<\/span><\/h2>\nFamen Temple is one of those places that changes how you think about Xi’an. The Terracotta Warriors show you an emperor’s earthly power; this temple shows you the other side of the same age – what a dynasty did with its faith. The relic itself may stay hidden behind ceremony, but the treasure hoard is not, and the moment you stand before a bowl that was a myth until 1987, you will understand why this trip is worth every minute of the bus ride. Go early, dress with respect, and save the pagoda for last – the view from the top is a fine thing to end on.<\/p>\n
![\"Xi'an](\"https:\/\/xiancitytravel.com\/picture\/day-trip\/day-trip-map.webp\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I remember the exact moment Famen Temple revealed its scale. The tourist bus had been rolling through wheat fields for the better part of two hours, and then, far ahead on the flat Guanzhong plain, something impossible caught the morning light – a golden pagoda, 148 metres of it, rising out of the farmland like a lighthouse for the faithful. Half an hour later I was standing in its shadow, wind chimes ringing overhead, thinking: I have come to see a bone that a Tang emperor once knelt before. This is not a sightseeing stop. It is a pilgrimage. Famen Temple Day Trip: Quick Facts (2026) Location: Fufeng County, Baoji, about 110-120 km west of Xi’an What it is: one of China’s most important Buddhist temples, famous for enshrining a finger bone relic of Sakyamuni Buddha Entrance fee: around 120 RMB, museum included (official prices may change) Getting there: tourist bus from Xi’an Railway Station’s East Square, about 1.5-2 hours direct Best season: March-May and September-October; the huge open plaza is brutal in summer heat Recommended time: half a day (4-5 hours), or a full day if you add Qianling Important: the finger bone relic itself is shown only during special Buddhist ceremonies – check the official calendar before you plan around it Why Famen Temple Matters Famen Temple is one of China’s most important Buddhist temples, and the reason is disarmingly simple: it holds what is traditionally believed to be a finger bone of Sakyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. During the Tang dynasty (618-907) the temple became an imperial sanctuary. Roughly every thirty years, an emperor would order the relic brought to the capital in a grand procession – the famous “welcoming of the Buddha’s bone” – and the crowds were so enormous that in 819 the court official Han Yu wrote a furious memorial denouncing the practice. He was exiled for his trouble. The tradition continued. Then the relic vanished from history. The temple’s ancient brick pagoda, known as the “True Body Pagoda,” collapsed in 1981 after centuries of exposure. When reconstruction began in 1987, workers broke through into a sealed underground palace beneath the foundations – a chamber locked and hidden around 874 AD, in the reign of Tang Emperor Xizong. Inside they found the relic, wrapped in a set of eight nested precious caskets, surrounded by thousands of gold and silver vessels, silk, glassware and porcelain. A separate, deliberately made replica – the “shadow bone” – was found in another casket nearby. Chinese archaeologists sometimes call the discovery the country’s answer to Tutankhamun’s tomb. Standing there, you understand why: it is not an exaggeration. For historians the underground palace is a time capsule of the late Tang. The secret-color porcelain solved a riddle more than a thousand years old (more on that below), the glassware hinted at how far Silk Road trade reached, and the palace entrance carried a detailed inventory of what the emperor had donated – the last page of a story the Tang dynasty never finished. What You’ll Actually See: Museum, Underground Palace, and the Big Pagoda The site is enormous, and it is best understood in three parts. The Famen Temple Museum is the intellectual heart of the visit: a national-level museum holding the treasures recovered in 1987. The gold and silver wares – tea sets, offering vessels, incense burners – are among the finest Tang imperial craftsmanship to survive anywhere. My personal showstoppers were the secret-color porcelain pieces: a type of Yue ware known for centuries only from Tang poems and legends, its name “m\u00ecs\u00e8” literally meaning “mysterious color,” and never positively identified until this underground palace was opened. Standing in front of a bowl that had been pure legend until 1987 is a strange, moving feeling. Also look for the gilded bodhisattva statue made to hold the relic during ceremonies, and a silver incense sphere so finely made that its inner bowl stays upright no matter how it swings. Second is the underground palace area – the actual site of the 1987 discovery, preserved and laid out for visitors beneath the pagoda. You descend into cool, dimly lit chambers where the discovery is documented step by step. A word of honesty: the finger bone itself is not casually on display. It is brought out only for special Buddhist ceremonies and festivals. On ordinary days you will see the reliquary displays and a replica, along with a thorough account of how the caskets were opened, layer by layer, in front of television cameras in 1987. If seeing the actual relic matters to you, plan around the temple’s ceremony calendar – and treat every date as subject to official confirmation. Third is the Anjali Pagoda (Heshi Sheli Ta), the modern 148-metre tower completed in 2009, built in the shape of two palms pressed together in the Buddhist gesture of greeting. It dominates the skyline for miles and stands at the far end of a long ceremonial avenue lined with gilded Buddha statues. Inside there is an exhibition hall and lifts to the upper floors; the view over the plain from the top is worth the ride. Getting There: The Bus, and How to Turn It Into a Full Day There is one straightforward way to reach Famen Temple independently: the tourist bus from Xi’an Railway Station’s East Square. Look for the tourist bus stands on the east side of the station – the same area where the Terracotta Warriors line and other sightseeing buses depart – and take the direct line to Famen Temple. The ride takes about 1.5-2 hours and drops you at the site. Fares and schedules change from year to year, so confirm the departure times and the return timetable at the stand before you board, and find out when the last bus back runs. I made the mistake of assuming return buses ran late into the evening; in practice you should plan to be back at the stop by mid-afternoon. Alternatively, you can build a full day around the Tang tombs to the northwest. Qianling, the