Xian
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Xī ān 西安市 长 安 Chang'an
Xi'an in Shaanxi, China
Location of Xi'an
Coordinates: 34°16′N 108°54′E / 34.267, 108.9
Province	Shaanxi
Government
- Type	Sub-provincial city
- CPC Xi'an	Sun Qingyun (孙清云)
- Mayor	Chen Baogen (陈宝根)
Area
- City	9,983 km² (3,854.5 sq mi)
- Land	9,983 km² (3,854.5 sq mi)
- Water	0 km² (0 sq mi)
- Urban	1,166 km² (450.2 sq mi)
- Yangling	94 km² (36.3 sq mi)
Elevation	405 m (1,329 ft)
Population (2000)
- City	2,670,000 (city proper)
- Density	666/km² (1,724.9/sq mi)
- Metro	8.252 million
Time zone	CST (UTC+8)
Postal code	710000 - 710090
Area code(s)	+86/29
GDP	(2007)
- Total	¥173.71 billion
- Per capita	¥21,017
License plate prefixes	陕A
City flower	Guava flower
City tree	Black locust
Website: http://www.xa.gov.cn/

Xi'an (Chinese: 西安; pinyin: Xī'ān; Wade-Giles: Hsi-An; Postal map spelling: Sian), is the capital of the Shaanxi province in the People's republic of 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 because it has been the capital (under various names) of 13 dynasties, including the Zhou, Qin, Han, the Sui dynasty, 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, made during the Qin Dynasty. The city has more than 3,100 years of history. The ancient city of Chang'an (traditional Chinese: 長安; simplified Chinese: 长安; pinyin: Cháng'ān; literally "Perpetual Peace") is within Xi'an's borders, but is offset from the existing walled city of Xi'an. The present day city walls of Xi'an are built upon the foundations of the imperial city walls of Sui and Tang dynasty Chang'an.

Since the 1990s, as part of the economic revival of interior China especially for the central and northwest regions, 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.

Origin of Name

The two Chinese characters in the name "Xi'an" literally mean Western Peace. The local Xi'anese pronunciation of Xi'an is almost the same as the Standard Mandarin pronunciation in Hanyu Pinyin. This name derives from the period of the Ming Dynasty when the city's name changed from its former title of "Chang'an". In fact, the naming conventions used for the city have often changed throughout time. The city was named Fenghao (丰鎬) in the Zhou (周) Dynasty beginning around 1046 BC. It was renamed Chang'an (長安) during the Han (汉) Dynasty in 206 AD. It was then renamed as Daxing (大興) during the Sui (隋) Dynasty in 581 AD, while it was again renamed Chang'an during the Tang Dynasty beginning in 618 AD. It was given other names in later periods as well, such as Fengyuan (奉元), then Anxi (安西), then Jingzhao (京兆) during the Yuan (元) Dynasty. Finally, it was named Xi'an in the year 1369 AD — the first time that it was called Xi'an — during the Ming Dynasty. It retained the name of Xi'an until 1928, until it was named Xijing (西京) in 1930. It was once again changed back to its Ming era name of Xi'an in the year 1943.

Xi'an's abbreviations in Chinese are Hao (鎬) or Tang (唐). The former is derived from the ancient name Fenghao of the Zhou Dynasty. The latter is derived from the name of Tang Dynasty.

History

Main article: History of Xi'an

Xi'an has a rich history of cultural significance, both natural and man-made. The Lantian Man was discovered in 1963 at Lantian County (藍田县; pinyin: Lántián Xiàn), just 50 km southeast of Xi'an. This finding dates back at least 500,000 years ago, and was followed by the discovery of a 5,000 year old Neolithic village at Banpo (半坡) in 1954, just outside the current city limits to the east.

Qin Dynasty

Xi'an became a major cultural and industrial centre of China in 11th century BCE, with the founding of the Zhou Dynasty. The capital of Zhou was established in Fēng (沣/灃) and Hào (镐/鎬), both located just west of contemporary Xi'an. Following the several century long Warring States Period, Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE) unified China for the first time and the capital became Xianyang (咸阳), just northwest from modern Xi'an. Before his death, Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered the construction of the Terracotta Army and his mausoleum which is located in the modern city's suburb.

Terracotta Army inside the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum, 3rd century BC.

Han Dynasty and the Silk Road

In 202 BCE, the founding emperor Liu Bang of the Han Dynasty established Chang'an County as the capital; his first palace Changle Palace (长乐宫/長樂宮, perpetual happiness) was built across the river from the ruin of the Qin capital. This is traditionally regarded as the founding date of Chang'an, or Xi'an. Two years later, Liu Bang would build Weiyang Palace (未央宫) north of modern Xi'an. The original Xi'an city wall was started in 194 BCE, the construction took 4 years to finish and the wall measured 25.7 km in length, 12-16 m in thickness at the base. The area within the wall was ca. 36 km². In year 190, amidst uprisings and rebellions just prior to the Three Kingdoms Period, a powerful warlord named Dong Zhuo moved the court from Luoyang to Chang'an in a bid to avoid a coalition of other powerful warlords against him.

