Coordinates: 34°16′00″N, 108°54′00″E Xian may refer to: Xian (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hsi-an), city in the Peoples Republic of China. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

Xī ān 西安市 长 安 Chang'an
Night view of Xi'an
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 (2006)
- 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	(2006)
- Total	¥147,368 billion
- Per capita	¥18,493
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 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 made during the 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. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 362 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 463 pixel, file size: 137 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Tang Paradise and Giant Wild Goose Pagoda,Qujiang,Xian I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File links Xian_location. ... For other province-level divisions, see Political divisions of China. ... Not to be confused with the neighboring province of Shanxi Shaanxi (Simplified Chinese: 陕西; Traditional Chinese: 陝西; pinyin: Shǎnxī; Wade-Giles: Shan-hsi; Postal System Pinyin: Shensi, pronounced like Shahn-shee) is a northwestern province of the Peoples Republic of China, and includes portions... A sub-provincial city (副省级城市), or deputy-provincial city, in the Peoples Republic of China, is a prefecture-level city that is ruled by a province, but is administered independently in regard to economy and law. ... The Communist Party of China (CPC) (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), also known as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the ruling political party of the Peoples Republic of China, a position guaranteed by the countrys constitution. ... This article is about the physical quantity. ... To help compare orders of magnitude of different geographical regions, we list here areas between 1,000 km² and 10,000 km². See also areas of other orders of magnitude. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ... Elevation histogram of the surface of the Earth – approximately 71% of the Earths surface is covered with water. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Population density per square kilometre by country, 2006 Population density map of the world in 1994. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Timezone and TimeZone redirect here. ... Certain regions of eastern Asia, including Greater China, observe a time zone eight hours ahead of UTC (UTC+8), and currently do not observe daylight saving time. ... -12 | -11 | -10 | -9:30 | -9 | -8 | -7 | -6 | -5 | -4 | -3:30 | -3 | -2:30 | -2 | -1 | -0:25 | UTC (0) | +0:20 | +0:30 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +3:30 | +4 | +4:30 | +4:51 | +5 | +5:30 | +5:40 | +5:45 | +6 | +6:30 | +7 | +7:20 | +7... ISO 4217 Code CNY User(s) Mainland of the Peoples Republic of China Inflation 1. ... This is a list of the first-level administrative divisions of Mainland China (including all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities) in order of their total gross domestic product in 2003. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Blue PRC licence plates of the 1992 standard (August 2004 image). ... Species About 100 species, see text. ... Binomial name Robinia pseudoacacia L. Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is a tree in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... Wade-Giles, sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a Romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration) system for the Chinese language based on Mandarin. ... In the early twentieth century, China (starting with the dying Qing Empire) used Postal (Office) System Pinyin (Traditional Chinese:郵政式拼音 Pinyin: Yóuzhèngshì PÄ«nyÄ«n) (unrelated to the modern Hanyu Pinyin), based on Wade-Giles (in particularly, Herbert Giless A Chinese-English Dictionary) for postal purposes, especially for... Not to be confused with capitol. ...   (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ShÇŽnxÄ«; Wade-Giles: Shan-hsi; Postal map spelling: Shensi) is a north-central province of the Peoples Republic of China, and includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River as well as the Qinling Mountains across the... For other province-level divisions, see Political divisions of China. ... A sub-provincial city (副省级城市), or deputy-provincial city, in the Peoples Republic of China, is a prefecture-level city that is ruled by a province, but is administered independently in regard to economy and law. ... The Chinese phrase Four Great Ancient Capitals of China (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: Zhōngguó Sì Dà GÇ”dÅ«) traditionally refers to Beijing, Nanjing, Luoyang, and Xian. ... This article is about the ancient Chinese dynasty. ... Qin empire in 210 BC Capital Xianyang Language(s) Chinese Religion Taoism Government Monarchy History  - Unification of China 221 BC  - Death of Qin Shi Huangdi 210 BC  - Surrender to Liu Bang 206 BC The Qin Dynasty (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chin Chao) (221 BC - 206 BC) was preceded... Han Dynasty in 87 BC Capital Changan (202 BC–9 AD) Luoyang (25 AD–190 AD) Language(s) Chinese Religion Taoism, Confucianism Government Monarchy History  - Establishment 206 BC  - Battle of Gaixia; Han rule of China begins 202 BC  - Interruption of Han rule 9 - 24  - Abdication to Cao Wei 220... For the band, see Tang Dynasty (band). ... The Silk Road extending from Southern Europe through Arabia, Egypt, Persia, India till China. ... The Terracotta Army (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ; literally soldier and horse funerary statues) or Terracotta Warriors and Horses is a collection of 8,099 life-size Chinese terra cotta figures of warriors and horses located near the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor (Chinese: ; pinyin: ). The figures were discovered... Qin empire in 210 BC Capital Xianyang Language(s) Chinese Religion Taoism Government Monarchy History  - Unification of China 221 BC  - Death of Qin Shi Huangdi 210 BC  - Surrender to Liu Bang 206 BC The Qin Dynasty (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chin Chao) (221 BC - 206 BC) was preceded... For other uses, see Changan (disambiguation). ... Traditional Chinese characters refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... Simplified Chinese character (Simplified Chinese: or ; traditional Chinese: or ; pinyin: or ) is one of two standard sets of Chinese characters of the contemporary Chinese written language. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ...

