Xi'an
(2002 est. pop. 2.7 million). Xi'an is the provincial capital of Shaanxi Province in central China. The city, which is the largest in the province, is situated in the central part of Shaanxi in the Wei Rivervalley north of the Qinling Range. The area around Xi'an has been inhabited for thousands of years; the remains of a stable village from around 5,000 BCE has been found at Banpo. The Xi'an area was also chosen as the capital of the first empire, the Qin dynasty (221–206 BCE), as well as of the Han (206 BCE–220 CE) and the Tang dynasties (618–907 CE). The city was then known as Chang'an. The site of the famous terra-cotta soldiers of the First Emperor of the Qin (Qin Shi Huangdi) is located about thirty kilometers east of the city, and many other archaeological sites dot the area.
The Lesser Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an. (KEREN SU/CORBIS)For hundreds of years, Xi'an was the gateway to the Silk Route to Central Asia, and during the Tang dynasty it was the largest and most cosmopolitan city in the world. The Big Goose Pagoda, which was completed in 709, still stands sixty-four meters tall, and the old part of Xi'an, with a drum tower, a bell tower, and a magnificent mosque dating to the eighteenth century, is surrounded by one of the best-preserved city walls in China. The walls date to the fourteenth century and were originally fourteen kilometers long and measured twelve meters in height and eighteen meters in width. The modern city has a major textile industry and some electrical industries, and important food processing factories are located in a rich agricultural region in the river valley. Tourism is a major source of income. Xi'an also has important universities and colleges.
Further Reading
Xiang, Yang. (1992) Xi'an, ancienne capitale de la Chine. Beijing: Editions en langue étrangères.
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