Shaanxi religious relics

The Famen Temple

The Famen Temple is located in Famen Town ten kilometers north of Fufeng County seat, 120 kilometers west of Xi’an, 96 kilometers east of Bao Ji. In April, 1987, with the discovery of the underground palace, the finger bones of Sakyamuni and other valuable relics were unearthed, including 121 pieces of gold and silverware, 17 pieces of glaze ware, 16 pieces of secret celadon (the technique of which has been lost), and over 700 pieces of silk brocade. This unprecedented discovery ignited great excitement all over the world, thus it is called the second wonder after the Terracotta Army in Shaanxi Province.

The Big Wild Goose Pagoda

As the symbol of Xi’an, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is situated in the Da Ci’en Temple, southern Xi’an city. It is 64 meters (211.6 feet) high with seven stories. Inside the pagoda, stairs twist up so that visitors can climb and overlook the panorama of Xi’an City. Xuan Zang, a prominent Buddhist scholar of the Tang Dynasty, brought back Sanskrit Buddhist scriptures from India and became the head of the Da Ci'en Temple. He stayed in the temple for 12 years and presided over the translation of the Sanskrit Buddhist scriptures, thus the Da Ci’en Temple holds a significant position in the history of Chinese Buddhism.

Yuhua Palace

Yuhua Palace is located northwest of Tongchuan City, which is the scenic spot integrating natural scenery with cultural relics. As one of the famous tourist attractions in north Shaanxi, it is the best choice for sight-seeing, vacationing, and holding religious activities. It was one of the four largest imperial summer resorts, featuring beautiful scenery and pleasant weather. Since Master Xuan Zang spent his later years there, it is also a holy place for Buddhism. What’s more, Yuhua Palace ski run provides the tourists with the best place for skiing in the winter time.

The Great Mosque

The Great Mosque is located in Huajue Lane, northwest of the Drum Tower in Xi’an city. It was first built in 742 A.D. during the Tang Dynasty, and renovated in later periods. As one of the oldest, largest and best-preserved Islamic mosques in China, it possesses much Chinese ancient architecture tradition, symbolizing the integration of Islamic culture and Chinese culture.

The LouGuan Temple

The Louguan Temple is situated on the hillside north of the Qinling Mountain, southeast of Zhouzhi County. The National Forest Park is characterized by its dense forest, green hills, varieties of animal species, and rich cultural relics. It is a unique tourist attraction, taking both natural and human elements as an integral whole; thus it ranks first in the area of Zhongnan Mountain Range. As one of the first twelve national forest parks nominated by the Ministry of Forestry, the park began to take shape in 1982. It’s also the first forest park in the northwest region.

The Qinglong Temple

The Qinglong Temple is located at Leyou Yuan, southeast from the downtown area. As the temple of the Chinese Mi sect of Buddhism, it is one of the key protected cultural relics in Shaanxi Province. The Qinglong temple, set up in 582 A.D., used to be called Ling Gan Si (Temple of Inspiration) in the Sui Dynasty. It was the place where Hui Guo, a Mi sect master in the Tang Dynasty, studied the Buddhism. Kukai, a Japanese monk, acknowledged Hui Guo in this temple, thus founded the Zhenyan sect (the True Word Sect). Several other monks from foreign countries also acknowledged Hui Guo as a Mi sect master, which brought the fame of the Qinglong Temple abroad.

The Caotang Temple

The Caotang Temple is located at the northern foot of Guifeng Mountain in the Caotangying Village of Huxian County. It was the place of the origin of the Three Classics sect and Huayan sect of Buddhism. Once a part of Xiaoyao Garden in the period of Late Qin, Caotang Temple later became a sacred place where the Buddhist master Kumarajiva translated Buddhist scriptures. It is the first state translation office in China for translating Buddhist scriptures. The office was a simple thatch-roofed house, hence the name the Caotang Temple. It is recorded that Kumarajiva, along with his disciples, translated 97 sets and 427 volumes of Buddhist scriptures, including the Three classics named Madhyawikasastra (Zhong Lun), Satasastra (Bai Lun) and the Twelve Sastras ( Twelve Men Lun).

The Grand Buddha temple

Located in Binxian County, Xian Yang City, the Grand Buddha temple was built in 628 A.D. during the Tang Dynasty, with its original name being the Qingshou Temple. In front of the temple there is a place called “Mirror Stage,” on which a three-story pavilion was built, over 50 meters high. From there you can get a bird’s eye view of the whole temple. There are 107 grottoes, 257 Buddha niches, and 1498 statues in various sizes. The Grand Buddha is 24 meters high, in sitting posture, clearly exhibiting the artistic features of the Tang Buddha figures: plump face, drooping ears, solemn and benignant expression. It is honored as the largest Buddha in Shaanxi Province, even on the Silk Road.

The Shuilu Temple

Located in Lantian County, Xi’an city, Shuilu Temple was first built in the Six Dynasties Period (220-589), and renovated in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It acquires its fame for the exquisite statuaries, thus is reputed as a “storybook series of stone carvings.” Among 3700 various shapes of clay sculptures in the wall, the rarest ones are of the Guan Yin Buddha in the form of a male figure and the statues of Sakyamuni, Laozi and Confucius the syncretism of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.

The Baiyun Mountain

Located 5 kilometers south of Jiaxian County, Yulin city, the Baiyun Mountain is known for its beautiful natural scenery and rich cultural relics. As one of the famous Taoist mountains, it is a key cultural relic site and is under state protection. With a group of Taoist temples, and other ancient buildings, it has become a holy land of Taoism, where also syncretized the elements of Buddhism and Confucianism. The Baiyun temple was first built in the Song Dynasty and renovated in the later periods. There are many precious cultural relics preserved in the temple, including frescos, sculptures, paintings and handwritings.

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