The Han Dynasty saw the rise of the Silk Road, a great transcontinental route linking the Roman Empire in the West with the imperial court of China in the East. The ancient route started at Chang’an (the ancient name of Xi'an), the capital of the Han Dynasty, reached the Yellow River at Lanzhou, then skirted westward along deserts and mountains before dividing into three routes at the oasis of Dunhuang. Walking through Xinjiang, brave ancient merchants traveled westward all the way to Rome.

Sui Dynasty

After a period of disunion, Sui Dynasty united the country again in 582 and the emperor ordered a new capital to be built southeast of the Han capital, called Daxing (大兴/大興, great excitement). It consisted of three sections: the Xi'an Palace, the Imperial City, and the civilian section. The total area within the wall was 84 km², The main street Zhuque Avenue measured 155 m in width. It was the largest city in the world.

Tang Dynasty

The city was renamed Chang'an in Tang Dynasty. In the mid-7th century, after returning from his pilgrimage to India, Buddhist monk Xuan Zang (popularly known as Tang Sanzang) established a translation centre for Sanskrit scriptures.

Construction of the Da Yan Pagoda (大雁塔, Giant Wild Goose Pagoda) began in 652. It measured 64 m in height. This pagoda was constructed for the storage of the translations of Buddhist sutras obtained from India by the Xuan Zang. In 707, construction of the Xiao Yan Pagoda (小雁塔, Small Wild Goose Pagoda) began, it measured 45 m in height at the time of completion. The earthquake of 1556 damaged the tower and reduced its height to 43.4 m.

The Huaqing Palace and the Huaqing Hot Springs has undergone four large reconstructions during its long history. The first could be dated back to the Western Zhou Dynasty of over 3,000 years ago. The second time was during the Qin Dynasty. By the time of the Western Han Dynasty it had become a popular destination for the Han emperors.

During the Tang Dynasty, large number of palaces were built along the mountain slopes and in the surrounding area. It was then renamed the “Huaqing Palace”.

The Daming Palace was commissioned and financed by Emperor Tang Taizong in 634, the 8th year of the reign of “Zhen’guan”, became a summer resort for his father, the former Tang emperor Gaozong, Li Yuan. The palace is the largest to be built in the Tang dynasty, roughly 4.5 times larger than the forbidden city in Beijing. The Hanyuan Hall served as the main hall of the Daming Palace and it was used by the emperor to handle his routine affairs and grant audiences to officials or foreign envoys. The original survey indicated that the hall was built on a terrace over 3 meters high and extends some 75.9 meters in length from east to west and 42.3 meters in width from north to south.

The Xingqing Palace was once a palace built for the Emperor Xuanzong and the Lotus Palace which was once famous for its beautiful sceneries.

During the Tang Dynasty, Japanese overseas students arrived in Chang'an to study the ways of the Tang dynasty. When they went back to Japan, they brought with them books, religion, technologies, and Chinese characters (on which Japanese characters are based). Some Japanese even lived out their lives in Chang'an. Following the Japanese envoys was Kukai who came to Chang'an in 804; he first stayed in the Ximing Temple and later followed Monk Huiguo of the Blue Dragon Temple to study Esoteric Buddhism. He returned to Japan in 806 after he had finished his studies and established the True Word Sect of Buddhism in Japan and finally became a great master in establishing the "Eastern Esotericism".

Chang'an was largely destroyed at the end of the Tang Dynasty in 904. Residences were forced to move to the new capital city in Luoyang. Only a small area in the city continued to be occupied after the destruction.

Ming Dynasty

During the Ming Dynasty, the 3rd year of Emperor Hongwu's reign, a new wall was constructed in 1370 .The new wall and a moat outside the walls protect a much smaller city measures 11.9 km in circumference, 12 m in height, and 15-18 m in thickness at the base. It is the most intact city wall in the world.

Modern History

In late Qing Dynasty, foreign troops attacked Beijing. The empress dowager Cixi escaped from Beijing to Xi'an, living in Huaqing Palace at Lishan. Local officials wanted to please her and built a building named Liangbao Lou (亮宝楼)on West Street for the purpose of holding her jewels.

In 1936, just before the final outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, but during a period when Japan occupied much of Dongbei (NE China), the famous "Xi'an Incident" took place inside the city walls. General Yang Hucheng and General Zhang Xueliang ("The Young Marshall") arrested Chiang Kai-shek in order to force him to cooperate with the forces led by his enemy Mao Zedong in fighting the Japanese. The result was a temporary truce between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China and a shaky coordination in the fighting against the Japanese.

Geography and Climate

Xi'an lies on the Guanzhong Plain in the central part of China with the average elevation of 400 meters above sea level. Its annual precipitation is 1100 millimeters. The urban area of Xi'an is located at 34°16′N, 108°56′E

Xi'an is nestled between a flood plain created by the eight surrounding rivers and streams, most of which are too polluted to be used as sources of fresh water. The Hei river provides potable water to the city.

The city borders the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains to the south, and the banks of the Wei River to the north. Hua Shan, one of the five sacred Taoist mountains, is located 100 km away to the east of the city.

