Xi'an Museum

Xi'an Museum includes the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, the Tang Jianfu Temple ruins, and the exhibition hall. Due to the presence of the Shaanxi History Museum, this local museum is relatively low-key, but its location in the ancient capital of thirteen dynasties gives it a rich historical brilliance. Exiting the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, I entered this exhibition hall. The design of the hall incorporates elements of Tang-style architecture, with a cubic main structure, a circular tower in the center, and square pavilions on both sides of the roof, embodying the traditional Chinese concept of "round heaven and square earth." The exhibition hall has one basement level and two above-ground floors. The entrance is on the first floor, and the exit is located underground. The first floor features a circular central hall, while the second floor is designed as a ring corridor, with exhibition rooms distributed around the basement and the first and second floors. Like most local museums, its basic exhibition theme is the ancient capital Xi'an, divided into two topics: the Millennium Ancient Capital and the Imperial Capital Panorama. It introduces Xi'an's historical highlights as the capital of thirteen dynasties in the order of Western Zhou Fenghao, Qin Epang Palace, Han Chang'an City, Sui-Tang Chang'an, and Ming-Qing Xi'an. Interspersed among these are unearthed artifacts from various historical periods. These exquisite artifacts are not only works of art but also powerful physical evidence. Additionally, there are special art exhibitions on Buddhist statues, ancient calligraphy and paintings, jade, seals, and more, with a dazzling array of displayed cultural relics. Since Emperor Wu of Han sent Zhang Qian on a mission to the Western Regions, the Silk Road starting from Chang'an was opened. By the height of the Tang Dynasty, the capital Chang'an had become an international metropolis of the East. The city was home to foreigners from all over the world; Hu music and Hu clothing were popular in the capital, and various exotic treasures and customs injected new vitality into Chang'an. In 2014, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda was listed as a World Cultural Heritage site as part of the "Silk Road: the network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor" heritage. Exiting the exhibition hall, I saw the Xi'an Museum logo on the lawn outside. Behind the logo is a sculpture of a Hu rider on horseback, which is one of the museum's treasures. This is a Tang Sancai Flying Horse, unearthed in 1966. The horse is depicted in a flying posture, with a Hu figurine riding on its back, wearing a round-collared dark blue robe, a leather belt at the waist, and pointed boots. The flying horse is ochre yellow with white spots, equipped with a blue saddle and a pack behind the saddle, realistically reflecting the image of a Western Region Hu person rushing to Chang'an along the Silk Road.