Shaanxi 陕西

Terracotta Infantry

Terracotta Infantry By Richard Fisher. Sourced via Flickr under Creative Commons Attribution License.

Shǎnxī or Shaanxi (陕西) province is located in the north of China. It was here that the first Emperor, 2000 years ago, set his capital for the new united China. Though the first dynasty, the Qin, only lasted a relatively short time, it formed a base on which every future dynasty was founded. Thus Shaanxi is seen as the place of origin of China as a nation state. Shaanxi's capital city, Xi'an, has allot to offer tourists. It's ancient city walls, the famous Terracotta Warriors and the beginning point for tours heading west along the silk road.

Tourist Attractions

Below is a list of tourist attractions in Shaanxi:

by Romain Guy. Sourced via Flickr.

(延安市黄帝陵景区; qín shǐ huáng líng): This tourist attraction is listed as a UNESCO World Herritage Site. This tourist attraction is rates as AAAAA on China's national tourism scale.

by Romain Guy. Sourced via Flickr.

(西安市秦始皇兵马俑博物馆; qínbīng Mǎ Yǒng bówùguǎn): This tourist attraction is listed as a UNESCO World Herritage Site. This tourist attraction is rates as AAAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(西安市华清池景区; 华qīng chí): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(乾陵博物馆; Gān Líng bówùguǎn): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(西安大雁塔文化休闲景区; xīān dàyàn tǎ wénhuà xiūxián jǐngqū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(骊山森林公园; lí shān sēnlín gōngyuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(陕西历史博物馆; shǎnxī lìshǐ bówùguǎn): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(大慈恩寺大雁塔风景区; dà cí ēn sì dàyàn tǎ fēngjǐngqū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(延安黄帝陵旅游区; yánān Huáng Dìlíng lǚyóuqū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(西安城墙; xīān chéngqiáng): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(华山风景名胜区; 华shān fēngjǐngmíngshèng qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(法门寺旅游区; fǎ Mén Sì lǚyóuqū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(西安大唐芙蓉园; xīān dàtáng fúróngyuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(延安革命纪念馆; yánān gémìng jìniànguǎn): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(延安枣园革命旧址; yánān zǎo yuán gémìng jiùzhǐ): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(茂陵博物馆; mào líng bówùguǎn): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(西安曲江海洋馆; xīān qūjiāng hǎiyáng guǎn): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(太白山国家森林公园; tàibái shān guójiā sēnlín gōngyuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(西安碑林博物馆; xīān bēilín bówùguǎn): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(西安秦岭野生动物园; xīān Qín Lǐng yěshēngdòngwùyuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(西安翠华山旅游风景区; xīān cuì huá shān lǚyóu fēngjǐngqū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(西安市草堂寺; xī ān shì cǎo táng sì): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(西安市大兴善寺; xī ān shì dà xīng shàn sì): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(西安市临潼区博物馆; xī ān shì lín tóng qū bó wù guǎn): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(咸阳市博物馆; xián;xiān yáng shì bó wù guǎn): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(宝鸡市嘉陵江源头风景区; bǎo jī shì jiā líng jiāng yuán tóu fēng jǐng qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(陕西岐山周公庙风景名胜区; shǎn xī qí shān zhōu gōng miào fēng jǐng míng shèng qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(西安市水陆庵; xī ān shì shuǐ lù ān): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(汉中市勉县武侯祠景区; hàn zhōng shì miǎn xiàn wǔ hóu cí jǐng qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(汉中市汉中博物馆; hàn zhōng shì hàn zhōng bó wù guǎn): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(汉中市张良庙景区; hàn zhōng shì zhāng liáng miào jǐng qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(汉中市勉县定军镇武侯墓景区; hàn zhōng shì miǎn xiàn dìng jūn zhèn;chēn wǔ hóu mù jǐng qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(咸阳市彬县大佛寺; xián;xiān yáng shì bīn xiàn dà fó sì): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(渭南市汉太史司马迁祠; wèi nán shì hàn tài shǐ sī mǎ qiān cí): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(汉中市南湖风景区; hàn zhōng shì nán hú fēng jǐng qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(安康市岚皋县岚河漂流; ān kāng shì lán hāo;gāo xiàn lán hé piāo liú): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(安康市岚皋县南宫山国家森林公园; ān kāng shì lán hāo;gāo xiàn nán gōng shān guó jiā sēn lín gōng yuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(商洛市金丝大峡谷国家森林公园; shāng luò shì jīn sī dà xiá gǔ guó jiā sēn lín gōng yuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(安康市千家坪森林公园; ān kāng shì qiān jiā píng sēn lín gōng yuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(安康市香溪洞风景区; ān kāng shì xiāng qī dòng fēng jǐng qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(安康市瀛湖风景区; ān kāng shì yíng hú fēng jǐng qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(杨凌区新天地农业科技示范园; yáng líng qū xīn tiān dì nóng yè kē jì shì fàn yuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(延安杨家岭革命旧址; yán ān yáng jiā lǐng gé mìng jiù zhǐ): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(延安宝塔山旅游区; yán ān bǎo tǎ shān lǚ yóu qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(姜子牙钓鱼台风景名胜区; jiāng zǐ yá diào yú tái fēng jǐng míng shèng qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(三原县博物馆; sān yuán xiàn bó wù guǎn): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(昭陵博物馆; zhāo líng bó wù guǎn): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(玉华宫风景区; yù huā;huá gōng fēng jǐng qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(耀州窑博物馆; yào zhōu yáo bó wù guǎn): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(宝鸡炎帝陵; bǎo jī yán dì líng): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(咸阳杨贵妃墓; xián;xiān yáng yáng guì fēi mù): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(咸阳黄土文化民俗村; xián;xiān yáng huáng tǔ wén huà mín sú cūn): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(宝鸡凤翔东湖; bǎo jī fèng xiáng dōng hú): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(宝鸡五丈塬诸葛亮庙; bǎo jī wǔ zhàng yuán zhū gě liàng miào): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(汉中天台森林公园; hàn zhōng tiān tái sēn lín gōng yuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(汉中张骞纪念馆; hàn zhōng zhāng qiān jì niàn guǎn): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(渭南韩城市博物馆; wèi nán hán chéng shì bó wù guǎn): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(延安凤凰山革命旧址; yán ān fèng huáng shān gé mìng jiù zhǐ): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(延安五家坪革命旧址; yán ān wǔ jiā píng gé mìng jiù zhǐ): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(渭南韩城党家村民居; wèi nán hán chéng dǎng jiā cūn mín jū): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(延安清凉山旅游区; yán ān qīng liáng shān lǚ yóu qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(杨凌昆虫博物馆; yáng líng kūn chóng bó wù guǎn): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(铜川药王故里; tóng chuān yào wáng gù lǐ): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(杨凌水上体育运动中心; yáng líng shuǐ shàng tǐ yù yùn dòng zhōng xīn): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(西安广新园民族村; xī ān guǎng xīn yuán mín zú cūn): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(西安辋川溶洞; xī ān wǎng chuān róng dòng): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(西安秦陵地宫展览馆; xī ān qín líng dì;de gōng zhǎn lǎn guǎn): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(西安世界八大奇迹馆; xī ān shì jiè bā dà qí jī guǎn): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(汉中午子山风景名胜区; hàn zhōng wǔ zǐ shān fēng jǐng míng shèng qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(杨凌区中富苗木扩繁基地; yáng líng qū zhōng fù miáo mù kuò fán jī dì): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(汉中灵岩寺博物馆; hàn zhōng líng yán sì bó wù guǎn): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(安康凤凰山森林公园; ān kāng fèng huáng shān sēn lín gōng yuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(渭南普照寺（元代建筑博物馆）; wèinán pǔzhàosì (yuándài jiànzhù bówùguǎn)): This tourist attraction is rates as A on China's national tourism scale.

(渭南周原大禹庙; wèinán Zhōu Yuán dàyǔ miào): This tourist attraction is rates as A on China's national tourism scale.

(西安鸿门宴遗址; xīān hóng Mén Yàn yízhǐ): This tourist attraction is rates as A on China's national tourism scale.

(汉中秦巴民俗园; hànzhōng qín bā mínsú yuán): This tourist attraction is rates as A on China's national tourism scale.