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. The economies of the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau are separate from the rest of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The phrase research and development (also R and D or, more often, R&D), according to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, refers to creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use... Security measures taken to protect the Houses of Parliament in London, England. ... The space program of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) began in 1956 with the cooperation of the USSR and continued as an indigenous nuclear deterrent program after the Sino-Soviet split in 1960. ...

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 (丰镐) in the Zhou (周) Dynasty beginning around 1046 BC. The city was named Xianyang (咸阳) during the Qin (秦) Dynasty, or rather the State of Qin in 383 BC. It was renamed Chang'an (长安) during the Han (汉) Dynasty in 206 AD. It was then renamed as Daxing (大兴) 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 reverted back to its Ming era name of Xi'an in the year 1943. Technical note: Due to technical limitations, some web browsers may not display some special characters in this article. ... For other uses, see Ming. ... This article is about the ancient Chinese dynasty. ... Xianyang (Simplified Chinese: 咸阳; Traditional Chinese: 咸陽; pinyin: ) was the capital of the state of Qin during the Warring States Period in Chinese history, and remained to be capital during the short-lived Qin Dynasty. ... Qin empire in 210 BC Capital Xianyang Language(s) Chinese Religion Taoism Government Monarchy History  - Unification of China 221 BC  - Death of Qin Shi Huangdi 210 BC  - Surrender to Liu Bang 206 BC The Qin Dynasty (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chin Chao) (221 BC - 206 BC) was preceded... Qin or Chin (Wade-Giles) (秦), pronounced something like Shin, (778 BC-207 BC) was a state during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods of China. ... For other uses, see Changan (disambiguation). ... Han Dynasty in 87 BC Capital Changan (202 BC–9 AD) Luoyang (25 AD–190 AD) Language(s) Chinese Religion Taoism, Confucianism Government Monarchy History  - Establishment 206 BC  - Battle of Gaixia; Han rule of China begins 202 BC  - Interruption of Han rule 9 - 24  - Abdication to Cao Wei 220... Changan   (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Chángān; Wade-Giles: Chang-an) is the ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in China. ... The Sui Dynasty of China amongst the Asian, African, and European spheres of the world, 600 AD. The Sui Dynasty (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; 581-618 AD[1]) followed the Southern and Northern Dynasties and preceded the Tang Dynasty in China. ... For other uses, see Changan (disambiguation). ... For the band, see Tang Dynasty (band). ... ... Parthia empire at its greatest extent The Parthian Empire was the dominating force on the Iranian plateau beginning in the late 3rd century BC, and intermittently controlled Mesopotamia between ca 190 BC and 224 AD. Parthia was the arch-enemy of the Roman Empire in the East and it limited... Capital Dadu Language(s) Mongolian Chinese Government Monarchy Emperor  - 1260-1294 Kublai Khan  - 1333-1370 (Cont. ... City nickname: Changan Location Image:Map of city xian. ...

Xi'an's abbreviations in Chinese are Hao (镐) 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. Hao can have several different meanings: Used in reference to Chinese culture, hao is the word for a courtesy name. Hao is also the name of a coral atoll in the central part of the Tuamotu Archipelago. ... Tang could refer to: Tang Dynasty of China Tang (Shang dynasty ruler) A transliteration of Chinese family names such as 唐,湯,鄧,é‚“,滕 Tang Clan of Hong Kong, the first inhabitants to leave China and settle in Hong Kong. ... For the band, see Tang Dynasty (band). ...

Xi'an is known as "the Cradle of Chinese Nationality".

