 The
City of Xi'an, otherwise Chang'an (ever - lasting peace) in ancient
times and situated in the middle of the Guanzhong Plain, is the capital
of Shananxi Province.
Xi'an is a noted city and was one of the oldest cities. Beginning in
1126 B. C., the Western Zhou, the Qin, the Western Han, the Sui and the
Tang, altogether 12 dynasties, set up their capitals in Xi'an for more
than 1000 years. So, there are many cultural relics and historic sites
both on and under the ground.
Shaanxi Province has a time-honored history and a well-developed
culture. It was the starting point of the Silk Road that extended from
Asia to Europe and played an important role in cultural interflow
between the East and West in ancient times. Beginning in the 1 1 th
century, Van served intermittently for more than 1,100 years as the
capital of 1 3 feudal dynasties. The favorable geographical environment
and long history have left Shaanxi with many unique places of historic
interest and enchanting landscapes, cultural sites, and revolutionary
sites. There are six cities of historic and cultural interest and 35,750
historical relic places, including more than 10,000 historic ruins,
4,300 tombs, 557 grottoes, and nearly 20,000 stone sculptures and
ancient and modern buildings. The worldrenowned Mausoleum of Qin Shi
Huang, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-207 B.C.), and the
terracotta warriors and horses were included by UNESCO in the List of
World's Cultural Heritages.
A network of air, railway, and highway transport that has been formed in
Shaanxi Province radiates in all directions. The province is a vital
traffic artery linking China's northwest and southwest. Xianyang Airport
in Van is one of China's modern airports. The Longhai (Lianyungang-Lanzhou)
Railway that links Eurasia runs from east to west through the province.
A highway network with Van as its center reaches all the cities , towns,
and scenic sites. Tourism has become an important industrial sector of
Shaanxi
Climatic Features: temperate and continental climate; cold and
dry in winter and hot in summer and rainy season comes in July, August
and September
Average Temperature: 13.3C annually
Rainfall: 604.2mm annually
Mountains: Mt. Huashan, Mt. Taibaishan, Mt. Lishan
Rivers: Hui River, Wei River, Feng River, Jing River
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