Tang Dynasty Paradise in Xian

Tang Dynasty Cultural Park Tour

The Tang Paradise is located very close to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, so when I finished my tour at the Pagoda, I headed to the Tang Paradise, which I heard was one of the newly built tourist attractions of Xian.

Unlike all the other tourist attractions I've been too, the Tang Paradise isn't any historical landmark, or contain any ancient, historical relics or artifacts - instead, the Tang Paradise is a cultural theme park based on the Tang Dynasty. The park is modeled after ancient royal gardens so that the tourist can experience the Tang Dynasty culture, and get a glimpse into the life of royalties. In Chinese, Tang Paradise is pronounced "Da Tang Fu Rong Yuan".

tang paradise entrance
In front of the main entrance gates to the Tang Paradise.

The photo above is taken infront of the main gates of the Tang Paradise. It's a series of glass sculptures set on a black graphite rock with running water that depicts a famous scene called "Ming Huang Meng You Qu Jiang" or roughly translated as "Great Tang Emperor Dream Visits the Qu River". After you pass these sculptures is the ticket office, and it costs $50 yuan to enter.

1st thing you see after entering Tang Paradise.

Once you enter the Tang Paradise, at the main entrance area, you'll see a large red and yellow block carved with Chinese characters which writes the name of Tang Dynasty or "Da Tang Fu Rong Yuan". This "block" is created like a seal stamp that stamps the name "Tang Paradise". On the ground infront of the seal, is a "stamp" of the name Tang Paradise.

About the Tang Paradise

The Tang Paradise is located very close to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in the southeastern region of Xian city in Shaanxi Province. It is one of the newly built tourist attractions that opened in April 2005. It's a cultural theme park that covers an area of 165 acres that includes a large body of water (about 50 acres). The Tang Paradise is one of the largest cultural theme parks that's based on the Tang Dyansty (618-907AD).

The Tang Paradise is a unique combination of ancient history, culture, tradition, with certain modern technologies. One of the main attractions of the Tang Paradise is the water screen which plays movies. Basically, it's a film of water sprayed into the air, with movie images projected on to it.

My Tour of Tang Dynasty Paradise

Unfortunately, I had no idea that the Tang Paradise had the water film show - before I came to visit, I had only know that it's a newly built attraction worth seeing... So, I ended up going there early in the afternoon! Well, I guess next time I go visit, I'll make sure to go at night. :)

After you cross the stone bridge at the entrance, there is a shuttle bus station, where you need to pay an extra $20 yuan to use. Since the Tang Paradise is huge, I would suggest taking the shuttle bus to get around. They will pick you up and drop you off at designated spots, and you just need to show them your ticket to get on.

At many of the attractions in Tang Paradise, there are various performances. At my first stop, I was in time to view a Chinese acrobatic performance. The next stop was the Purple Cloud Tower (Ziyun Lou).

The Purple Cloud Tower.

The Purple Cloud Tower was built in 720AD. At that time, emperor Minghuang of the Tang Dynasty would always climb the building on the day of the Qujiang Fair. Note: this purple cloud tower is not the actual, historical building - this is a reconstructed building modeled after the real building. The Ziyun Tower is built in the center of the Tang Paradise based on descriptions of historical records, and it is the most important Tang Dynasty complex in the park.

On the first floor of Purple Cloud tower are sculptures and mural paintings refelecting the prosperous Zhenguan period (627-649AD). There is also a model of the Chang'an city of the Tang Dynasty, and there are also various cultural relics on display. The second floor displays some colorful sculptures depicting the scene of a royal banquet. On the third floor, is a performance room where visitors can enjoy daily singing and dancing performances from the Tang Dynasty period.

Entertaining Performances At Tang Paradise

At many of the attractions, there are daily performances that depict various scenes and events from the Tang Dynasty. My last destination at the Tang Paradise is worth a special mention because of the performance held there. It was at an attraction named Apricot Garden. It received its name because there were many apricot trees during the Tang Dynasty, and it was a famous garden at that time where people came to appreciate the flowers on the trees.

Apricot Garden was where successful candidates of the imperial examinations were given banquets to celebrate their success. This reconstructed Apricot Garden is modeled after the Tang style and covers an area of 2,134 square meters.

When I arrived at the Apricot Garden, a performance was just about to start, which involved the audience. They were putting on a play about the imperial examinations, and re-creating the ceremonies that took place when the top finalists were selected. 5 male audiences were selected, and were given old style Chinese clothing costumes. The 5 participants were asked to perform several "tests" to determine the winner of the examinations, and the winner would receive the "royal" treatment with a parade in a carriage around the garden.

The 5 participants were dressed in old style clothing and were ready to take their exams. 3 were adults, and 2 were young boys standing on the right side.

At the end of the "exams", a Tang style dance was performed by several dancers to congratulate the winners.

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