Cycling Route: Shaanxi History Museum - Big Wild Goose Pagoda - Tang Paradise

Unlock a dockless bike and ride to the crossing of East Xiaozhai Road and Cuihua Road; the Shaanxi History Museum is at the northwest corner. Then, continue your cycling tour to the east for a few yards to the North Square of Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and you will see the pagoda at the southern end of the square. After that, ride along West Furong Road to the western gate of Tang Paradise and your one-day independent Xi’an tour will be rounded off with this Tang-themed park.

Highlights:

Shaanxi History Museum: In Xi’an, this museum is the best place for backpackers to learn about the glamorous Chinese civilizations. You can feast your eyes with countless treasures including bronze wares of Shang and Zhou dynasties (17th century - 256 BC), gold and silver wares during the Han (202 BC - 220 AD) and Tang (618 - 907) dynasties, and Tang tomb murals.

Big Wild Goose Pagoda: The pagoda is located in the Da Ci'en Temple, the most majestic royal Buddhist temple during the Tang Dynasty. The construction work was directed by a renowned monk named Xuanzang who once made a pilgrimage along the Silk Road to the India. Scriptures, Buddhist relics, and statues he took back from India were stored inside the pagoda. Nowadays, you can still admire some of these precious items inside the pagoda.

Tang Paradise: The Tang Paradise is the largest complex following the royal architectural style of the Tang Dynasty. Besides magnificent buildings, visitors can delve into the Tang culture by enjoying wonderful performances, including the court music and dancing show, sacrificial drum dance, and lion dance.

How to Use a Dockless Bike:

There are many kinds of dockless bikes in Xi’an, including Mobike, Ofo, Oxo, and CoolQi. It is suggested you use the orange bicycles of Mobike, which are densely distributed among the Xi’an City. Find a bike and use WeChat to scan the QR code on its body to unlock. The charging will start immediately and it costs CNY 1 for 30 minutes. For first-time users, it is required to verify your cell phone, pay the deposit of CNY 299 by WeChat wallet, and finish the real name authentication before unlocking.

Lock the bike manually after the cycling and the charging will stop automatically as well. The fare will be deducted from your WeChat wallet.

Tips:

1. Although Shaanxi History Museum is free to enter, you still need to get an entry ticket using your passport. So it is suggested you set out this trip early in the morning to avoid a possible long queue at the museum. Or you may buy tickets of thematic exhibitions held in the museum to enter the museum without waiting in line.

2. You should notice that the Shaanxi History Museum is closed on Mondays.

3. Make sure you not miss the musical fountain on the North Square of Big Wild Goose Pagoda, which is the largest one in Asia with 2,048 nozzles distributed in ten pools.

4. Park the bike in a proper place that won't influence the traffic, and don't forget to lock the bike when you reach each destination.

5. The deposit of Mobike can be retrieved anytime via WeChat.