China's Scenic Spots Essence Tour - Xi'an

Author: Xing Yunfan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-07-01
Features: This book is a travel guide about Xi'an. Xi'an, anciently known as Chang'an, is a famous ancient capital that embodies the five thousand years of rich history and culture of China, and is currently the capital of Shaanxi Province. The book introduces major tourist attractions in Xi'an, including the World Wonders, the Terracotta Army; Cultural Treasures, a collection of national treasures; Ancient Architecture Gems, the Big and Small Wild Goose Pagodas; Imperial Tombs of Past Dynasties, majestic and magnificent; Ancient Ruins, once glorious; Famous Temples and Monasteries, Buddhist scenic spots; the Xi'an Incident, forever recorded in history; Famous Mountains and Scenic Waters, picturesque scenery. The so-called "Seven Wonders of the World" refer to seven magnificent architectural and sculptural works in the West Asia, North Africa, and Aegean Sea regions during ancient times, especially the era of Alexander the Great of Macedon (356-323 BC). This notion first appeared in the essays of the comic writer Antipater of Thessalonica in the 2nd century BC, and later was mentioned in the works of the Byzantine rhetorician Philemon. Initially, the contents of the Seven Wonders were not consistent, but by the 6th century AD, a relatively fixed list was established. They are:
1. The Pyramids of Egypt;
2. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon (now in the south of Baghdad, Iraq);
3. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (a city in Asia Minor, the western part of present-day Turkey, an ancient Greek colony on the coast).