Xi'an (Chinese: 西安; Pinyin: Xī'ān; Wade-Giles: Hsi-An; Postal System Pinyin: Sian), is the capital of Shaanxi province in China and a sub-provincial city. As one of the most important cities in Chinese history, Xi'an is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China for it has been the capital of 13 dynasties, including the Zhou, Qin, Han, and the Tang. Xi'an is also renowned for being the eastern terminus of the Silk Road and for the location of the Terracotta Army from Qin Dynasty. The city has more than 3,100 years of history. It was called Chang'an (Traditional Chinese: 長安; Simplified Chinese: 长安; Pinyin: Cháng'ān; literally "Perpetual Peace") in ancient times.
Since 1990s, as part of the economic revival of interior China, especially the central and northwest regions, in addition to a history of manufacturing and solid industrial establishments, Xi'an has become an important cultural, industrial and educational center of the central-northwest region, with facilities for research and development, national security and China's space exploration program.
History
Xi'an lies on the Guanzhong Plain in the central part of China with the average elevation of 400 meters above sea level.The annual temperature here averages 1.3 degree centigrade and its annual precipitation is 1100 millimeters.
Xi'an is subdivided into 13 districts. Xi'an is nested between a flood plain created by the eight surrounding rivers and streams, most of which have been too polluted to be used as sources of fresh water. The city borders the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains to the south, and the banks of Wei River to the north. Hua Shan (华山), one of the five sacred Taoist mountains, is located 100 km away to the east of the city.
Geography
At the end of 2005, Xi'an had a population of 8.07 million
The majority of Xi'an residents are Han Chinese, which make up 99.1% of the city's total population. There are around 81,500 ethnic minorities living in Xi'an, including 50,000 Muslim Hui people, many of them concentrated in the famous Muslim quarter, which is also home to the beautiful 1,360 year old Great Mosque of Xi'an. Like other major Chinese cities, Xi'an receives a fair amount of migrant workers from the rural areas every year.
Demographics
The culture of Xi'an is inherited from the traditions of one of the world's earliest civilizations. The Guanzhong Ren (关中人/關中人) were the cultural antecedent of Xi'anese, their cultural features are drawn from the Ten Specialities of Guanzhong Ren (关中十大怪/關中十大怪). Another major part of this culture is Eight Great Sights of Chang'an (长安八景/長安八景), storied scenic areas in the region.
The drama of the original Xi'anese culture, Qinqiang (秦腔, Voice of Qin) is the oldest and most extensive Chinese Opera of the four major types of Chinese opera. The dialect of Xi'an is Shaanxi Hua, which is strongly influenced by Standard Mandarin, but still retains much grammar and pronunciation from the Classical Chinese. Because of its long development as a culture, the cuisine of Xi'an is extensive as well. It is the representative of food of Northwestern China. The most well known local food is the Xi'anese snack, a traditional food of the Hui people. Hui-style snacks feature beef and mutton because the Hui people, being Muslims, do not eat pork. Baked beef and mutton, buns with beef, and other such regional dishes that are usually spicy in nature and incorporate a lot of beef and mutton ingredients. Two particularly famous Xi'an dishes include a pancake and mutton soup, which can be optionally spicy, and Xi'an's famous hand-rolled noodles, which come in various flavors, shapes, and sizes. There is also a famous cultural noodle dance when a chef, instead of rolling out noodles, waves a long strip of dough around in a dance before cooking the noodles.
CultureXi'an is the largest industrial center in China's mid-west and northwest.
Economy
TransportationThere are more than 200 bus routes in Xi'an.
Public Transit
A subway project is in course of construction, designed 7 lines, the first route will be completed by 2011.
Subway
Xi'an Railway Station is the major railway station in the city. Others include Xi'an West, Xi'an East, Sanmincun, Fangzhicheng railway stations. Xi'an North Railway Station is under construction. Xi'an railway station is one of the 6 main transport centres in China.
Train
Xi'an Xianyang International Airport is the major airport serving the city. It is the largest airport in the northwest region of China. It is outside of the city to the northwest, between Xi'an and Xiangyang. Chang'an Airlines and China Eastern Airlines are the main airport tenants. Taxis are a convenient way to get to a hotel although there is also an airport bus which leaves you in the city centre. You may have to get a taxi to your hotel from where the bus stops. Most taxis are unmetered at the airport but metered everywhere else! The asking price from airport to city centre is 150 Yuan. Bargain for about 120-130 Yuan or ask for the metere to be put on.
Airport
The city is surrounded by a well-preserved City wall of Xi'an which was re-constructed in the Ming Dynasty and based in inner imperial palace of Tang Dynasty. The area in which Xi'an sits is a relatively flat place, making travel on the wall relatively easy unlike the steep inclines of the Great Wall. It is also plenty wide enough to rent a bicycle and cruise along the wall without colliding with others.
The Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇) and his Terracotta Army are located 40 km to the east of the city's suburbs.
The city's Muslim quarter, a tourist shopping district next to the Drum Tower, is home to the Great Mosque of Xi'an.
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda and Small Wild Goose Pagoda are both spectacular towers and both are well over 1,000 years old and have survived great earthquakes. The former is next to a large square with the largest fountain in Asia which projects water high into the air, rising and falling in time to music during one of the daily performances (usually at noon and soon after sunset).
The Bell Tower and Drum Tower, located at the city centre.
The Stele Forest is famous for its numerous historic inscriptions and stoneworks.
The Shaanxi History Museum has a large collection of artifacts both modern and ancient.
The Banpo Neolithic village is located outside the city.
Mount Hua is one of the most visited and steepest mountains in the country. Main sights
Media
Shaanxi Television broadcasts on numbered channels 1 through 8 and a satellite television.
Xi'an Television broadcasts on numbered channels 1 through 6.
Shaanxi Radio serves Xi'an and the surrounding Shaanxi province area with music and news. Television
Chinese Business View (华商报) is a popular local newspaper. Newspaper
Xi'an's sister cities are:
Athens, Greece
Cusco, Peru
Dortmund, Germany
Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine
Edinburgh, Scotland
Esfahan, Iran
Istanbul, Turkey
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Johannesburg, South Africa
Kansas City, Missouri (United States)
Kathmandu, Nepal
Kyoto, Japan
Lahore, Pakistan
Pau, France
Québec City, Québec (Canada) Sister citiesXi'an is known as one of the academic centers in China. The number of institutions is the third only after Beijing and Shanghai. The private institutions are famous in the country.
Colleges and universities
Chang'an University (长安大学)
Xi'an Technological University (西安工业大学)
Northwest University (西北大学)
Northwest University of Political Science and Law (西北政法大学)
Northwestern Polytechnical University (西北工业大学)
Shaanxi Normal University (陕西师范大学)
The Fourth Military Medical University (第四军医大学)
Xi'an International Studies University (西安外国语大学)
Xi'an Jiaotong University (西安交通大学)
Xi'an Polytechnic University (西安工程大学)
Xi'an Shiyou University (西安石油大学)
Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology (西安建筑科技大学)
Xi'an University of Post & Telecommunications (西安邮电学院)
Xi'an University of Science and Technology (西安科技大学)
Xi'an University of Technology (西安理工大学)
Xidian University (西安电子科技大学)
Shaanxi Institute of Education (陕西教育学院)
Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts (西安美术学院)
Xi'an Conservatory of Music (西安音乐学院)
Xi'an Institute of Finance and Economics (西安财经学院)
Xi'an Physical Culture Institute (西安体育学院)
XI'AN INSTITUTE OF STATISTICS (西安统计学院) Public
Note: Institutions without full-time bachelor programs are not listed.
For details, see List of universities in the People's Republic of China
Xi'an Eurasia University (西安欧亚学院)
Shaan Xi Institute of International Commerce (陕西国际商贸学院)
Xi'an Fanyi University (西安翻译学院)
Xi'an Peihua University (西安培华学院)
Xi'an Siyuan University (西安思源学院) Image galleries
The South Gate
The Bell Tower (Zhonglou) in Xian
The Drum Tower
The Xi'an Drum Tower
Big & Small Wild Goose Pagoda
Television radio tower
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