. The Henan Provincial Museum contains exhibits which have been found in the region since 1949, especially in Dahecun about 10 km north of Zhengzhou. Further east of Zhengzhou is Kaifeng. The town has around 300,000 inhabitants. The town served as capital for seven dynasties and flourished under the Song Dynasty. The 12 metre long scroll painting, Upriver ot the Qingming Festival, which is stored in the Imperial Palace in Beijing describes life in the flourishing commercial town , dates from that time. Kaifeng did not become an industrial centre and today it still looks like a really old Chinese town. Traditionally it produced silk and embroidery work.