Xian Maijishan Grottoes Day Tour by Train

Collect your train ticket ( hard sleeper ) before your departure. There are numerous passing-by trains from Xian to Tianshui. Basically we'll book for your the 3-and-half hour train starting from Xian around 7:20am and arriving at Tianshui around 10:50am ( the actual time and train number will be reconfirmed by our trip advisor). You are kindly requested to get up early, going to Xian Railway Station and getting on the right train for Tianshui on your own.

After arriving at Tianshui Railway Station, you will be met by our representative at the exit gate in Tianshui Railway Station. The Maijishan Grottoes Scenic Area is located 26 km south of Tianshui Railway Station. You will be escorted by our tour guide to the base of Maijishan Grottoes and start a 2-hour visit to the magnificent Buddhist Grottoes in Maiji Mountain.

Maijishan, or Maiji Mountain is 142 meters high with an altitude of 1742 meters. The hill is large in the middle part and a bit narrow at the bottom and the flat top, resemling a wheat stack, hence the name of Maiji – a wheat stack in Chinese. One of the glamous Buddhist grottoes areas along the ancient silk road, Maijishan Grottoes were originally built in late Qin ( 384AD and 417AD ) of sixteen states period., developed and expanded through the successive dynasities ranging from North Wei, Zhou, Sui, Tang, Song and Ming dynasties.

Currently there are 221 remaining grottoes, over 7000 statues and 10000 square meters of murals. Carved between 30meters and 80 meters in the side cliffs of Maijinshan, visitors now need to climb up the cat-walks and spiral stairways to see these caves.

After simple Chinese lunch, you are transferred to Fuxi Temple (about 20km to the west of Tianshui Railway Station) in Qinzhou District of Tianshui. Fuxi Temple is offered to Fuxi, who was regarded as the first of the Three Sovereigns ( the other two being Yandi and Huangdi, also known as "Three Emperors" who lived some 5,000 years ago) in pre-dynastic times. According to legend, only he and his sister Nuwa survived a major flood and later enpowered by the divine, Fu Xi and Nüwa used clay to create human figures. Fu Xi taught his subjects to cook, to fish with nets, and to hunt with weapons made of iron. He instituted marriage and offered the first open-air sacrifices to heaven. In a word, Fuxi is supposed to the father of the Chinese people, and it is from him, the Chinese people are descended.

At the end of the visit to Fuxi Temple, you are returned to Tianshui Railway Station and take the train starting around 6:30pm from Tianshui to Xian and arriving at Xian around 10:30pm. You will go to your hotel in Xian on your own.