History, health, hot springs
Angsana Xi’an Lintong resort mirrors city’s ancient glories, modern allure, Wang Jinhui reports from Xi’an.
The enchantment of Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi province, lies in the collision and fusion of its historical and modern characteristics. From its grand city walls, pseudoclassical architecture and cultural relics to the high-tech economic development zones, booming Qujiang New District and entrepreneurship incubator centers for startups, Xi’an has become a unique soul that combines its past glory with modern-day advancement.
A capital of 13 dynasties including China’s first feudal empire the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) and the prosperous Han (202 BC - 220 AD) and Tang (618-907) dynasties, Xi’an has long been beloved by travelers, traders and treasure hunters for its history and enduring cultural diversity dating back thousands of years.
It serves as a gateway to the ancient Silk Road where merchants once unloaded and traded goods before heading west to Central Asia and countries in the Mediterranean region.
As a birthplace of human civilization, the city includes the 6,000-year-old Banpo Ruins which reveal a matriarchal clan society in the Neolithic age in the middle reaches of the Yellow River.
Some 20 kilometers northeast of the Banpo Ruins stands today’s Tang-style Angsana Xi’an Lintong resort, where the city’s lasting history, cultural heritage and modern touches mingle in a unique way.
At the foot of Lishan Mountain in Lintong district, the 15.65-hectare resort is built with ancient architectural structures and styles, gardens, pavilions, bamboo forests, stone sculptures, lotus ponds and natural hot springs.
It is next to the excavated threecentury-long Terracotta Warriors and Horses and the Huaqing Palace constructed by the Tang emperor Li Longji for his favorite concubine Yang Yuhuan.
As the first hotel in northwest China under the Singapore-based Banyan Tree brand, Angsana Xi’an Lintong resembles the layout and design of a royal palace of the great Tang Dynasty.
The historical temperament of the resort makes guests feel as though they are traveling through time with diverse, traditional cultural elements including ancient Chinese musical instruments such as lute, liuqin, and zhongruan in every guest room, black braziers carved with mythical animals outside the lobby and freehand brushwork paintings on the walls.
The colored-glazed eave tiles at the main hall tell a story of the country’s four ancient beasts — the azure dragon, vermilion bird, white tiger and black tortoise — coming to man’s world to bring about happiness, good luck and health.
The Dunhuang frescoes in the main restaurants are reminiscent of the scenes along the ancient Silk Road, such as the Huoyan Mountain in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the incessant stream of horses and carriages, and the flourishing bazaars of old times.
Wang Zhanghua, general manger of Angsana Xi’an Lintong, said that in addition to the historical and cultural facets, the resort’s uniqueness also depends on its hot springs.
“We are the only five-star luxury hotel to have natural hot springs in Northwest China,” he said.
Situated near the northern slope of Lishan Mountain, once an active volcano and the wellhead for hot springs starting from the Western Zhou Dynasty (c.11th century-771 BC), the resort has a total of 29 outdoor vitriol hot-spring pools including a family pool and five Chinese herbal baths.
Due to the fault rocks and igneous landform of Lishan Mountain, the hot springs in the area were formed by the magma movement of the lithosphere when the waterbearing stratums met with the heat from the uncooled magma. Its temperature stays at about 43 C for the whole year.
Wang said that the resort’s hot springs pools are designed by Hiroshi Ebisawa, a renowned Japanese stylist who integrates the traditional concept of the “nourishing of life” into the ancient architectural style of the Tang Dynasty.
The hot springs cover some 9,400 square meters in the resort.
Angsana Xi’an Lintong also has 24 spa rooms that offer guests various techniques, such as traditional Thai massage, European treatment and Asian style. It chooses endemic plants including pomegranate to provide essences for hydrotherapy.