mausoleum of Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian – China’s only emperor-emperor couple – is roughly a 40-minute drive away, and its famous wordless stele is the kind of monument that needs no inscription. Hanyangling, the Han dynasty tomb of Emperor Jing with its atmospheric underground exhibition hall, lies on the same general route. Between the stops you need your own wheels or a private driver, or you can join an organised tour that strings them together. For more on how the day trips from Xi’an fit together, see our Xi’an day trips guide. If you are not on the bus schedule, a taxi or private car from central Xi’an takes around two hours each way. It is more expensive but far more flexible – especially if you want to catch the pagoda at golden hour. And if you are still planning the rest of your city itinerary, the Xi’an attractions guide covers the major sights worth pairing with this trip. My Day at Famen Temple I reached the East Square bus stand at 7:40 on a crisp October morning and boarded a coach that was already half full of elderly pilgrims carrying paper bags of fruit and bundles of incense. An hour and three-quarters later we turned off the highway, and the gold pagoda slid into view across the fields – I don’t think any photograph prepares you for how it hovers over the flat farmland. Inside the site, I went against the crowd’s flow and took the museum first, before the tour groups arrived. For a full hour I had the Tang treasury nearly to myself: silver tea sieves I could picture being used at a palace banquet, the deep celadon green of the secret-color bowls, and gold so fine it seemed to glow rather than shine. The underground palace area was cooler and darker, and the silence there felt different from the plaza noise outside – heavier, older, as if the eighth century were still in the room. By noon the plaza was packed, so I retreated to the temple’s vegetarian restaurant for a simple set meal (honestly decent, honestly priced, and the only meal option on site unless you bring your own). Then I rode the lift up the Anjali Pagoda and watched the afternoon haze settle over the plain. I was back at the bus stop by 15:30, tired in the good way, with the taste of incense still in my throat. A Simple Day Plan, Step by Step 7:30-8:00 – reach Xi’an Railway Station’s East Square; confirm the next Famen bus and the return times. 8:00-10:00 – ride out through the wheat fields and catch your first sight of the pagoda. 10:00-11:30 – the museum first, before the tour groups; hire a guide or take the audio guide – without one, the exhibits lose most of their story. 11:30-12:30 – the underground palace area and the old pagoda site. 12:30-13:30 – lunch at the vegetarian restaurant, and a proper rest in the shade. 13:30-15:00 – walk the ceremonial avenue and go up the Anjali Pagoda. 15:00-15:30 – back at the bus stop; double-check the last bus once more. If you are adding Qianling, flip the day: Famen Temple in the morning, the 40-minute transfer, then Qianling in the afternoon, returning late. A schedule with both tombs works best with a driver or an organised tour. Practical Notes: Dress, Cameras, Families and Seasons Dress respectfully. This is an active, working temple. Keep shoulders and knees covered and voices low in the halls – you will feel the difference in the atmosphere. Cameras. Photography is welcome across most of the site, but some halls prohibit it – watch the signs, and never use flash where it is banned. The museum lighting is dim for preservation, so adjust your expectations rather than your ISO. Families and less mobile travellers. The modern pagoda has lifts and the museum is fully accessible; the real challenge is the sheer size of the open, unshaded plaza – bring water and pace yourselves. Seasons. Spring and autumn are ideal. The plaza gets genuinely punishing summer midday heat; winter is cold but very quiet, and the gold pagoda against a grey winter sky is a photographer’s scene. Beat the crowds. Museum first, before about 10:00 – the order of your visit matters as much as the hour. Plan for the relic. If seeing the actual finger bone is the point of your trip, schedule around a Buddhist festival or display occasion, and confirm the date officially. For the wider logistics of getting around Xi’an, booking tickets and packing, our Xi’an travel tips cover the essentials, and if you want to round out the day with the city’s food scene, the Xi’an food guide is a good place to start. A Note on Timeliness Ticket prices, bus schedules and ceremony dates all shift from year to year. The figures and times above reflect 2026 conditions; before you go, confirm the current entrance fee, the bus timetable, and the temple’s official calendar on official channels – especially if seeing the relic is the reason you are going. Frequently Asked Questions Is the finger bone relic real? The temple holds what is traditionally believed to be a finger bone of Sakyamuni Buddha, recovered in the 1987 underground palace discovery. Whether the attribution is historically certain is a matter for scholars; what is not in doubt is the extraordinary hoard of Tang treasures that came out of the same chamber. How do I get there from Xi’an? Take the tourist bus from Xi’an Railway Station’s East Square – about 1.5-2 hours direct. Confirm the timetable at the stand, and note the last return bus. How much does it cost? The entrance ticket is around 120 RMB with the museum included; official prices may change, so check before you go. Can I combine it with Qianling on the same day? Yes – Qianling is about a 40-minute drive away…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-travel-diaries"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xiancitytravel.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xiancitytravel.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xiancitytravel.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xiancitytravel.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xiancitytravel.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=358"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/xiancitytravel.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":373,"href":"https:\/\/xiancitytravel.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358\/revisions\/373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xiancitytravel.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xiancitytravel.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xiancitytravel.com\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Famen](\"https:\/\/xiancitytravel.com\/picture\/day-trip\/Famen-Temple.webp\")
<\/p>\n