Han Yang Ling Museum
Han Yang Ling Museum
4.5
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM
About
The joint mausoleum of Emperor Jingdi and Empress Wang, his consort.
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4.5
86 reviews
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oztraveller61
Canberra, Australia71 contributions
Review of Han Yang Ling Museum
I cannot believe that I’m the first to review this attraction and I’m sorry that my photos do not do it justice.
On our visit to Xian to see the tomb of Qin Shi Huang and the Terracotta Warriors our excellent guide Cindy from China Highlights suggested that, if we left early for the airport, on the way we could visit the Han Yang Ling Museum that displays archaeological finds from around the tomb of Emperor Jingdi. Our trusty Lonely Planet guidebook calls the site simply “Tomb of Emperor Jingdi” and strongly recommends a visit, so we went. Lonely Planet says it is “Xian’s most underrated highlight”; how right!
Many know that Qin Shi Huang was a despot who had an army of thousands of full sized warriors moulded in clay to protect him in the after-life. Jingdi (188 -141 BC) ruled a much reduced area, about 50 years after Qin and he seems to have been a much nicer guy. Jingdi and his wife are buried in twin mausoleums under huge earthen mounds about 1 km apart. Surrounding the tombs are trenches filled with thousands of terracotta figures representing what the Emperor needed in his after-life. Unlike the army of Qin, Jingdi went for the mundane – advisors, servants, cooks, flocks of sheep, herds of cows and everything you need to eat well. And in the interests of economy most of his figurines are half size.
The Han Yang Ling Museum may not be as big as that which displays Qin’s army but it is just as impressive and much more modern. Visitors walk on glass floors right over the on-going excavations and tens of thousands of artefacts are beautifully displayed. Many figurines were originally buried in fine clothes that have long since rotted away, but some are now restored, dressed and arranged just the way they were over 2000 years ago.
Another attraction is a stunning holographic audio visual technique whereby the image of a narrator appears to wonder among and discuss models of what is on display.
The most amazing feature of this museum is that there are so few visitors; not more than 20 or 30 when we went. If visiting Xian be sure to make this a stop on your way to or from the airport, you will not be disappointed.
I cannot believe that I’m the first to review this attraction and I’m sorry that my photos do not do it justice.
On our visit to Xian to see the tomb of Qin Shi Huang and the Terracotta Warriors our excellent guide Cindy from China Highlights suggested that, if we left early for the airport, on the way we could visit the Han Yang Ling Museum that displays archaeological finds from around the tomb of Emperor Jingdi. Our trusty Lonely Planet guidebook calls the site simply “Tomb of Emperor Jingdi” and strongly recommends a visit, so we went. Lonely Planet says it is “Xian’s most underrated highlight”; how right!
Many know that Qin Shi Huang was a despot who had an army of thousands of full sized warriors moulded in clay to protect him in the after-life. Jingdi (188 -141 BC) ruled a much reduced area, about 50 years after Qin and he seems to have been a much nicer guy. Jingdi and his wife are buried in twin mausoleums under huge earthen mounds about 1 km apart. Surrounding the tombs are trenches filled with thousands of terracotta figures representing what the Emperor needed in his after-life. Unlike the army of Qin, Jingdi went for the mundane – advisors, servants, cooks, flocks of sheep, herds of cows and everything you need to eat well. And in the interests of economy most of his figurines are half size.
The Han Yang Ling Museum may not be as big as that which displays Qin’s army but it is just as impressive and much more modern. Visitors walk on glass floors right over the on-going excavations and tens of thousands of artefacts are beautifully displayed. Many figurines were originally buried in fine clothes that have long since rotted away, but some are now restored, dressed and arranged just the way they were over 2000 years ago.
Another attraction is a stunning holographic audio visual technique whereby the image of a narrator appears to wonder among and discuss models of what is on display.
The most amazing feature of this museum is that there are so few visitors; not more than 20 or 30 when we went. If visiting Xian be sure to make this a stop on your way to or from the airport, you will not be disappointed.
