Terracotta Warriors and Mount Hua 2-day Adventure

Highlights:

Explore Mount Hua, one of China’s five sacred mountains, known for its steep cliffs, narrow ridges, and dramatic views.

• Experience Xi’an’s imperial past with a visit to the Terracotta Warriors and the Qianlong Mausoleum

• Make your Terracotta Warriors and bring it home!

Enjoy a dumpling banquet and a Tang dynasty performance inspired by Xi’an’s history as an imperial capital.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Xian (D)

Arrive in Xi’an by train or plane, where your guide will meet you at the station or airport. In the evening, enjoy a dumpling banquet followed by a Tang dynasty music and dance performance.

You will stay in the Ramada Hotel (4-star) near Bell Tower (downtown). You may have an evening walk on your own around the Bell Tower. It's very safe to walk at night in China. 

Day 2: Mount Huashan (B,L) 

Today you will witness one of the greatest natural wonders in China, majestic Hua mountain (Huashan). Huashan (Hua means brilliant, Chinese, or flowery; shan means mountain) is one of the five sacred Taoist mountains in China. Huashan boasts a lot of religious sites: Taoist temples, pavilions, and engraved scriptures scatter over the hill. 

After breakfast, drive about 120 kilometers to Mount Hua, a journey of approximately three hours. The mountain is known for its sheer cliffs, narrow ridges, and deep ravines.

There are five peaks that make up the mountain: Cloud Terrace Peak (North Peak, 1613m), Jade Maiden Peak (Middle Peak, 2042m), Sunrise Peak (East Peak, 2100m), Lotus Peak (West Peak, 2038m) and Landing Wild Goose Peak (South Peak, 2160m). North Peak, the lowest of the five, is the starting point. It has three ways up it: the six kilometer winding track from Huashan village, the cable car or the path beneath it. 

By cable car and on foot you will be able to visit the peaks, and after our drive back to Xi’an you can spend the evening at your leisure. 

You will stay in Ramada Hotel tonight. 

Day 3: Terracotta Warriors and City Wall

Visit Xi’an’s Terracotta Warriors, discovered by local farmers digging a well in 1974. The life-size soldiers and horses form part of the burial complex of Qin Shi Huang, China’s first emperor. Ongoing excavations continue to reveal details of the army and the craftsmanship behind its remarkably varied figures.

Make your own miniature Terracotta Warrior. Visit a reproduction workshop to see artisans shaping clay figures using traditional techniques. With their guidance, try making a small replica to take home.

After lunch at the Terracotta Museum, you'll take a stroll on Xi'an's ancient city wall. It's the complete city wall that has survived in China, as well as being one of the largest old military defensive systems in the world. Xi'an City Wall was erected in the 14th century Ming Dynasty, under the regime of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. When Zhu Yuanzhang captured Huizhou, long before the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, he was admonished by a hermit named Zhu Sheng, who told him to "build high walls, store abundant provisions and take your time in proclaiming yourself, emperor." If you like, you have the option of renting a bike or a rickshaw on the wall to cover more ground in a shorter time.    

The three-day adventure is ended by late afternoon. We'll drop you off at the airport or train station.