Xi'an

Xi'an

西安
Chang'an · 長安
Xi'an 西安 Chang'an · 長安
Sub-provincial city
	西安市
	From top: City wall of Xi'an, Xingqinggong Park, Drum Tower of Xi'an, Great Mosque of Xi'an, Southeast city corner, Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, Nan'erhuan Road
	Location of Xi'an City jurisdiction in Shaanxi
	Xi'an Location in China
	Coordinates: 34°16′N 108°54′E / 34.267°N 108.900°E
Country	People's Republic of China
Province	Shaanxi
Government
• CPC Xi'an	Sun Qingyun (孙清云)
• Mayor	Dong Jun (董军)
Area
• Sub-provincial city	9,983 km2 (13.9 sq mi)
• Urban	826 km2 (319 sq mi)
• Metro	3,830 km2 (1,480 sq mi)
• Yangling	94 km2 (36 sq mi)
Elevation	405 m (1,329 ft)
Population (2010 census)
• Sub-provincial city	8,467,837
• Density	850/km2 (610,000/sq mi)
• Urban	6,501,200
• Urban density	7,900/km2 (20,000/sq mi)
• Metro	7,168,005
Time zone	UTC+8 (CST)
Postal code	710000 - 710090
Area code	+86/29
GDP	(2010)
- Total	¥ 324.1 billion
- Per capita	¥26,259
License plate prefixes	陕A
City flower	Pomegranate flower
City tree	Pagoda tree
Website	www.xa.gov.cn

Xi'an (Chinese: 西安 pinyin:Xī'ān) is the capital city of the Shaanxi Province in China. Its metropolitan area has a population of 6 million people in 2011.^[1] This city is famous for the splendid Terracotta Army was found inside the tomb of Chinese first emperor Qin Shi Huang.^[2]

History

In past China, it was the capital of 13 dynasties, including the Zhou Dynasty, the Qin Dynasty, the Han Dynasty, the Sui Dynasty, and the Tang Dynasty. It was the eastern end of the ancient Silk Road^[3] and was commercial hub linked to home of silk production city Suzhou and Hangzhou. Xi'an is regarded as one of the most oldest capitals in the world history together with the other three Athens, Rome and Cairo.

Name

Xi'an was called Chang'an in ancient times. In Classical Chinese it literally means "Perpetual Peace". But from 9 AD-23 AD, during the Xin Dynasty, it was renamed "Constant Peace" (it is said the same way). By the time of the Ming Dynasty it had been named Xi'an (which means "Western Peace"). It was named Xi'an because was in the western part of the Ming Empire.

Political divisions

**Map of Xi'an political divisions**
Lintong Yanliang Zhouzhi Chang'an Gaoling Weiyang Yanta Hu Lantian Baqiao ■Beilin ■Xincheng ■Lianhu

Xi'an Municipality is divided into 10 districts and 3 counties.

Culture

Xian's profound culture is featured by many kind of traditional festivals, handicrafts and more ethnic flavor.

Yango - Popular rural folk dance
Qinqiang - Shaanxi local opera
Shaanxi Shadow Play
Fengxiang Clay Figurines

Tourism

As ancient capital, Xian's rich history is reflectey by the relic of Chinese dynasties such as ancient emperor story, imperial tombs, palace legends in the Qin, Han and Tang Dynasty. The following attractions is top among them.