In the beginning of Han Dynasty, Prime Minister Zhang Liang suggested the emperor, Liu Bang, to choose Guanzhong as the capital area of Han: 'Guanzhong Plain, which is located behind Xiao Pass and Hangu Pass, connects Long Plain and Shu Plain. Land, of thousands miles and rich in harvest, can be found here, as if this place is belongs to the nation of the heaven.' ("关中左崤函, 右陇蜀, 沃野千里, 此所谓金城千里, 天府之国也" 《史记·留侯世家》) Since then, Guanzhong is also known as 'Nation of the Heaven'.

National Time Service Centre

Its Shaanxi Astronomical Observatory was established in 1966. In 1975, according to the Geodetic Origin Report, the People's Republic of China: 'in order to avoid bias in the mensuration as much as possible, the Geodetic Origin would better in central mainland China.' Jingyang (泾阳), a town near Xi'an was chosen. Since 1986, Chinese Standard Time (CST) has launched from NTSC. The location of NTSC at Jingyang is 36km away from Xi'an. It is 880km to the North boundary, 2500km to the Northeast, 1000km to the East, 1750km to the South, 2250km to the Southwest, 2930km to the West, and 2500km to the Northwest.

National Time Service Center (NTSC), the Chinese Academy of Sciences is an institute which is mainly engaged in the service and research on time and frequency. NTSC takes charge of generating and maintaining the national standard time scale, disseminating the time and frequency signals. The autonomous standard time scales of universal time and atomic time and the dissemination techniques with LF radio and HF radio were established successively during the 1970s and 1980s, which meet all the requirements for different applications on the whole, such as the scientific researches, national economy, etc.^[1]

Average Temperature

Xi'an has a continental climate. The region is characterized by long, hot summers, and cold, dry winters. Spring and autumn are brief in between. Xi'an receives most of its annual precipitation from August to late October in the form of rain. Summer seasons also experience frequent but short thunderstorms.

Demographics

At the end of 2005, Xi'an had a population of 8.07 million.^[3] Compared to the census conducted in 2000, the population increased by 656,700 persons from 7.41 million.^[3] There were 4.17 million (51.66%) males and 3.90 million (48.34%) females.^[3] For every 100 females in the city there were 106.88 males.^[3] The district with the most population is YanTa Qu, with 1.08 million inhabitants.^[3]

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.

During World War II, Xi'an became a destination for many refugees from other provinces of China, especially the neighboring Henan Province, as Xi'an was quite far inland and the invading Japanese army only managed a few aerial assaults on the city. As a result, Xi'an suffered minimal destruction. After 1949, the central governmental aimed to balance the development in different regions of China, factories and universities were moved from other cities to Xi'an, including Xi'an Jiaotong University from Shanghai. Like other major Chinese cities, Xi'an receives a fair number of migrant workers from the rural areas every year.

Subdivision

Xi'an is subdivided into 13 districts^[4].(Population dues to 2004)

The urban and suburban areas of the city are divided into seven (7) districts:

The following two(2) districts encompass the more distant suburbs and satellite towns, constituting part of the metropolitan area:

The other four(4) districts and the two counties located further out govern semirural and rural areas:

Transportation and infrastructure

Underpass around the Bell Tower

Xi'an Railway Station

For a large metropolis Xi'an has many areas that are easily accessible on foot. At many heavily zoned commercial, residential, educations areas in the city, there are underpasses or overpasses for the safety and convenience of pedestrians, especially in the shopping and entertainment districts around the Bell Tower. However many intersections still lack sufficiently visible traffic lights and the right-of-way is virtually non-existent except at large intersections with traffic police and signals.

There has been a significant increase in the number of privately-owned vehicles to the middle and upper class households in Xi'an. Electrical bikes are very popular among students and offer easy transportation in and around the city for many residents. Taxi services are numerous but many citizens of Xi'an still commute to work on one of more than 200 bus routes.

Subway

Main article: Xi'an Subway

Currently there are major construction works along Chang An street for the first subway system in Xi'an, designed with 6 lines, to be completed by 2020.

The 2nd route will start to be built in 2009, while rest of the routes are planned to start in 2013 and finish around 2020.

Taxi

The taxis are mostly Santana made in Shanghai, BYD auto made in Xi'an and Citroen made in Wuhan. Taxis work 24 hours a day, managed by the Taxi Management Bureau of Xi'an City which records complaints. Customers are charged by meter.

Train

There are 6 passenger transport railway stations in Xi'an at present, and Xi'an Railway Station is one of the eight most important railway stations nationally. Xi'an Railway Station is the main railway station serving the city. Others include Xi'an West, Xi'an East, Xi'an South,Sanmincun, Fangzhicheng railway stations. Xi'an North Railway Station is under construction.

Xi'an Railway Station covers 597 thousand square meters, has 5 passenger platforms, and 24 tracks. It provides 112 services to 80 thousand people daily. There are services from Xi'an to Zhengzhou, from Xi'an to Lanzhou, from Xi'an to Baoji,and from Xi'an to Mount Hua. CRH2(China Railway High-speed 2) is an express service running from Xi'an to Baoji, with a total running time is less than 90 minutes.

