Xi'an Subway

Xi'an Subway is a system currently under construction to serve the city of Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi in People's republic of China. Line 2 is currently under construction and Line 1 will begin construction in 2009. Four other routes are also planned to start in 2013 and finish around 2020. When completed the total system will be 251.8 kilometers .

Line 2

The first line, Line 2, began construction along Chang An street on September 29, 2006 and is scheduled to be completed by 2011. It will run north-south and pass under such historic sites as the Bell Tower and . It will be 26.4 km long with 23.5 km being underground approximatively 20 meters below the surface. It is estimated to cost 17.9 billion yuan . The route will be from the Xian Railway Station to Changyanbu with 20 stops in between. The travel time will only be 39 minutes for the entire length, cutting the commute almost in half.

Line 1

The 2nd route will start to be built in 2009. It is scheduled to be completed by 2015. It will run from east to west.

The preparation phase for the extension of Xi'an's Line One has started with the compilation of a feasibility study on November 4, 2007. It also said that Line One will probably be extended to People's Square in Xianyang and Xianyang International Airport.

To accelerate the speed of overall economy development between Xi'an and Xianyang cities, the Transportation Department of Xi'an has decided to extend Line One to People's Square to promote business travel between the two cities, as well as improve the efficiency of land usage alongside Line One. This project is scheduled to start after the completion of Line Two in 2009 and to be put into operation in 2013. Moreover, other subway lines including Line Three, Line Four, Line Five and Line Six will start construction in 2013 according to the plan.

After the extension of Line One to the Xi'an Xianyang International Airport, Xianyang City will become the first second-tier city in a China with a subway.

Xi'an Palace

Xi'an Palace was the palace of the Sui Dynasty and built under the order of the Emperor in 582. The palace was contained in the Imperial City of Daxing.

Xi'an Banpo Museum

The Xi'an Banpo Museum is a museum in Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. The museum houses artifacts from the archaeological site of Banpo. The museum gives access to the excavated buildings, has a collection of artifacts from the site, and also has several reconstructed houses designed to resemble the Neolithic settlement.

Buses run there from the Terracotta Army and from Xi'an.

Stele Forest

Stele Forest , aka Xi'an Stele Forest Museum or Xi'an Beilin Museum, is a museum for s and stone sculptures which is located in Xi'an, China. Its name comes from its huge collection of steles, reminiscent of a forest. The stele forest is housed in Xi'an's 11th century Confucius Temple, which is one of the most renowned Confucian Temples in China.

History

The Stele Forest began with the ''Kaicheng Shi Jing Steles'' and ''Shitai Xiao Jing Steles'' , two groups of steles both carved in the Tang dynasty and displayed in the temple to Confucius in Chang'an. In 904, a rebel army sacked Chang'an, and the two stele were evacuated to the inner city. In 962, they were again moved to the rebuilt temple to Confucius. In the Song Dynasty , a special hall, with attached facilities, was built to house and display the two Stele groups. It was damaged during the Ming dynasty, in the 1556 Shaanxi earthquake.

Steles

It collects nearly 3000 steles and it is the biggest museum for steles in China. Most of its collection are steles of the Tang Dynasty. Ink rubbings of the steles are available for sale.
Among the unusual examples is a 18th-century stele depicting a Yangtze River flood control project. Another appears to be a bamboo forest, but on examination the leaves and branches form a poem.

*Cao Quan Stele
*Sima Fang Stele
* Stele
*Nestorian Stele

Stone sculptures

*Six Steeds of Zhao Mausoleum

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Xi'an

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Xi’an is an archdiocese located in the city of Xi’an in China.

History

April 12, 1911: Established as Apostolic Vicariate of Central Shensi 陝西中境 from the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Shensi 陝西北境
December 3, 1924: Renamed as Apostolic Vicariate of Xi’anfu 西安府
April 11, 1946: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Xi’an 西安

Leadership

Archbishops of Xi’an 西安
*Bishop Pacific Li Huan-de, O.F.M.
*Archbishop Pacifico Giulio Vanni, O.F.M.
Vicars Apostolic of Xi’anfu 西安府
*Bishop Pacifico Giulio Vanni, O.F.M.
*Bishop Fiorenzo Umberto Tessiatore, O.F.M.
*Bishop Eugenio Massi, O.F.M.
Vicars Apostolic of Central Shensi 陝西中境
*Bishop Eugenio Massi, O.F.M.
*Bishop Auguste-Jean-Gabriel Maurice, O.F.M.

Suffragan Dioceses

Nestorian Stele

The Nestorian Stele or Nestorian Stone, formally the Memorial of the Propagation in China of the Luminous Religion from Daqin , is a erected in 781 which celebrates the accomplishments of the Assyrian Church of the East in China, which is also referred to as the Church .

The stele documents the existence of Christian communities in several cities in northern China and reveals that the church had initially received recognition by the Tang in 635. It is a 279-cm tall limestone block. It is also translated as ''A Monument Commemorating the Propagation of the Ta-Chin Luminous Religion in the Middle Kingdom'' .

It was erected on January 7, 781, at the imperial capital city of Chang'an , or at nearby Chou-Chih . The was by Lü Xiuyan , and the content was composed by the Nestorian monk, Jingjing , in the four- and six- euphemistic style Chinese and a few lines in . On top of the tablet, there is a cross. Calling God "Veritable Majesty", the text refers to Genesis, the , and the baptism. It also pays tribute to missionaries and benefactors of the church, who are known to have arrived in China by 640.

The stele was unearthed in the late Ming Dynasty beside Chongren Temple , where it was housed for several centuries. It is now displayed in the Stele Forest in Xi'an.

The Nestorian Stone has attracted the attention of some anti-Christian groups, who argue that the stone is a fake or that the inscriptions were modified by the who served in the Ming Court. There is no scientific or historical evidence to support this claim.

Numerous Christian gravestones have also been found in China in the Xinjiang region, Quanzhou and elsewhere from a somewhat later period. There are also two much later stelae presenting a curious mix of Christian and Buddhist aspects, which are preserved at the site of the former Monastery of the cross in the Fangshan District, near Beijing.

Location

The Nestorian Stele is on exhibit at the Xi'an Beilin Museum in Xi'an, Shaanxi. The Nestorian Stele is located in Room Number 2 and is the first stele on the left after the entry.

Drum Tower of Xi'an

The Drum Tower of Xi'an , located in the heart of Xi'an in Shaanxi province of China, along with the it is a symbol of the city. Erected in 1380 during the early Ming Dynasty, it stand towering above the city center and offers incredible view of Xi'an.

The Drum Tower got its name from the huge drum located within the building. In contrast to the Bell Tower, where bell was stricken at dawn, drum was beat at sunset to indicate the end of the day.

On the Drum Towe's first floor, lies a hall which hangs many large drums. Each was decorated with intrinsic and beautiful Chinese writing, which symbolizes good fortune. The impressive arrays of drums are only on show and visitors are not allowed to touch any of them. But there is an extra drum near the front entrance where visitors can pose for pictures for a small fee.

Inside the Drum Tower there is also a drum museum, where a variety of drums are on display, some of which can be dated back thousands of years. There is a drum show performed here everyday. The top of the tower commands a panoramic view of the city.