1-day Tour to Qian Mausoleum & Famen Temple

In the morning, you will be picked up at your hotel to start your day-tour.

[Qian Mausoleum], the tomb of Emperor Gaozong and his empress Wuzetian, is located on the peak of Liangshan, 80 kilometers away from Xi'An. The great mausoleum was first built in 684 and is one of the best preserved tombs among the Tang Dynasty's 18 mausoleums. Stone sculptures scatter around everywhere in the mausoleum sites. Exquisite and elegant, these stone carvings upright on top of the mountain for over 1,200 years.

The first stone sculpture you will encounter is a pair of ornamental pillars. The tall and upright pillars are charismatic and their shafts, plinths and crown were all decorated with line carvings. Along the sacred path, you will then find pairs of winged horses and rose finches.

Ancient Chinese supreme rulers wanted their underground life to be prosperous so they often had propitious creatures, birds, beasts placed in front of their mausoleum to guard them. The winged horses, wings decorated with slender, delicate lines, are in a flying gallop. The rose finches, in high relief, were beautifully shaped and sturdily carved. It is said that because rose finches were a gift from Afghanistan for the funeral and could serve as guards, a pair of them were erected in front of the tomb.

[Famen Temple] is located in Famen Town, 120 kilometers northwest of Xi'an. It’s the famous temple of dagoba for the bones of Sakyamuni in the ancient times. Famen means the initial approach to becoming a Buddhist believer. The Famen Temple was first built during East Han Dynasty. In 147 AD King Asoka of India traveled throughout Asia, distributing Buddhist relics as atonement for his sins and war-like attitude. In China, he built this Temple and left the fingers of Buddha to be enshrined here, so The Famen Temple pagoda, also named "the Real Spirit Pagoda". An underground vault was discovered beneath the foundation of the pagoda. The palace is 21.2 meters long with an area of 31.84 square meters. A large amount of Buddhist relics were found including four finger sarira relics, 121 gold and silver articles, 17 glass articles, 16 pieces of olive green porcelain, more than 700 pieces of silk fabrics, 104 Buddhist figurines, hundreds of volumes of Buddhist scripture and many stone carvings and steles. They are national treasures.

After the visits, we take our can/van coming back to the city. The one-day tour ends when getting back to your hotel.

Meals included: Lunch