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Latest Xi'an hotel reviews
This was the first place we visited as part of more Eastern Tour which I booked from my hostel. This archaeological site was first discovered in 1953 and is located in the Yellow River Valley just east of Xian. It contains the remains of several well organised Neolithic settlements dating from approximately 4500 BC. It is a large area of 5-6 hectares and surrounded by a ditch, probably a defensive moat, five or six meters wide. The houses were circular, built of mud and wood with overhanging thatched roofs. They sat on low foundations. There appears to be communal burial areas as you can see plenty of skeletal remains. There is also a reconstruction model of how the site once looked.
Open: 8:30am-5pm. Admission: RMB35.
Written Sep 5, 2009
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Considering that this place was found when excavation for a power station, we are very lucky to have found it.
Its well worth a visit as it is a fascinating insight into life in that era.
Many things have been discovered about the era from this site. When excavating, they found the cemetery, but they also found some pots buried near the foundations f the houses containing children's bones. After some research and carbon dating etc, it was concluded that in those times, a child was deemed to become an adult at age 14 (or thereabouts) and that apparently only adults could be buried in the cemetery. Children younger than 14 were buried in pottery jars near the foundations of the home.
Written Jul 19, 2009
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The Xi'an environment is very fertile, as the ground consists of loess (clay and sand deposit form the ice-age). So no wonder there were neolithical people living here. This museum shows the on the site excavations of a village: houses, parts of a moat, a cemetary etc. The exhibition has English texs and there is an interactive computer display with details (including the famous Chinese who visisted this place ;-)). We found the museum very interesting, altough not as spectacular as the terracota army. So first visit this - as we did - and then go to the terracotta army.
Written Sep 1, 2007
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This is located on the east bank of the Chanbe River of Xi’an. This is a museum on the site of village remains of a matriarchal clan community of Neolithic age that existed 6,000 years ago in the Yellow river Valley. It covers an area of 50,000 m and is divided into residential, pottery making and burial sections. We found this museum a bit touristy but the video demonstration which showed the building of various houses excellent (English as well as Chinese footage).
Written Jan 14, 2007
Banpo Neolithic Village is undergoing renovation. Nothing much left to view. Only the musuem exhibition is open and features a few patched up broken pots and pans.
Not to waste your money on it. Word of caution: the egg shaped "musical flute" sells only 3RMB compared to the original asking price of 38RMB in the shop outside the museum. The shop keeper asked for 38RMB, I offered 3RMB and didn't intended to buy anyway and started walking off. He beckon me back and accepted 3RMB.
But if you miss it, you probably would not discover ChangLe XiLu Wholesale Market, which is between the City and Banpo.
There's also cheap hot pot meals at ChangLe XiLu.
To miss or not is your calling.
Updated Jan 12, 2005
The BanPo Neolithic Village (banpo yizhi)is six kilometers east of Xi'an. This excavated site of a village dates back to 4500 BC and was discovered in 1953. The village during this period was called Yangshao and 45 houses, 6 pottery kilns, 200 storage pits, 250 adult's tombs and children's burial jars, 10,000 tools and utensils were unearthed. The distinct culture of these villagers was known as Yangshao culture. The most interesting aspect of this is that Yangshao culture was very matrifocal. There are more female tombs and graves here than male, and the women's graves contain more objects and valuables than their male counterparts do.
Written Nov 13, 2004
Within the vicinity of the Terracotta Warrior Museum is the site of a Neolithic village dating back to around 6000 B.C. It shows outlines of houses, along with pottery and tools. A replica of a house gives a good idea of a home from this era.
Written Oct 9, 2004
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This neolithic village is an open air museum with remainings of the neolithic age.
Unfortunately the most interesting part of the park is in renovation, so you have only the option to see the exhibition rooms with some pottery, paitings, some of the history of the place and some technical details on the excavations and archology work.
Written Jun 11, 2004
Address: Suburbs of Xi'an
Banpo is included in the East City Tour conducted by CITS along with the Wild Goose Pagoda, the Hot Springs and the Warriors.
Banpo is frankly not worth visiting. It was the oldest on site museum in China (the exhibiyion hall was built over the excavations). Unfortunately it was porrly maintained following its construction in the 50's and so, during heavy rains a couple of years ago, the main buildings flooded and have had to be destroyed. New buildings are being constructed in 2004, but at the moment all you can see is a couple of rrom s containing neolithic pottery - not very thrilling
Written Feb 22, 2004
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Banpo shows an incredible level of social organisation, and the village was divided into specific areas for living, pottery manufacture and burial. This and the fairly sophisticated tools and painted pottery suggest that there may yet be older cultures yet to be found in unsegregated, probably temporary settlements elsewhere.
The earlier houses were like tepees, with angled wooden posts supporting a thatched roof, over a sunken circular living space. Later houses were built at ground level and were rectangular.
The pottery is absolutely fascinating, and shows a variety of objects. The exhibition rooms at Banpo, and in other museums in China, have many different kinds of objects - many of them beautifully decorated. The museum shows how the Yangshao used and developed a fish motif on their pottery which is quite incredibly fresh and even contemporary, thousands of years after it was applied to a bowl by a potter. The fish and other designs of human faces and deer were seemingly reserved for the more imposing, special objects, while everyday items were either unpainted or used a basketweave or cord pattern.
Other designs, presumably earlier, involved pricking the wet clay with fingernails to give a scaly appearance, possibly imitating the scales of a fish.
Perhaps the most intriguing design element is that of the famous Banpo letters. Archaeologists have discovered many shards with what appear to be Roman letters. I know absolutely nothing about the development of written scripts, but is it possible that these primitive letters somehow moved from Asia to the Middle East to Europe. Some letters are very clear: T, K, and E. Others (X and I) are so universal that they can hardly be described as Asian or European-looking. Currently, the archaeologists suggest that these were used only to identify animals or goods, as there is only ever one letter found on a shard, never more.
Updated Jan 12, 2004
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Banpo Neolithic Village tips and photos posted by real travelers and Xi'an locals.
Write a ReviewBanpo shows an incredible level of social organisation, and the village was divided into specific areas for living, pottery manufacture and burial. This and the...
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