(汉中堰水山庄; hànzhōng yàn shuǐ shān zhuāng): This tourist attraction is rates as A on China's national tourism scale.

History

Shaanxi is considered one of the cradles of Chinese civilization. Thirteen feudal dynasties established their capitals in the province during a span of more than 1,100 years, from the Zhou Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty.
The province's principal city and current capital, Xi'an, is one of the four great ancient capitals of China and is the eastern terminus of the Silk Road, which leads to Europe, Arabia and Africa.

Under the Han Dynasty, the Northern Silk Road was expanded to advance exploration and military purposes to the west. This Northern Silk Road is the northernmost of the Silk Roads and is about 2600 kilometres in length. It connected the ancient Chinese capital of Xi'an to the west over the Wushao Ling Pass to Wuwei and emerging in Kashgar before linking to ancient Parthia.

Under the Ming dynasty, Shaanxi was incorporated into Gansu but was again separated in the Qing dynasty.
One of the most devastating earthquakes in history occurred near Hua Shan, in south-eastern part of Shaanxi Province on January 23, 1556, killing an estimated 830,000 people (see 1556 Shaanxi earthquake).

The end of the short-lived Jiangxi Soviet signalled the beginning of the Long March by Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communists to the Shaanxi Soviet at Yan'an.

People and Culture

Nearly all the people in Shaanxi are ethnic Han Chinese, with pockets of Hui population in the north western region (adjacent to Ningxia). The southern part of Shaanxi, known as Guanzhong, where the provincial capital Xi'an is located, is more populated compared to the northern part.

Industry

Shaanxi's nominal GDP for 2008 was 685.1 billion RMB (98 billion USD) and GDP Per Capita was 18,246 RMB (2,627 USD). It ranked 22nd in the PRC.

Geography

Desert in the north along the border with Inner Mongolia, the Loess Plateau in the central part of the province, the Qinling mountains running east to west in the south central part, and subtropical climate south of the Qinling mountains.

The northern part of Shaanxi is cold in the winter and very hot in summer with dry winter and spring. Its southern portion generally receives more rain. Annual mean temperature is roughly between 9°C and 16°C with January temperature ranging from −11°C to 3.5°C and July temperature ranging from 21°C to 28°C.

Shaanxi consists of nine prefecture-level cities and one sub-provincial city:

Map # Name Hanzi Hanyu Pinyin Type
1 Xi'an 西安 Xī'ān Sub-provincial city
2 Ankang 安康 Ānkāng Prefecture-level city
3 Baoji 宝鸡 Bǎojī Shì Prefecture-level city
4 Hanzhong 汉中 Hànzhōng Prefecture-level city
5 Shangluo 商洛 Shāngluò Prefecture-level city
6 Tongchuan 铜川 Tóngchuān Prefecture-level city
7 Weinan 渭南 Wèinán  Prefecture-level city
8 Xianyang 咸阳 Xiányáng Prefecture-level city
9 Yan'an 延安 Yán'ān Prefecture-level city
10 Yulin 榆林 Yúlín Prefecture-level city
 

News About Shaanxi

'White Deer Plain' trots into Berlin film fest
The over 500000-word novel has already been adapted as a stage play and Shaanxi folk art Qin Opera. The story is set in White Deer Plain in Shaanxi Province, and follows three generations of two local influential families, surnamed Bai and Lu, ... »China.org.cn

Hanzhong Steel completes first phase of restoration project
Hanzhong Iron and Steel Company (Hanzhong Steel), subsidiary of Shaanxi Province-based Shaanxi Steel Group, has commissioned its new 265 square meter sintering machine, marking the completion of the first phase its restoration project following the ... »

Cultural ceremony staged in NW China
Villagers dressed in folk costumes dance with drum and gong music to welcome Chenghuang or Town God in Hu county, Northwest China's Shaanxi province on Feb 2, 2012. The cultural ceremony is a non-material cultural heritage protection program held in ... »

Xi'an keeps large dogs out of center
By Ma Lie (China Daily) XI'AN - Residents of Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, have to send away their large and strong dogs as the restricting regulation for dog keeping was put into force on Wednesday, but police are giving dog ... »China Daily

Laoqiang Opera Experienes a Revival in China
Laoqiang, an ancient type of Chinese opera from China's Shaanxi Province, is currently undergoing a revival due to the efforts of veteran performers. Zhang Ximin is a 66-year-old Laoqiang opera performer from a village near northwest China's city of ... »

Millions of wives wed to gay men: expert
Xiao Yao, a 29-year-old magazine editor in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, divorced her gay husband in 2008. "Most gay men's wives I've known are silently suffering at the hands of husbands who could never love them, and like me, some even got abused by ... »

Chancellor savors Chinese culture
By Zhao Shengnan and Zhang Yunbi (China Daily) After visiting the Museum of Qin Shihuang Terracotta Warriors and Horses in northwestern China's Shaanxi province during her last visit in 2010, Merkel visited a traditional Chinese hutong area on Thursday ... »China Daily

Farmers celebrate in new houses
By Ma Lie (China Daily) XI'AN - China's largest relocation project yet has been progressing smoothly and the first Shaanxi province farmers to be moved celebrated Spring Festival in their new homes. Zhang Yajun, a farmer who used to live in the ... »China Daily

“Hostalen” ACP process licensed to China / Start-up of new HDPE plant in 2014
LyondellBasell (Rotterdam / The Netherlands; www.lyondellbasell.com) has licensed its “Hostalen” ACP multi-modal process to China's Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Yanan Energy and Chemical (Yan'an, Shaanxi / China; http://english.sxycpc.com) for use in a ... »

Zhou Yunpeng: We Want to Sing in Dialect
At the end of the 90s, a man from northern Guangdong Province, Yang Yi, rode a 28 bike to northern Shaanxi Province, singing Shaanxi folk music in a Shaanxi accent, as home-grown as it gets. Jiangsu eccentric Zuoxiao Zuzhou simply invented an ... »

3-cm needle found in woman's head
The local hospital told her that a metal object was found in her head, and then she went to Xijing Hospital in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, with her family to have it removed. Lin said that she had a traffic accident 18 years ago and has suffered regular ... »

Highlights from the EO print edition, No. 554, January 30, 2012
The eight provinces and municipalities covered in the feature are: Sichuan, Henan, Shanghai, Beijing, Hubei, Guangdong, Shaanxi and the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region. ~ As policy makers and investors around the world attempt to forecast the outlook ... »

Chinese invade bazaars, edge out native apples
Every winter, Chinese apples - imported mostly from the Shaanxi province - invade Delhi's fruit markets, giving Indian apple growers tough competition. Being glossy and succulent, they are generally picked up faster than the Indian varieties. »

A Japanese teacher's dedication to China
By Lu Hongyan and Gao Shuyan (China Daily Shaanxi Bureau) Shan Tianmao, a 77-year-old Japanese, who came to Xi'an, a northwestern Chinese city, to help students study Japanese for free after his retirement 10 years ago, was diagnosed advanced ... »

Minnesota Trade Office accepting applications for China trade mission
Dayton and the delegation will travel to Xian to celebrate Minnesota's 30th anniversary of its sister-state relationship with the Shaanxi Province. Gov. Zhao of the Shaanxi Province and a delegation of his economic advisers visited Minnesota in April ... »

Each exhibit is a new set of challenges
When "Warriors, Tombs and Temples" opened in October, Zhao Rong, a visiting dignitary from the province of Shaanxi in north-central China where the Terra Cotta Warriors and other excavated Chinese national treasures originated, surprised Keller and ... »Coastline Pilot

Kazakhstan's New Chinese Vehicle: Bus Or "Desert Tank"?
This is the Shaanxi SX6100 SPF, nicknamed the 'Desert Tank'. It is a bus-like vehicle based on a 6×6 Dongfeng truck chassis, made for all-terrain duty in the desert. Shaanxi just sold twenty SX6100′s to security services in the great country of ... »

For China's 'Left-Behind Kids,' A Free Lunch
Xie navigates a mountain path in China's remote Shaanxi province in the dark, trudging through snowstorms and mudslides. Then she has to get a bus for about 10 miles. She hasn't time to eat breakfast. "For lunch, I spend 15 cents on two pieces of bread ... »

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