Expressways

ZhongNan Tunnel

Xi'an currently has two ring road systems, the Second Ring road and the Third Ring road encircle the city. These ring roads are almost built like freeways, except that there are traffic signals on the Second Ring road.

As a famous tourist city, Xi'an has built expressways to Lintong, Tongchuan and Baoji, with high class roads built to famous scenic spots in its suburban counties and on the north slope of the Qin Mountains. Expressways spread in all directions from Xi'an. Since September 2007, the newly completed Xi-Han Expressway connects Han Zhong and Xi'an through the Qinling Mountains. The ZhongNan Shan Tunnel is the longest tunnel in Asia at 15 kilometers long.

Airport

Xi'an Xianyang International Airport.

Xi'an Xianyang International Airport is the major airport serving the city and is the largest airport in the northwest region of China. The airport is located to the northwest of the city, between Xi'an and Xianyang. Chang'an Airlines and China Eastern Airlines are the main airport tenants.

International Routes: There are direct flights from Xi'an to many major cities in Asia, including Singapore, Bangkok, Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kyoto, Hong Kong, Seoul, and Pusan.

Germany's Fraport, the operator of Frankfurt Airport, has paid 490 million yuan to obtain a 24.5-percent stake in the Xianyang International Airport, offering opportunities to upgrade and expand the facility.

Culture

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.

Architecture

Seven styles of architecture dominate urban Xi'an, the first three include the architecture of Qin and Han Dynasties (秦汉风格), the architecture of Tang Dynasty (唐风) and the architecture of Ming and Qing Dynasties (明清风格). These three styles are all Chinese traditional, but they may be differentiated by the colors of the roof and certain details. For Qin and Han Style, the roof is black, and no decorations are used under the roof. For Tang style, people began to use a lot of the color red but still prefer the black or dark green roof, and the buildings were all divine and huge to show off the power of the country; when the history went into Ming and Qing dynasties, roof's color changed to yellow, and people placed tremendous value on details, such as drawings and prints under the roof.

After the Qing dynasty came Republic of China style (民国风格) before the PRC was established. This type of architecture is perhaps best exemplified by the People's Showplace. Then, there is what is sometimes referred to as the Sino-Soviet style (苏式风格), built between the 1950s and the 1970s, with the help of the U.S.S.R., mostly centralized in the western part of the city where there are many factories. Also, there are much more modern architectural forms (现代风格) — most notably in the High-Tech Zone and the Economic-Development zone.

At present, a new Chinese architectural form called New Tang Style (新唐风) can be mainly found in Qujiang (曲江), which inherits the soul of tradition and develops itself on the base of modern architecture; the Shaanxi History Museum and the Xi'an Museum are examples of this style.

The gallery below shows you the differences directly:

Republic style, Renming theater, the North Street, Xi'an

Modern style, the 5th International Plaza, Weiyang Road, Xi'an

New Tang Style, Tang Paradise, Xi'an

Drama and literature

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. It is also "random pluck"(乱弹), is the main type of drama in Shaanxi area and also the most ancient existing one in dramatic arts of the country. As the earliest ancestor of Beijing Opera, Yu Opera, Chuan Opera and Hebei Opera, it has formed its own system with unique vocal music, spoken parts, types of facial makeup, posture, role, category and acting.It can be traced to Xi Qinqiang (西秦腔, Voice of West Qin) in Qin Dynasty. It went on to blossom until Qing Dynasty, and influenced Jingju (京剧, Chinese Opera) directly.

The dialect of Xi'an, Shaanxi Hua, is strongly influenced by Standard Mandarin. However, it still retains a lot of grammar and pronunciation from the Classical Chinese.

Yisu She (易俗社) is one of the oldest Drama society in China. Today it is still vigorous.

Contemporary writers like Chen Zhongshi (陈忠实), Lu Yao (路遥), Jia Pingwa (贾平凹), who contributed greatly to Chinese literature, are also from Xi'an.

Art, music, film and others

Chang'an School (长安画派) is a very important modern Chinese school of traditional arts. The main artists are Zhao Wangyun (赵望云), Shilu (石鲁), He Haixia (何海霞), Liu Wenxi (刘文西).

Much like Beijing 798 and Shanghai 1933, Xi'an has an art district called Spinning town (纺织城). It's not an actual town and the name derives from the fact that, since the 1950s, there have been several big spinning factories there; the population in that area is almost equal to that of a town. Today it is no longer a centre for the spinning industry but a new art factory with A,B,C and D - 4 big workshops in total. Since March 2007, more than 40 artists have taken a part in these. It is thought as a signal of new creative industry in Xi'an.

Xi'an is also known for its rock music. It's one of the vigorous underground musical centres in China - the other three being Beijing, Kunming and Chengdu - and home to some contemporary Chinese Stars such as Xuwei (许巍), Zhangchu (张楚), Zhengjun (郑均).

Zhang Yimou (张艺谋) and Gu Changwei (顾长卫) are directors from Xi'an; Xi'an is also the only city in China to win the Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival) twice. The first film is Red Sorghum and the second one is Tuya's Marriage. They are produced by Xi'an Filmmaking Factory (now called Xi'an Qujiang Filmmaking Group) and Xi'an Filmmaking company respectively.