History

Xi'an has a rich history of cultural significance, both natural and man-made. The Lantian Man was discovered in 1963 at Lantian County (蓝田县; 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. Trinomial name Homo erectus lantianensis (J.K.Woo, 1964) The Lantian Man, Homo erectus lantianensis, initially Sinanthropus lantianensis, (and sometimes Lantien Man) refers to an ancestral human whose discovery in 1963 was first described by J.K.Woo in 1964. ... An array of Neolithic artifacts, including bracelets, axe heads, chisels, and polishing tools. ... Categories: Possible copyright violations ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Qin Dynasty

Xi'an became a cultural and industrial center 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 was 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 city's suburb. This article is about the ancient Chinese dynasty. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Qin empire in 210 BC Capital Xianyang Language(s) Chinese Religion Taoism Government Monarchy History  - Unification of China 221 BC  - Death of Qin Shi Huangdi 210 BC  - Surrender to Liu Bang 206 BC The Qin Dynasty (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chin Chao) (221 BC - 206 BC) was preceded... Xianyang (Simplified Chinese: 咸阳; Traditional Chinese: 咸陽; pinyin: ) was the capital of the state of Qin during the Warring States Period in Chinese history, and remained to be capital during the short-lived Qin Dynasty. ... The monarch known now as Qin Shi Huang (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chin Shih-huang) (November / December 260 BCE – September 10, 210 BCE), personal name Yíng Zhèng, was king of the Chinese State of Qin from 247 BCE to 221 BCE (officially still under the Zhou Dynasty...

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

Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (3504 × 2336 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (3504 × 2336 pixel, file size: 1. ... The Terracotta Army (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ; literally soldier and horse funerary statues) or Terracotta Warriors and Horses is a collection of 8,099 life-size Chinese terra cotta figures of warriors and horses located near the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor (Chinese: ; pinyin: ). The figures were discovered... The monarch known now as Qin Shi Huang (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chin Shih-huang) (November / December 260 BCE – September 10, 210 BCE), personal name Yíng Zhèng, was king of the Chinese State of Qin from 247 BCE to 221 BCE (officially still under the Zhou Dynasty...

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 built 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 moves the court from Luoyang to Chang'an in a bid to avoid a coalition of other powerful warlords against him. (Redirected from 202 BCE) Centuries: 2nd century BC - 3rd century BC - 4th century BC Decades: 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC - 200s BC - 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC Years: 207 BC 206 BC 205 BC 204 BC 203 BC - 202 BC - 201 BC 200 BC 199 BC 198 BC... Emperor Gao (256 BC or 247 BC–June 1, 195 BC), commonly known inside China as Gaozu, personal name Liu Bang, was the first emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty, ruling over China from 202 BC until 195 BC, and one of only two dynasty founders who emerged from... Han Dynasty in 87 BC Capital Changan (202 BC–9 AD) Luoyang (25 AD–190 AD) Language(s) Chinese Religion Taoism, Confucianism Government Monarchy History  - Establishment 206 BC  - Battle of Gaixia; Han rule of China begins 202 BC  - Interruption of Han rule 9 - 24  - Abdication to Cao Wei 220... Weiyang Palace (未央宫) was a palace constructed by Emperor Liu Bang in Changan. ... Events A part of Rome burns, and emperor Commodus orders the city to be rebuilt under the name Colonia Commodiana First year of Chuping era of Chinese Han Dynasty Births 190 is a number Deaths Athenagoras of Athens, Christian apologist Categories: 190 ... The Three Kingdoms period (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a period in the history of China, part of an era of disunity called the Six Dynasties. ... Dong Zhuo (董卓; Pinyin: DÇ’ng Zhuō) (139 – 192) was a warlord during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms Period in ancient China. ... Luoyang (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province, Peoples Republic of China. ...

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. The Silk Road extending from Southern Europe through Arabia, Egypt, Persia, India till China. ...

Sui Dynasty

Following another few hundreds of years of unrest, 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. The Sui Dynasty of China amongst the Asian, African, and European spheres of the world, 600 AD. The Sui Dynasty (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; 581-618 AD[1]) followed the Southern and Northern Dynasties and preceded the Tang Dynasty in China. ... Events Maurice I succeeds Tiberius II Constantine as Byzantine Emperor. ... Xian Palace was the palace of the Sui Dynasty and built under the order of the Emperor in 582. ...

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. For the band, see Tang Dynasty (band). ... A silhouette of a Buddha statue at Ayutthaya, Thailand. ... Xuanzang, Dunhuang cave, 9th century. ... Sanskrit ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ...