Written 29 October 2008
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gavin S S
Southampton, UK12 contributions
Nov 2014 • Couples
On a tour as a "little extra" our guide took us to the Han Yang Ling Museum which is situated not far from Xian airport. While the major attraction in the area is the "Terracotta Army" - and this should certainly not be missed - the Han Yang Ling museum is in many ways equally impressive.
Housed under a well designed museum building the "mini warriors" are displayed as they were discovered. You walk right over the exhibits on cleverly designed glass walkways.
The figures are in fact dolls each around 2 feet tall. Their bodies are made from clay, arms were of wood and they were originally clothed in silk.
As with the Terracotta Army the scale of the display is very impressive - be sure not to miss the huge lines of animals.
This is a very well presented museum which is well worth a visit.
Housed under a well designed museum building the "mini warriors" are displayed as they were discovered. You walk right over the exhibits on cleverly designed glass walkways.
The figures are in fact dolls each around 2 feet tall. Their bodies are made from clay, arms were of wood and they were originally clothed in silk.
As with the Terracotta Army the scale of the display is very impressive - be sure not to miss the huge lines of animals.
This is a very well presented museum which is well worth a visit.
Written 3 December 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Arielle Emmett
Hendersonville, NC23 contributions
June 2012 • Friends
This tomb and museum is spectacular and much more intimate than the famous football-size fields of Bin Ma Yong, the Terra Cotta Warriors of the Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
In June 2012 I visited Xian's Han Yang Ling tomb northwest of the current city of Xi-An. This underground museum is housed within a tumulus with 80 radiating burial sites totaling 20 kilometers in size. The tomb belongs to Emperor Jing Di (Liu Qi), the fourth Emperor of the Western Han dynasty (188 BCE – 141 BCE). Jing Di wasn’t a conquerer. But he was known for having negotiated a peace with the Xiong (Huns) of the North and maintaining a prosperous kingdom along with his beloved wife, Empress Wang
(see my full review: http://www.shoutswedoubt.blogspot.com).
Jing Di believed in an afterlife, and began his tomb project in 153 BC. The mausoleum was completed in 126 BC, 15 years after his death. Although the tombs were found in 1970s, archaeological investigation and clearing of the area's construction sites did not begin until 1990. The museum was formally opened in 1999, four years after I had visited Xi-An and seen the terra cotta warriors (Bin Ma Yong) of the warrior Emperor Qin. In many respects, the tomb's figurines -- rows of warriors holding weapons, young ladies clad in silk dresses, thousands of pigs, horses, cattle, sheep, goats, and dogs sculpted in miniature -- enthralled and moved me much more.
We descend into a dark modern triangle that reminds me of a bomb shelter or a spike in the earth, and below inside a cavernous hall as I descend a ramp is a pagoda lit in red, shrouded in a dark gray light, and I walk on glass walkways with surgical booties affixed to my shoes.
Pit after pit of Han dolls stretch before me in darkness – effigies of courtesans, soldiers, craftsmen, pigs, dogs, sheep – mild and beautifully calm, some of their bodies still buried in dust, others exposed, naked male dolls, naked female dolls with small bumps for breasts, many of them knocked over – lying in the red dusty clay of each pit. Tour guides and their groups walk past me – guides speaking Chinese, Japanese, English – and all I can see are the tiny heads popping out of the dirt, the millions of tiny humans in effigy, some with long straight legs....
[Read more at http://shoutswedoubt.blogspot.com "Remains of the Grains"]
In June 2012 I visited Xian's Han Yang Ling tomb northwest of the current city of Xi-An. This underground museum is housed within a tumulus with 80 radiating burial sites totaling 20 kilometers in size. The tomb belongs to Emperor Jing Di (Liu Qi), the fourth Emperor of the Western Han dynasty (188 BCE – 141 BCE). Jing Di wasn’t a conquerer. But he was known for having negotiated a peace with the Xiong (Huns) of the North and maintaining a prosperous kingdom along with his beloved wife, Empress Wang
(see my full review: http://www.shoutswedoubt.blogspot.com).