Chinese main economists graduated from North Western University such as Zhang Weiying (张维迎), Zhang Shuguang (张曙光), Weijie (魏杰), Liu Shijin (刘世锦), Songze (宋则), Fenglun (冯仑), Feng Zongsu (冯宗苏), Zou Dongtao (邹东涛), Li Yiping (李义平), Zhuo Zhonghai (左中海); Zhang Chaoyang (张朝阳), the CEO of SOHU company, is the leader in the field of Chinese Internet.

Exchange

Lantern Festival on the city wall, every 15th January (lunar calendar)

Both traditional customs and exotic ones are popular in Xi'an. The picture on the left shows the Lantern Show on Yuanxiao Jie (元宵节). The right one is about Christmas Eve in Xi'an. It is almost a new Carnival for young people. On Christmas Eve, students in the Universities go out together to celebrate until mid-night, it's not the same as it is in the West, but a special day for people to relax and have some fun with their friends. It seems more exciting when it happens in the oldest city in the East.

A poetic city

This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (February 2008)

The number of poems that describe the beauty of the city in history are countless

• 长安陌上无穷树, 唯有垂柳道离别： Even trees by the road side in Chang'an are rich. Only willows whisper Goodbye. (in the past, willows were everywhere in the city)
• 总为浮云能蔽日, 长安不见使人愁: I thought the clouds would cover the sun, but still felt sad because Chang'an was out of my view.
• 冲天香阵透长安, 满城尽带黄金甲: Chang'an immenses itself in the scent, and the city dresses golden likes wearing a corselet.
• 向长安，对秋灯, 几人老: ahead the direction of Chang'an, face to the lamp in the fall, time hastens people's life.
• 长安城中秋夜长, 佳人锦石捣流黄: autumn night in Chang'an is much longer, beauties wash clothes by the river side.
• 举目见日, 不见长安: raise the head I see the sun, but not the Chang'an that I missed.
• 红尘紫陌, 斜阳暮草, 长安道, 是离人: after sunset, people on the road of Chang'an are saying goodbye
• 秋风吹渭水, 落叶满长安: winds blow river Wei, then leaves shatter on the ground
• 三月三日空气新, 长安水边多丽人: on third of March (Chinese Lunar Calendar), thousands of beauties are enjoying Spring in Chang'an.
• 暗闻歌吹声, 知是长安路: when you hear the music, you know it's Chang'an ahead.
• 百千家似围棋局, 十二街如种菜畦: this poem points out the feature of the city, streets and roads are very orderly and regular, just like the I-go.
• 九天阊阖开宫殿, 万国衣冠拜冕旒： this poem shows the scene of Daming Palace in the morning. Officials were waiting outside the palace.
• 渭水收暮雨, 处处多新泽. 宫苑傍山明, 云林带天碧: this poem means the rain after sunset drips into River Wei (a river near Chang'an), and new pools on the ground are everywhere. The palace snuggles up to the mountain is becoming brighter, and the thick forest has the pretty color as the sky
• 却惜京华不可见, 烟花二月过长安. 长安通衢十二陌, 出入九州横八极: these sentences mean the transportation in Chang'an is very convenient.
• 风舞槐花落御沟, 终南山色入城秋: Flower of the locust trees dances with the wind, then fall into the royal river, let's enjoy the beautiful autumn and the scenery of Mount Zhongnan seen from the city
• 长安大道连狭斜, 青牛白马七香车: the carrige passes the street of Chang'an, leaving a delicate fragrance
• 西北望长安, 可怜无数山: to the North west, it's Chang'an. How lovely the mountains around it!
• 秋寒可自长安到? 再忆长安已太迟: Could autumn come into Chang'an by itself? It's already too late to miss Chang'an.
• 长安雪后似春归, 积素凝华连曙辉: it seems like spring after snowing in Chang'an, can you see the snowflake sparkle in the rosy down?
• 长安渭桥路, 行客别时心: the bridge over the Ba River, the feeling we separate from each other.
• 恐逢故里莺花笑, 且向长安度一春: I'd rather spend my spring in Chang'an than to face the oriole-flower smelling in my hometown
• 何处可为别? 长安青绮门: where is the place we could say goodbye at last? It's Qingyi Gate in Chang'an
• 长安道, 一回来, 一回老: when you first passed Chang'an, you were young; the second time you passed by, you are already old.
• 花萼楼前雨露新, 长安城里太平人: in front of the building, the rain is fresh, the flower as well, the life of people who live in Chang'an is peaceful.
• 年年今日谁相问, 独卧长安泣岁华: Nobody could answer my question at this time every year, I have to stay myself in Chang'an, weeping bitter tears over my lost youth
• 长安城中月如练, 家家此夜持针线: the moon in Chang'an is very bright tonight, every family is sewing.
• 忆长安, 九月时: it's September, it's the time to miss Chang'an
• 滞雨长安夜, 残灯独客愁: it's raining all night. Lamp is the only thing to accompany with, what a lonely passenger, no words can express the grief
• 红尘白日长安路, 马走车轮不暂闲: the wheels of the carrige are very busy on the road in Chang'an
• 碧池新涨浴桥鸦, 分锁长安富贵家:
• 豪家沽酒长安陌, 一旦起楼高百尺:
• 长安九城路, 戚里五侯家:
• 长安大道沙为堤, 早风无尘雨无泥: the streets in Chang'an are made of sand. There's no ash in the morning wind and no mud in the rain.
• 长安回望绣成堆, 山顶千门次第开: turn back and find the beautiful natural sights behind Chang'an.
• 长相思, 在长安: the place we are pining for is Chang'an!
• 一为迁客去长沙, 西望长安不见家: once I moved to Chang'sha, it's another city far away from Chang'an. From then on,I couldn't see my hometown to the west.
• 忆来唯把旧书看, 几时携手入长安: when I miss her, I read the old books. Who can tell me when could I go back to Chang'an with her?