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. Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Xian, China The Big Goose Pagoda, or Big Wild Goose Pagoda (Chinese: 大雁塔; pinyin: ), is located in southern Xian, China. ... Events Khazaria becomes an independent state (approximate date) Rodoald succeeds his father Rothari as king of the Lombards Births Clotaire III, king of the Franks Deaths Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, uncle of Muhammed, progenitor of the Abbasids Saint Ida of Nivelles, widow of Pippin of Landen, monastic foundress Rothari... A pagoda at Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia This article is about the building style. ... 707 A south Australian counter-strike team consisting of fbz, bl1zz, carnage, ic3solo and Jonevo. ... Small Wild Goose Pagoda, sometimes Little Goose Pagoda (Chinese: 小雁塔; pinyin: ), is one of two significant pagodas in the city of Xian, China. ... This article is about the natural seismic phenomenon. ...

The Huaqing Palace and the Huaqing Hot Spring 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.

The site of the Hanyuan Hall in Daming Palace

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”. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Changan (disambiguation). ...

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 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. Emperor Taizong of Tang China (January 23, 599–July 10, 649), born Li Shimin, was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China from 626 to 649. ... Events The Arabs invade Palestine. ... For other uses, see Forbidden City (disambiguation). ... “Peking” redirects here. ...

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, Chinese characters (on which Japanese characters were based on). Some Japanese even lived out their lives in Chang'an. Following the Japanese envoys 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".

Blue Dragon Temple Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Xian, China The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda or Big Wild Goose Pagoda (Chinese: 大雁塔; pinyin: ), is located in southern Xian, China. ...

Small Wild Goose Pagoda Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Small Wild Goose Pagoda in Xian, China The Small Wild Goose Pagoda, sometimes Little Goose Pagoda (Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ), is one of two significant pagodas in the city of Xian, China. ...

The Xingqing Palace Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Changan (disambiguation). ...

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. Events Accession of Sergius III Destruction of Changan, the capital of Tang Dynasty and the largest city in the ancient world. ... Luoyang (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province, Peoples Republic of China. ...

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 citywall of the world.

City River Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ...	Watch towers on the citywall Image File history File links Xian city wall from zh wiki City wall of Xian is the best preserved city wall in China. ...	The corner of the city wall Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...	On the city wall Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (3504 × 2336 pixel, file size: 3. ...
On the city wall Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 588 pixelsFull resolution (2574 × 1893 pixel, file size: 1. ...	Map of city wall Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ...

Modern History

In late Qing Dynasty, foreign troops attacked Beiping (modern-day Beijing). The queen mother Cixi escaped from Beiping 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) to place her jewels in the West Street. Beijing (Chinese: 北京; pinyin: Běijīng; Wade-Giles: Pei-ching; Postal System Pinyin: Peking), is the capital city of the Peoples Republic of China. ... “Peking” redirects here. ... Empress Dowager Cixi Empress Dowager Cixi (Chinese: 慈禧太后; Wade-Giles: Tzu-hsi) (November 29, 1835–November 15, 1908), popularly known in China as the Western Empress Dowager (西太后), and officially known posthumously as Empress Xiaoqin Xian (孝欽顯皇后), was a... Yesan County (Yesan-gun) is a county in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. ...

Just before the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1936, the Xi'an Incident took place inside the city walls. General Yang Hucheng and General Zhang Xueliang forced President Jiang Jieshi to cooperate with CPC at Lishan. It brought the Communist Party of China and Kuomintang to a truce to concentrate on fighting against the Japanese Invasion. Combatants China United States1 Soviet Union2 Japan Manchukuo3 Mengjiang3 Wang Jingwei Government 3 Commanders Chiang Kai-shek, Chen Cheng, Yan Xishan, Feng Yuxiang, Li Zongren, Xue Yue, Bai Chongxi, Peng Dehuai, Joseph Stilwell, Albert Wedemeyer, Claire Chennault, Aleksandr Vasilevsky Hirohito, Fumimaro Konoe, Hideki Tojo, Kotohito Kanin, Matsui Iwane, Hajime... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Chiang Kai-shek and Zhang Xueliang around the time of the Xian Incident. ... Yang Hu-cheng (d. ... Zhang Xueliang Zhang Xueliang or Chang Hsüeh-liang (Traditional Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chang Hsüeh-liang; English occasionally: Peter Hsueh Liang Chang) (3 June 1901 (according to other accounts in 1898 or 1900) in Haicheng County, Fengtian province of China – 14 October 2001 in Hawaii, United States... Chiang Kai-shek (October 31, 1887–April 5, 1975) was a Chinese military and political leader who assumed the leadership of the Kuomintang (KMT) after the death of Sun Yat-sen in 1925. ... CPC may be an acronym for: Canada Post Corporation Choroid plexus cyst Clinical-Pathological Conference College Preparatory Center Communist Party of China Communist Party of Czechoslovakia Communist Party of Canada Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) Computer Process Controls Conservative Party of Canada Community Patent Convention Cost Per Click Custom... Yesan County (Yesan-gun) is a county in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. ... The Communist Party of China (CPC) (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), also known as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the ruling political party of the Peoples Republic of China, a position guaranteed by the countrys constitution. ... The Kuomintang of China (abbreviation KMT) [1], also often translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party, is a political party in the Republic of China, now on Taiwan, and is currently the largest political party in terms of seats in the Legislative Yuan. ...