Jing Di believed in an afterlife, and began his tomb project in 153 BC. The mausoleum was completed in 126 BC, 15 years after his death. Although the tombs were found in 1970s, archaeological investigation and clearing of the area's construction sites did not begin until 1990. The museum was formally opened in 1999, four years after I had visited Xi-An and seen the terra cotta warriors (Bin Ma Yong) of the warrior Emperor Qin. In many respects, the tomb's figurines -- rows of warriors holding weapons, young ladies clad in silk dresses, thousands of pigs, horses, cattle, sheep, goats, and dogs sculpted in miniature -- enthralled and moved me much more.
We descend into a dark modern triangle that reminds me of a bomb shelter or a spike in the earth, and below inside a cavernous hall as I descend a ramp is a pagoda lit in red, shrouded in a dark gray light, and I walk on glass walkways with surgical booties affixed to my shoes.
Pit after pit of Han dolls stretch before me in darkness – effigies of courtesans, soldiers, craftsmen, pigs, dogs, sheep – mild and beautifully calm, some of their bodies still buried in dust, others exposed, naked male dolls, naked female dolls with small bumps for breasts, many of them knocked over – lying in the red dusty clay of each pit. Tour guides and their groups walk past me – guides speaking Chinese, Japanese, English – and all I can see are the tiny heads popping out of the dirt, the millions of tiny humans in effigy, some with long straight legs....
[Read more at http://shoutswedoubt.blogspot.com "Remains of the Grains"]
Written 25 June 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KarenRene
Minneapolis10 contributions
Run, don't walk, to see this underground musuem! This tomb gets about 3-4 paragraphs in the Lonely Planet since the Terracotta Warriors are the reason most people go to Xi'an, so my sister and I almost didn't go. We saw some photos of Jingdi's tomb and decided we really shouldn't miss it. And were we glad we did! We were the only westerners there at the time, which was really too bad, because we both were MORE impressed with this tomb than the Terracotta Warriors.
It's actually several different buildings so spread out over a large site that you need to drive from some places to the others. At the excavation/tomb, you start at ground level and go down inside to the excavation. You walk on thick glass floors with the excavations directly below and in front of you. The terracotta figures are amazing - not just warriors, but palace servants, peasants, and hundreds of animals of every kind - pigs and piglets, goats, sheep, dogs, oxen, and all kinds of tools. And the museum is new and beautiful (June 2009) and very well done.
Seriously, don't miss this site.
It's actually several different buildings so spread out over a large site that you need to drive from some places to the others. At the excavation/tomb, you start at ground level and go down inside to the excavation. You walk on thick glass floors with the excavations directly below and in front of you. The terracotta figures are amazing - not just warriors, but palace servants, peasants, and hundreds of animals of every kind - pigs and piglets, goats, sheep, dogs, oxen, and all kinds of tools. And the museum is new and beautiful (June 2009) and very well done.
Seriously, don't miss this site.
Written 10 July 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fusilli2014
Stokenchurch, UK20 contributions
June 2015 • Business
I've been to this mausoleum 7 times because the international school at which I work runs a residential trip to Xi'an and this is one of the highlights of our itinerary. The mausoleum is toured by heading down a short ramp then you walk around it in a sort of glass corridor. This is sealed off from the mausoleum itself to keep the remains at the right temperature. Moving around you get a real idea of the burial pits and their significance but you will need someone to talk you through it. At the end their is a holographic video that can be watched. The speech is (year upon year) slightly out of sync with the film but it is a lovely story about a Han concubine who rose to become an empress through wit, deception and intelligence. The mausoleum is of course the main attraction but on the other side of the plot (over the main road) most tourists miss the small exhibition which is set up more like a typical museum. This area also has a mock archaeology site, which we have our children excavate. There is also a lama/deer enclosure but we tend to avoid that as the animals are not in the best conditions. If you go to the mausoleum in April/early May there is also a beautiful rose garden on this side of the compound.
Written 20 July 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
elsiek
London850 contributions
July 2014 • Couples
This museum is located out near the airport - refreshingly missed by the hoards of tourists - but absolutely well worth the visit especially as you can combine it with seeing the Tomb/Mausoleum of Emperor Jingdi. It serves as an overflow museum for the hundreds of artefacts that were found around his tomb and excellent conservation and reconstruction allows you to see how many of the items would have looked all those years ago. Look out for the very famous statue of the lady dancing on her knees as per the picture on your ticket. Commute between the tomb/mausoleum and the museum by electric bus or a short walk through some wonderful landscaped gardens
Written 4 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa Z
London, United Kingdom84 contributions
July 2013 • Couples
I would agree with many of the comments already posted here - much better than the Terracotta Warriors in my opinion. Just wanted to add that getting here by public transport is not hard. Take the subway to the City Library stop and exit on the Library side. You will see the bus stop for bus 4 just outside. There are 8 buses per day (times on the back of the sign). The bus costs 2Y each way. Just watch out for the scrum on the way back - although the Chinese do queue for some buses, they seemed a little more twitchy on this one as it does not run as frequently as others! No problem on the way there, but for the return, I advise getting to the bus stop early and standing right by the bus (it will be at the stop at least 30 mins before it leaves). Be prepared to defend your ground - they do not allow people to stand on the bus.....
Written 22 July 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HoytSze
Los Angeles, CA45 contributions
Nov 2011
This was one of the most fascinating attractions I saw in a six week trip to China. Lonely Planet stated that this (along with the Terra Cotta Warriors) was one of the two top attractions in Xi'an, and I would go further: I think it might be better than the Terra Cotta Warriors for a few reasons.
First, the museum presents a different emperor (Emperor Jingdi) who governed China in a more peaceful manner than Emperor Qin Shi Huang who created the Terra Cotta Warriors. Emperor Jingdi lowered taxes, fought fewer wars and reduced the size of the figurines in his tomb. While the Terra Cotta Warriors contains warriors, chariots and horses all facing east to do battle, the figurines here are of servants, ceramics and foodstuffs. Not surprisingly, when these figurines were brought on tour in Taiwan, they were called the "happy warriors." The figurines even look much happier than their Terra Cotta Warrior counterparts. Not only is this of historical interest, but it is pleasant to see how much more popular the peaceful Jingdi is even today among the museum workers and the Chinese tourists. You also get a better sense of the day to day life of the imperial court in those days.
Second, the setup of the museum is superb. As one reviewer has already pointed out, your first view of the tombs is from the top, as there as glass floors that you can walk on and view the tombs below. Then there are stairs heading down next to the tombs themselves so you can get a close-up side view that is excellent for photos.
Third, the museum is both state of the art and intimate. There are strict humidity and temperature controls. The English language translators are excellent and helpful. The facilities are clean. While many of the Terra Cotta Warriors seem almost too perfectly reconstructed, the museum here is fine with showing some incomplete figurines or figurines still half-buried where they were found.
In sum, I can't recommend this museum highly enough. It is difficult to get to from Xi'an, however, so if there's any way you can stop here first from the airport, that's the most economical way to stop for a visit.
First, the museum presents a different emperor (Emperor Jingdi) who governed China in a more peaceful manner than Emperor Qin Shi Huang who created the Terra Cotta Warriors. Emperor Jingdi lowered taxes, fought fewer wars and reduced the size of the figurines in his tomb. While the Terra Cotta Warriors contains warriors, chariots and horses all facing east to do battle, the figurines here are of servants, ceramics and foodstuffs. Not surprisingly, when these figurines were brought on tour in Taiwan, they were called the "happy warriors." The figurines even look much happier than their Terra Cotta Warrior counterparts. Not only is this of historical interest, but it is pleasant to see how much more popular the peaceful Jingdi is even today among the museum workers and the Chinese tourists. You also get a better sense of the day to day life of the imperial court in those days.
Second, the setup of the museum is superb. As one reviewer has already pointed out, your first view of the tombs is from the top, as there as glass floors that you can walk on and view the tombs below. Then there are stairs heading down next to the tombs themselves so you can get a close-up side view that is excellent for photos.
Third, the museum is both state of the art and intimate. There are strict humidity and temperature controls. The English language translators are excellent and helpful. The facilities are clean. While many of the Terra Cotta Warriors seem almost too perfectly reconstructed, the museum here is fine with showing some incomplete figurines or figurines still half-buried where they were found.
In sum, I can't recommend this museum highly enough. It is difficult to get to from Xi'an, however, so if there's any way you can stop here first from the airport, that's the most economical way to stop for a visit.
Written 24 December 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jodi R
Inverleigh, Australia267 contributions
Sept 2017 • Family
We visited this underground museum by ourselves without a guide. We took a taxi there from Xian city centre, he waited for us then drove us back. You can also catch a bus there from the city but I believe there is only 4 services for the whole day and it's a long time between. The taxi cost 300 RMB for the entire trip which was well worth it.
The entrance fee to Han Yang is 80RMB for adults and 40 for students. This is a little high for the size of the museum, but still worth a visit.
You can walk around and between the excavated pits which are glassed off and see the relics from over 2000 years ago which is quite amazing. They were buried surrounding Emperor Liu Qi tomb along with the Empresses and other officials. There is also remains of the original tower and gate entrance to the tomb.
All up we spent around 1.5 hours here. It is quite near the airport so if you needed to fill in some time, certainly worth a look.
The entrance fee to Han Yang is 80RMB for adults and 40 for students. This is a little high for the size of the museum, but still worth a visit.
You can walk around and between the excavated pits which are glassed off and see the relics from over 2000 years ago which is quite amazing. They were buried surrounding Emperor Liu Qi tomb along with the Empresses and other officials. There is also remains of the original tower and gate entrance to the tomb.
All up we spent around 1.5 hours here. It is quite near the airport so if you needed to fill in some time, certainly worth a look.
Written 26 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ronwol
Los Angeles, CA442 contributions
Sept 2013 • Couples
When we first got there (we had a private guide, so I am not familiar with any transportation to this site) and just saw huge earth mounds, we thought, here is a waste of time.....but this is an amazing site, as you walk underground to an incredible display of smaller figures then the Terra Cotta warriors. These were made 1/3 size of humans, and you walk on glass floors above the pits. It is a very clever display, and an eye opener to that time in Chinese history.
It is actually closer to the airport, so it is better to see it, right after the flight to Xian, the way we did it with our guide. it is a very impressive display, and museum, good for about an hour and half or so, depending on your interest level, but definitely worth seeing, especially if you are planning to see its 'big brother' the Terra Cotta Warriors.
It is actually closer to the airport, so it is better to see it, right after the flight to Xian, the way we did it with our guide. it is a very impressive display, and museum, good for about an hour and half or so, depending on your interest level, but definitely worth seeing, especially if you are planning to see its 'big brother' the Terra Cotta Warriors.
Written 6 October 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Are there taxis waiting? We need to go to the airport after our visit their and would like to go from city center by bus.
Written 9 February 2019
How long does it take by taxi from Citadines Central Xi'an Hotel to Hanyangling Museum?
Does the museum close early in December?
Thanks.
Written 13 October 2015
We went from the north Xi'an gate, took about 45mins to an hour. Costed 100 yuan but im pretty sure we were over charged for the gates. Tourist bus number 4 took around an hour, but doesn't go all the way into the city but it only costs 2 yuan each;recommended for the way back. It is on the way to the airport if you are willing to pay a driver that wait.
Written 19 September 2017
I do not remember seeing a restaurant there. There might have been a small store where you might get a snack. When I visited two summers ago there was not any services in the area.
Written 10 October 2015
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