Imperial mausoleum of Xi Xia Dynasty
Imperial Mausoleum of Xixia Dynasty’s unique stone statues and architectures reminds many of the Easter Island. Try to catch a glimpse of the ancient nomad imperial’s lives from the relics!
Travel Tips one – location. It is located at the foot of Helan Mountain, 30 km. (19 mi.) west of Yinchuan City in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, consisting of 9 imperial tombs and 254 tombs of imperial relatives and officials.
It’s the one of the largest and well preserved imperial mausoleums in China. In 1988, it was listed as a key cultural site under national protection by the State Council.
These hill-like yellow tombs look particularly spectacular scattering on a south-north axis. At present, you can still find remains of the ancient architectures such as turret, outer and inner city, stele pavilion and tower-shaped terrace.
All of them are shrouded in a mysterious cultural atmosphere of the ancient times earning the Imperial Mausoleum of Xixia Dynasty (1038 – 1227) the reputation of being the “Oriental pyramid”.
Nowadays, Xixia Museum has been built to better preserve and showcase the culture and history of that historical period. The museum covers an area of 5,300 sq.m. (57,048 sq. ft.) with a unique and characteristic architectural style of Xixia Dynasty.
There are now 671 elaborately selected cultural relics and 431 monographs, thesis and magazines devoted to the introduction of Xixia culture exhibited there.
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Besides, stone pillars with carved dragons, Xixia stone inscriptions and statues, Xixia porcelain, Buddhist sutras and paintings are also worth a visit to see. The most famous is the gliding copper cattle which weighs 188 tons and is deemed as the gem of Xixia cultural relics.
On the second floor of the museum, you’ll find eight scrolls of mural paintings considered as the quintessence of Xixia grotto art.
It is a wonderful museum that enables you to appreciate the brilliant culture of Xixia Dynasty, to explore the secrets of its history and to capture your imagination as well.
Final travel tips for you: the ticket price is 60 RMB (10 USD) per person and it opens from 8:00 to 18:00.
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