Xuzhou – the “Athens of the Orient “
Links: Key Scenic Spots of the Chu and Han Culture in Xuzhou
Xuzhou Museum
The museum exhibits 120-odd pieces of pottery, stone, jade, bone and copper objects discovered in Xuzhou from the Neolithic Age to the Qin Dynasty.
Guishan Mountain Tomb
Guishan Mountain is part of the Jiuli Mountain range and is so called because it resembles a turtle. The tomb’s vast construction, imposing manner and exquisite structure is a typical example of the tombs of princes in the mid-Western Han Dynasty in Xuzhou. Many precious cultural relics have been excavated from the tomb including jade items, terracotta warriors, a silver seal with a turtle-shaped knob and a copper spear.
The Han Stone Engravings Gallery
The gallery currently houses 800-odd Han stone engravings, 177 of which are exhibited in corridors and seven exhibition rooms. These are precious cultural relics with historical, artistic and scientific value. In terms of carving techniques, it laid foundations for stone carving in the Southern and Northern Dynasties and inspired the carving style in the Wei and Jin Dynasties. In terms of content, they together formed a picture book of the Han history, vividly reflecting various aspects of society in the Han Dynasty.
The Han Culture Theme Park
It includes the Prince of Chu’s Mausoleum, the Museum of the Han Dynasty Terracotta Army and the Queen’s Mausoleum.
The mausoleum of the Prince of Chu is a large and rare cliff tomb. It is thought to contain the largest number of cultural relics and have the highest historical value of all Han Dynasty tombs.
The Museum of the Han Dynasty Terracotta Army covers nearly 5,000 square meters and is simple in layout, but rich in content.
Han City in Peixian County
This is a Han culture theme park featuring a mixture of classical and modern architecture.
Xima Tai
In 206 BC, Xiang Yu proclaimed himself Overlord of Western Chu after he ousled the Qin Dynasty and set his capital in Pengcheng. He built the Xima Tai south of the city to view horse racing and military training.