Yang Mansion, Xi'an Incident, 12/12/1936 Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ...

Zhang Mansion, Xi'an Incident, 12/12/1936 Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ...

Bullet Hole, Xi'an Incident Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ...

Siking Mass, local newpaper published on 13/12/1936, a day after the Xi'an Incident Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ...

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, located at 34°16′00, N°108′54

Xi'an is nested between a flood plain created by the eight surrounding rivers and streams, most of which have been polluted to be used as sources of fresh water.River Hei is the tap water provider to the city.

The city borders the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains to the south, and the banks of 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

It's 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 lauched 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 1970’s and 1980’s, which meet all the requirements for different applications on the whole, such as the scientific researches, national economy, et al.

NTSC

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^[2]. Compared to the census conducted in 2000, the population increased by 656,700 persons from 7.41 million.^[2] There were 4.17 million (51.66%) males and 3.90 million (48.34%) females^[2]. For every 100 females in the city there were 106.88 males.^[2] The district with the most population is YanTa Qu, with 1.08 million inhabitants.^[2] Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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. Languages Chinese languages Religions Predominantly Taoism, Mahayana Buddhism, traditional Chinese religions, and atheism. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... The Hui (回) ethnic group is unrelated to the Hui (徽) dialects. ... The Great Mosque of Xian, one of Chinas largest mosques The Great Mosque of Xian (Chinese: 西安大清真寺), located near the Drum Tower (Gu Lou) on Huajue Lane of Xian, Shaanxi province, China, is one of the oldest and most renowned mosques in the country. ...

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 amount of migrant workers from the rural areas every year. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Henan (Chinese: 河南; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ho-nan), is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. ... Xian Jiaotong University (西安交通大學) is a university in Xian, China. ... For other uses, see Shanghai (disambiguation). ...

Subdivision

Xi'an is subdivided into 13 districts. source:refers to 'Brief Administration Region,the People's Republic of China,2006'(<中华人民共和国行政区划简册>).(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. The subway around the Bell Tower by LIU Zhongjun User:Zj Date : 22 augest 2003 in Xian City Zj 23:32, 22 Feb 2004 (UTC) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The subway around the Bell Tower by LIU Zhongjun User:Zj Date : 22 augest 2003 in Xian City Zj 23:32, 22 Feb 2004 (UTC) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 502 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) XiAn Railway Station [July 2007] File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 502 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) XiAn Railway Station [July 2007] File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ...

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 offers easy transportation in and around the city for many residents. Taxi services are robust, however many citizens of Xi'an still commute to work on one of the 200+ bus routes.

Subway

Currently there are major constructions along Chang An street for the first subway system in Xi'an, designed 6 lines, to be completed by 2011.

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 main models of the taxis are Santana made in Shanghai, BYD auto made in Xi'an and CITROEN made in Wuhan. Taxis serve 24 hours a day. The Taxi Management Bureau of Xi'an City strengthens the work of management by forming strict system and announcing telephone of complaints to the society. They provide canonical service, and charge according to the price meter.

Train

The Xi-Bao Express Train, CRH2

There are 6 passenger transport railway stations in Xi'an at present, and the Xi'an Railway Station is one of the eight national important railway stations. 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. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ...

Xi'an Railway Station has a coverage of 597 thousand square meters, 5 passenger platforms, and 24 rails. It actually provides 112 trains and its daily transportation of passengers is 80 thousand person times. In the Xi'an Railway Branch, there are excursion trains 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, the total running time is less than 90 minutes.

Expressways

ZhongNan Tunnel

Xi-Han Expressway

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. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 539 pixelsFull resolution (865 × 583 pixel, file size: 189 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 539 pixelsFull resolution (865 × 583 pixel, file size: 189 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata N