Fantastic Parks in Xian
There is much more to Xi'an than tombs! Xi'an is a city that is developing with explosive speed and it seems like every week there is a new landmark which eclipses the last great thing. An extremely important component of the city planning is promoting a green environment while also showcasing the city's wealth of culture and history. Thus Xi'an now boasts several parks which are huge, culturally impressive and draped in natural beauty, filled with lush trees and gardens, massive lakes and stunning architecture. Below you will find a list of our current favourites which are excellent places for families and friends to enjoy the summer weather, mingle with locals and soak up the natural environment. If you feel like taking a breather from the city but don't have time to travel to surrounding mountain regions, then a visit to one of these parks might be just the ticket.
Tang Paradise
Until the start of this year 2009, the most famous (and expensive) of Xi'an parks was Tang Paradise. Near the Big Wild Goose Pagoda , Tang Paradise is located in the Qujiang New district, about 10km southeast of the Xian City centre, less than 20 rmb in a cab. It was opened in April, 2005. Tang Paradise covers a total area of 1000 mu (about 165 acres) and of which 300 mu (about 49 acres) is water. The park not only claims to be the biggest cultural theme park in the northwest region of China but also the first royal-garden-like park to give a full display of the Tang Dynasty's (618-907) culture. Altogether, twelve scenic regions are distributed throughout Tang Paradise to provide visitors with the enjoyment of twelve cultural themes and a perfect exhibition of the grandness, prosperity and brilliance of the culture of the Tang Dynasty.
In the large number of buildings at Tang Paradise, one may see almost all architectural types of characteristic of the Tang Dynasty. In addition there are establishments for relaxing and song and dance shows about the civilization of the Tang Dynasty. Strolling in Tang Paradise, you are assured to get a full enjoyment, making you feel as if you were in a fairyland.
Many firsts are created here: the first and largest scale of buildings modeled on the Tang style in China, the first and most considerable groups of sculptures to show the poetic culture in the Tang Dynasty in China, the first and biggest single architecture modeled on the Tang style throughout China, the first theme park in China to cater to the five sense (vision, hearing, smell, touch and taste), the grandest fragrant project of the outdoors in the world, and the most spectacular water film on earth. Tang Paradise is praised as 'Garden of History', 'Garden of Spirit', 'Garden of Nature', 'Garden of Human Culture' and 'Garden of Art'.
Entrance to the park costs around 65 rmb during the summer. There is also a water show in the evenings which offers a unique 3d experience
Source: China Travel Guide
Qu Jiang Park and New District
This map is meant to give you an idea of size and scale of the Qu Jiang New District which is located about 10 km south of Xian City centre, just past the second ring road. Hopefully from this map you can see that is easy to spend an entire day in this locale- a truley beautiful, newly developed area that most people simply miss when they visit Xi'an- leaving without any idea that it even exists. Qu Jiang New District is marked to become home to 10 themed museums by the end of 2009. Currently there are about 5 museum type establishments which are operational
Fengqing Park
Another great place to hang out is Fengqing park, about 5 km sw of the city on the cusp of the hi tech area. My guess is that it is about 1km x 1 km, and just seems to keep going. Again this is a newly developed Xian park which I am pretty sure was not here even last week! Really worth a look if the weather is in your favour. There are also some flash looking restaurants inside though we haven't a chance to try them yet. Keep your eyes on the restaurants review page and we will let you know if they are as good as they look
Local, smaller parks
On a smaller and less grandiose scale there are 3 parks within walking distance from Hq Guesthouse. They are Lian Hu Park, Revolution Park and Xingqing Park. Of these Xingqing park is the biggest. While these are not newly developed like the other parks mentioned above, they do offer pleasant surroundings and afford an opportunity to mingle with Chinese families, read a book, enjoy elderly folk singing or performing, and generally just chill out and people watch for a while.
Currently under development is what will be the largest park in Xi'an and will be located just near the the north gate of the city walls, we are looking forward to exploring that when it is finished next year.