Romance

This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (February 2008)

In Chinese history, many renowned love stories happened in the city.

The 1st one is a legend about Niulang (牛郎) and Zhinu (织女). Niulang is a common cattle man while Zhinu is a fairy in the heaven. They loved each other but this relationship was not allowed. So they received a punishment, they could only meet each other on 7th, July (Chinese lunar calendar) on the bridge over galaxy (galaxy was considered as a river in the sky). They still have their stone statues in Xi'an, which were built in Han Dynasty by the side of Kunming Lake (has already disappeared).

The 2nd one is the story between Tang Xuanzong (玄宗) and Yang Yuhuan (a dauphine of Xuanzong) (杨玉环) happened in Tang Dynasty.

• 在天愿做比翼鸟, 在地愿为连理枝: this is a famous sentence when people want to imply that how deep they love each other, firstly used on this story, means that they would like to be the birds flying together, or the branches of trees embraced each other forever.

Some other great love stories...

• 愿得一心人, 白头不相离: the writer was a beautiful woman named Zhuo Wenjun (卓文君) in Han Dynasty. She married her husband and some day she discovered that he seemed to fall in love with another woman. She's very sad and decided to write down a poem. This is one sentence of that poem, means I would like to win a man who only loves me, and I will follow him until all my hairs turn grey. Finally,her hunsband returned to her.

Another one happened at Hanyao (寒窑), Tang Dynasty, where the spoony woman was famous for waiting her lover for over 18 years.

Cuisine

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 Xianese snack, which consists of both traditional food of the Han Chinese and Hui ethnic minority. 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. Han-style snacks are popular across China, consisting of meat with pancakes and noodles. Cool noodles, made of rice or wheat, taste spicy and great. A historical famous Xi'an dish is pancakes and mutton soup, which can be traced back to the Song (宋) Dynasty.

Xi'an Dumplings Banquet

Xi'an Dumplings Banquet (德发长) is renowned throughout the city. It has already served at least one President who came to Xi'an, Bill Clinton. Basically, 32 different types of dumplings for each customer, but if one would like to taste more, there are also a lot options, more than 120 types are waiting for diners.

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.

Religion

Buddhism

Buddhism was first introduced to China in the Han Dynasty. Then, it matured by absorbing Chinese elements, for example, it's combined with local ethics and local religion such as Daojiao together. Many classical scriptures were brought from India by Monk Xuanzang (玄奘)in the Tang Dynasty, and he contributed a lot to the translation project. Today, His tomb is still in the rural area of Xi'an, and his statue is facing to Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. Giant Wild Goose Pagoda was used for storaging the Scriptures. Buddhism in China is slightly different from India Buddhism and influenced Asian Buddhism deeply, it's called Chinese Buddhism (汉传佛教). Some of them were spread to Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia.

Chinese Buddhism could be grouped into northern Buddhism and southern Buddhism. It's also divided into eight branches (schools) by different perceptions on Buddhism; six of these schools were born in Chang'an. At present, these six schools' founder temples (祖庭) (founder: the first master of school) are still in Xi'an.

Six schools are Sanlun Zong (三论宗), Huayan Zong (华严宗), Faxiang Zong (法相宗), Lu Zong (律宗), Jingtu Zong (净土宗) and Mi Zong (密宗). Their Founder's Temple (祖庭) are Caotang Temple (草堂寺), Huayan Temple (华严寺), Da Ci'en Temple (大慈恩寺), Jingye Temple (净业寺), Xiangji Temple (香积寺), Da Xingshan Temple (大兴善寺）.

Address List of 6 founder's temples:

• Sanlun Zong （三论宗), Caotang Temple (草堂寺): Hu Xian (户县), Xi'an
• Huayan Zong （华严宗), Huayan Temple (华严寺): Shaolin Yuan, Xi'an
• Faxiang Zong （法相宗）, Da Ci'en Temple (大慈恩寺): Yanta Road, Xi'an (near the Giant Wild Goose Pogada)
• Ritsu （律宗）, Jingye Temple （净业寺）: Mount Zhongnan, Xi'an
• Pure land （净土宗),Xiangji Temple （香积寺）: Shenhe Yuan, Xi'an
• Vajrayana (密宗), Da Xingshan Temple （大兴善寺）: West Street Da Xingshan Si, Xi'an

Other Temples:

• Famen Temple (法门寺)：Baoji (110km away from Xi'an,where places Buddha's relics-finger bone)
• Wolong Temple (卧龙寺)：Kaitong Lane, Xi'an
• Xingjiao Temple (兴教寺)：Shaolin Yuan, Xi'an (where Xuanzang's Tomb is)
• Jianfu Temple (荐福寺)：Youyi Road，Xi'an （where Small Wild Goose Pagoda is）
• Blue Dragon Temple (青龙寺): Xiying Road, Xi'an
• Wangji Temple (罔极寺): Paofang, Xi'an

Tibetan Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism is substantially different from Buddhism in other regions in China. Guangren Temple (广仁寺) located in Shuncheng Lane, Xi'an, is consecrated to Princess Wencheng(文成公主) (Tang Dynasty) who married the leader of Tibet. She promoted the relationship between Tang and Tibet, and brought Tang technology to Tibet at that time. The temple was established during the second year of the Kangxi (1663), by the Kangxi Emperor, in order to establish Qing claims to Tibet. Inclusion of the temple within the city, which at the time had the second largest garrison of Manchu soldiers, demonstrated the unity of the empire in a single geographic space.

Islam

• The Great Mosque (大清真寺)： Huajue Lane, Xi'an
• Mosque Great （清真大寺）： Da Xuexi Lane, Xi'an

Daojiao

Besides Buddhism, Xi'an is also an important place for Chinese local religion Taoism (道教).It has a founder's 'Daoguan' (道观) as well. 'Daoguan' is like a temple, a church or a monsque,just a specific name of place. Louguan tai (楼观台) is Daojiao's first Daoguan. Another 3 famous Daoguans in urban area of Xi'an are Eight Immortals An (八仙庵), Chenghuang Miao (城隍庙) and Xiangzi Miao (湘子庙). In Daojiao's legend, Eight Immortals (八仙) once stayed there so it's called ‘八仙庵’ ( 'An'and'Miao' also mean 'Daoguan').

• Louguan Tai (楼观台): Qinling Mountains, Xi'an
• Eight Immortals An (八仙庵): Changle Fang, Xi'an
• Chenghuang Miao (城隍庙): the West Street, Xi'an
• Xiangzi Miao (湘子庙): Str.Xiangzi Miao, Xi'an

Roman Catholicism

• 圣方濟主教座堂（南堂）(St. Francis Cathedral), Street Wuxing, Xi'an, seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Xi’an

Commerce

Maison Mode

Keji Road

There are three commercial centres in the city. The most important one revolves around the Bell tower commercial circle, covering an area about 1km2 which includes the West Street, the East Street, the South Street and Jiefang Road varies from each other. The east street is the main street. Ginwa is a local advanced shopping centre. It also has branches in Beijing and Urumqi. Golden Eagle, which comes from Nanjing, is the group's first northern shopping centre. Parkson is a Malaysian brand, with more than 40 stores in Mainland China. Mansion Mode, based in Hong Kong has five stores in Shanghai, Xi'an, Chongqing, Beijing and Chengdu.

List of large shopping centres that already on business:

• Parkson, the west street
• Minsheng shopping centre, the west street
• Ginwa shopping centre, the west street
• Easter shopping centre, the east street
• Parkson, the east street
• Zhonghuan shopping centre, the west street
• Kaiyuan shopping mall, the east street
• Luomashi shopping mall, the east street
• Sanli-Haida Spring shopping centre, the south street
• Zhongda International, the south street
• Maison Mode Chang'an, outside the south gate
• Minsheng shopping centre, Jiefang Road
• Golden Eagle international shopping centre, Keji Road
• Ginwa shopping centre, Keji Road
• Parkson, Chang'an Road
• Parkson, Dong'er huan Road

Novo, the South Street, Xi'an

Parkson, Xiaozhai, Xi'an

Economy

Xi'an is the largest industrial center in China's mid-west and northwest. Xi'an has also consistently received one of the largest foreign direct investment amounts among cities in western China. The amount of import-export done by the industrial sector make up more than 60% of the city's total trading volume. As much as 97% of the industries in Xi'an is manufacturing.

Euro-Asia Economic Forum, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)

Euro-Asia Economic Forum (欧亚经济论坛) is directly under the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. It's held every two years in China. Xi'an is its permanent site selection in China.

In 2007, 33 international groups and enterprises participated in the Euro-Asia Forum, 20 of which were Fortune 500 companies. Attendees of the forum included Deutsche Bank, UBS and one of the largest funds in the world, Franklin Templeton Investments. BP and US Asian American Gas, Inc. from the energy sector; Time Warner Inc. and US News Corporation from the media sector. Upon estimation, 10 of the Fortune 500 companies were from the United States. Moreover, senior management from Siemens, LG, SK and Goldman Sachs also attended the forum. Jiang Jiemin, general manager of China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation and Shu Yinbiao, deputy general manager of National Grid also attended the forum.

Fair

the largest fair in Xi'an is the Investment & Trade Fair for Cooperation between East & West China. It's successfully held each March since 1996.

Software,outsourcing industry and BPO

CBD, Tangyan Road, Xi'an

Xi'an, as a pioneer in software industry in China, has been retaining a sustainable and booming economy, which in turn upbores the development of software industry.

