I had long wanted to take my mother to the empty northwest for a tour, so I planned a temporary route this June:
Zhoukou--Xi'an--Tianshui (Maijishan Grottoes)--Lanzhou--Xining--Tar Temple--Qinghai Lake--Chaka Salt Lake--Dachaidan "Jade Lake"--Yadan Devil City, Qinghai---Aksai (Petroleum Town)--Dunhuang (Mogao Grottoes, Crescent Moon Spring)--Jiayuguan-Zhangye Colorful Danxia--Matisi Grottoes--Wuwei (Tiantianshan Stone Grottoes)--Pingliang--Yuncheng (Jiezhou Guandi Temple)--Kaifeng--Zhoukou.
I will first write down several places before Xining separately, and then write the most classic Qinggan Grand Ring Road. Generally speaking, when traveling to Qinghai, if you have enough time, you usually start from Xining or Lanzhou to take this large ring road.

This is the general route I planned before departure. Due to the rush and some deviations from the plan, I will explain it in detail later.

Printed a copy of the planned route for convenience

June 18:640 kilometers from my hometown to Xi'an Big Wild Goose Pagoda, we depart at around 3 p.m. and arrive at the hotel at about 12 a.m.
The picture below shows the Big Wild Goose Pagoda taken at the entrance of the hotel before arriving.

We will depart early on the 19th. The Terracotta Warriors and Horses at the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. It is more than 40 kilometers from the hotel to the Terracotta Warriors parking lot, about 50 minutes. The parking fee is 20 yuan.

Square in front of the scenic spot

At the first gate of the scenic area, there is a battery car to sit at the entrance of the Terracotta Warriors after checking in. However, it takes less than ten minutes to walk. Depending on personal needs, we walked there.

There will be a second ticket check at the entrance of the Terracotta Warriors. After entering, there will be Pit No. 1 of the Terracotta Warriors (below) directly in front of them.

Main Gate of Pit 1

Pit No. 1 is the earliest developed and largest one in the Terracotta Warriors Museum.

While there were few people, I quickly took two pictures of my mother.

On the right hand side of Pit 1 after it comes out is the back door of Pit 3 (picture below).

The pottery figurines in Pit No. 3 were seriously damaged.

After Pit No. 3 comes out, there is the back door of Pit No. 2 in front, and the terracotta soldiers in Pit No. 2 are also seriously damaged (picture below).

However, in the display window next to it, there are relatively exquisite complete terracotta soldiers-"Senior Military History Servants"

"Intermediate Military History Servant"(I feel that I am getting thinner and thinner from advanced to intermediate...)

This is the "shooting servant"(thinner)

Leave a memorial at the main entrance of Pit 2.

The exhibition hall in the picture below contains the bronze carriage of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the "most expensive carriage in the world".

The "Copper Carriage" is the earliest discovered, largest and most completely preserved bronze art work so far, and is known as the "Crown of Bronze".

According to the order of excavation, the two bronze carriages were numbered as Car No. 1 and Car No. 2 respectively.
The picture below shows the No. 1 copper carriage

The No. 1 carriage is also known as the "vertical carriage" and "high carriage". Four copper horses are driven in front of the carriage. There is a high-pole copper umbrella standing in the carriage, and a royal figure standing under the umbrella.

The cart is equipped with copper crossbows, copper shields and other weapons. The vehicle should be a personnel vehicle, which played the role of opening roads, guarding and conquering in Qin Shihuang's motorcade.

Car No. 2, also known as "Anche", has a total weight of 1241 kilograms. The plane of the carriage is in a "convex" shape and is divided into two rooms. The royal hand terracotta sits in the front room and drives, and the rear room is for the owner.

However, there is a "replica" logo right in front of the No. 2 copper carriage. It is unknown whether the authentic product has been lent out for exhibition.

From the Terracotta Warriors exit, you have to pass through a long shopping street to reach the square at the entrance. (Maybe this is a common problem in most scenic spots. Whether you shop or not, you have to pass through the shopping area to come out).

Sculpture of Qin Shi Huang

Right in front of the sculpture is a free shuttle bus to the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. It takes about ten minutes to drive. There is actually nothing to see in the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. After all, the underground palace of the Qin Mausoleum has not been excavated. However, the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang and the Terracotta Warriors are available on the same ticket. If you come to the Terracotta Warriors, you can stop by and take a look.

It had been raining since the Terracotta Warriors came out, and we didn't even see anyone checking in at the ticket gate of the Qin Shihuang Mausoleum, so we came straight in.

Instead of choosing a battery car in the scenic area, we walked all the way straight to the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang.

The picture below should be where the underground palace of the Qin Mausoleum is located. Due to various reasons, it has not been excavated.

I originally planned to visit other ruins and pits, but there were almost no people in the scenic area and it felt gloomy. In the end, I decided to go directly back to the city.

Take the shuttle bus to the Terracotta Warriors parking lot. It just stopped raining, so we came to take a group photo with the car.

It was only past four o'clock when I returned to my residence in the city. The next stop was the "Xi'an City God Temple", one of China's three major City God temples. It was one of the three major City God temples in the world at that time, governing the city gods of several northwest provinces, so it was called the "City God Temple".

The large plaque on the front of the archway reads "City God Temple" in four large gold-plated characters, and the large plaque on the back also reads "Are you here?" These eight characters are all selected from Yan Zhenqing's authentic regular script.

Behind the archway is a small commercial street

Across the commercial street is the "Wenchang Pavilion" and "Financial Shrine".

Behind the Temple of Finance is the main entrance of the City God Temple

Incense can be placed in the temple to pray for blessings

It is about 900 meters away from Chenghuang Temple to Hui Street. On the way, you will pass Beiguangji Street, the "Times Ceremony".

Various snacks in Guangji Street

Xi'an Drum Tower, behind which is the popular "Hui Street"

I came here in 2010. I think I remember it was called Huifang Street

This is "Huajue Alley", and the stall owners in it all speak sneaky English.

"Lao Baijia Roujiamo" at the Internet celebrity snack bar on Huimin Street

Outside the door was full of tourists queuing up. In desperation, they entered the store to consume and avoided the pain of queuing.

Personally, I feel that the taste is average and nothing special.

I feel that the mutton steamed buns brought to the alley by friends who have come to Xi'an for many years are delicious...(slightly disappointed (helpless))

After returning to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda after eating and drinking on Huimin Street, I just caught the music fountain at 8 o'clock in the evening and captured the last photo of the main spray.

The landlord in front of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda felt a little vicissitudes (helpless)

Risking the risk of being scolded by the security guard, I ran to the center of the fountain and took it (picture below)...

Dacien Temple at night

Xuanzang Sculpture in front of Dacien Temple

The crowd in front of the sculpture heading for the Tang Dynasty Sleepless City. Intensive phobia......

It is worthy of being a check-in place for Internet celebrities in Xi'an. It is really beautiful.

I seem to see many people playing on Douyin...

datang sleepless city

June 20: The hotel is about 1.2 kilometers on foot from the "Daci 'en Temple" and passes through the North Square of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. (The Big Wild Goose Pagoda Music Fountain at 9 a.m.)

The "Sunset Red" tour group in front of Dacien Temple.

Dacien Temple-the ancestral court of the "Weishi Sect"(also known as the Fa Fa Sect, Jushe Sect, and Cien Sect), one of the "eight Buddhist sects" in China. It is one of the three major translation sites in Chang 'an in the Tang Dynasty. It has a history of more than 1350 years.

Dacien Temple was the most famous and magnificent Buddhist temple in Chang 'an City of the Tang Dynasty. It was built by imperial decree of the Li Tang Dynasty.

The top floor of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda overlooks the music fountain in the North Square.

The ancestral court of the "Tantra", one of the "Eight Buddhist sects", and the royal temple of the Sui and Tang Dynasties-"Daxing Shan Temple"

With a history of more than 1700 years, it is one of the oldest existing Buddhist temples in Xi'an. (No tickets are required, more locals come)

During the Kaihuang period of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, Xi'an was expanded into Daxing City. The temple occupied a square of Jingshanfang in the city. The city was named "Daxing" and the square was named "Shan", and the name Daxing Shan Temple has been given to this day.

During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Buddhism was prevalent in Chang 'an, and Daxingshan Temple became one of the three major translation sites for Chang' an to translate Buddhist scriptures at that time.

At this point, my trip to Xi'an came to an end. In a day and a half, I visited the "Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shi Huang","City God Temple","Hui Street","Big Goose Pagoda Music Fountain","Tang Dynasty Sleepless City","Dacien Temple","Daxingshan Temple".
"Xi'an", one of the four major ancient capitals in the world, has left me with infinite imagination. It is enough to visit some cities once, but this city is different. If I have the opportunity in the future, I think I will go again, not only to remember history, but also to see its prosperity again!