Travel Guide in Xi'an
By admin on 2015-01-12

Xi’an (xī ān 西安) ranks first on the list of the country’s seven largest ancient capitals with a long-standing history and is known for being the capital city for 13 dynasties. It marked the starting point of the world famous Silk Road. Since the 1990s, the city of Xi’an has re-emerged as 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. Now, this city harmoniously combines its ancient charm with a modern atmosphere.

Brief Introduction

Situated in the middle of the Yellow River (huáng hé 黄河) reaches and at the center of the Central Shaanxi Plain (guān zhōng píng yuán 关中平原), Xi’an is the capital of the Shaanxi province (shǎn xī shěng 陕西省) in China and a sub-provincial city. It is the eastern terminus of the Silk Road and home of the Terracotta Army (bīng mǎ yǒng 兵马俑) which was made during the Qin Dynasty (qín cháo 秦朝)(221-207 BC). From 11th century B. C. onwards, Xi’an or its vicinity has been established as the capital city by 15 kingdoms or feudal dynasties successively, including the Western Zhou (xī zhōu 西周)(1066-771 BC), the Qin Dynasty (qín cháo 秦朝)(221-207 BC), the Han Dynasty (hàn cháo 汉朝)(202BC-220AD), the Sui Dynasty (suí cháo 隋朝)(581-618 AD) and the Tang Dynasty (táng cháo 唐朝) (581-907 AD). The city has more than 3,100 years of history, and was known as Chang’an (zhǎng ān 长安).
Xi’an has a semi-arid, continental climate that borders on a humid subtropical climate and is characterized by hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. The city has a mean temperature of 13℃, and an average precipitation of 604 mm annually. The high season of tourism falls on May to August, although the most pleasant season for visiting Xi’an is autumn.