In 2005, the production value of software industry reached RMB 8.2 billion Yuan, with export revenue up to $US 42 million.

In recent years, service outsourcing industry in Xi'an has maintained robust growth. The outstanding contractor enterprises, rich human resources and preferential policies have paved a solid foundation for Xi'an to realize the objective of becoming the capital for service outsourcing.'

The third session of the annual China International BPO Conference, one of the most professional international conferences in software service outsourcing, began in Xi'an, the capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province on October 26, 2006

Xi'an as a second-tier city in China after the likes of Beijing and Shanghai already has a track record in the BPO field. And the local government is putting muscle behind the words in tax incentives and other incentives to companies that set up shop there and to professionals that choose to make their home in the district.

The Silicon.com article goes on to say, "But Xi'an is selling on its own merits - with a large pool of cheap human resources from the 100 universities in the area, it hoovers up around 3,000 computer graduates every year, each earning approximately $120 a month - half the wages for the equivalent job in Beijing." People's Daily Bureau of Commerce of Xi'an Municipal Government

Game industry

The largest net bar of the world with more than 3000 computers is located in Xi'an. As one of the biggest educational centres throughout the nation, because of the huge amount of undergraduate students, online games are very popular in the area. Xi'an has already hosted worldwide game competitions such as ACON5, CEG2006, and WCG2006.

BYD AUTO

BYD AUTO is a subsidiary of BYD Company Ltd., which is a listed company in Hong Kong Stock Exchange.Xi'an BYD auto company is a branch of BYD COMPANY.BYD Company Ltd. made its debut from less than 30 people in 1995 and became the second largest rechargeable battery producer in the world in 2003.

Aerospace industry

In 2008, China is constructing another civil aerospace center in the Shaanxi province after the launch of the initial Shanghai base last year a move marking China's effort in stepping up its civil aerospace industrialization. The State Development and Reform Commission approved the planning of Xi'an National Civil Aerospace Industrial Base on December 26, 2007.

The National Civil Aerospace Industrial Base of Xi'an, set to cover 23 square km, will focus on developing satellites, new materials, energies, IT and other technologies for the benefit of civil application.

In November 2006, Xi'an and the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation jointly set up Xi'an Aerospace Science and Technology Industrial Base. At the very beginning of the establishment of the base, the development of the civil space industry has been its focus. The main industries in Xi'an base include equipment manufacturing, software and service outsourcing, new materials and solar photovoltaics.

Apart from the core area, the base will cover Xi'an and the Guanzhong area (the central China) and the radiation zone will reach Northwest China and Southwest China. It is expected that by 2012 the total industry output can reach 2.8 billion us dollars with about 10 to 20 brand products with intellectual property rights and 5-8 products with global competitiveness.

International Events

World F1 Motorboat Championship

UIM

World Horticultural Expo 2011

Xi’an was granted the right to host the 2011 World Horticultural Exposition by the Association of International Producers of Horticulture (AIPH) at its 59th congress, held at Brighton, United Kingdom on September 4, 2007 The 2011 World Horti-Expo will be held from April 11 to October 11, 2011 as an exhibition of A2+B1 level, which permits local government to apply.The Expo is expected to bring some 10 million visitors to Xi’an. The venue will be located in a new district of the city, Chanba district.^[5]

Tourism

High season

Long holidays are usual during Spring Festival, Labor Holiday (1st.May-7th.May), and National Holiday (1st. Oct-7th. Oct). Plus, Xi'an is more or less a northern city so the number of travellers is greater during summer (May-August). The pleasant season for visiting Xi'an is Autumn.

Sites

Drum Tower in Xi'an

• Historical
  • The city is surrounded by a well-preserved City wall of Xi'an which was re-constructed in the Ming Dynasty and based on the 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, in 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.
• Natural
  • Mount Hua (华山) is one of the most visited and steepest mountains in the country.
  • Mount Zhongnan (终南山)
  • Mount Taibai (太白山)
  • Lishan (郦山)

Major museums

• Terracotta Army Museum
• Shaanxi History Museum
• Hanyang Tomb Museum,the 1st modern underground museum in China,opened in 2006
• Forest of Steles (Xi'an beilin)
• Xi'an Museum :October 20th 2006, international council of monuments sites (ICOMOS) international protection center (IICC) was formally established here

National parks

• Mount Cuihua,National Geological Park, Xi'an (西安翠华山国家地质公园)
• Lishan National Forest Park, Xi'an (西安骊山国家森林公园)
• Zhuque National Forest Park, Xi'an (西安朱雀国家森林公园)
• Mount Zhongnan National Forest Park, Xi'an (西安终南山国家森林公园)
• Mount Taibai National Forest Park (太白山国家森林公园), Mount Taibai lies both in Xi'an (西安) and Baoji (宝鸡)
• Wang Shunshan National Forest Park, Xi'an (西安王顺山国家森林公园)

Other parks

• Xi'an Qujiang Ocean Park
• Xi'an City Sports Park
• the Qinling Mountains National Botanical Garden
• Xi'an Qingling Wildlife Park
• Tang Paradise