Shaanxi

Shaanxi Province, called Shaan for short, is located in the very heart of China with Xian as the provincial capital. Shaanxi is a gateway to northwest China and one of the cradles of the Chinese nation where 13 dynasties made their national capital. Yanan and some other places in northern Shaanxi was the seat of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party from October 1935 to 1948.

It covers an area of over 205,600 square kilometers (about 50,804,870 acres) inhabited mostly by Han (99%), Hui, Manchu and Mongolian. The inland province includes most of the middle reaches of the Yellow River and neighbors the provinces of Henan, Hubei, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia and Shanxi. The province comprises three distinct geographic natural regions: In the north are upland plateaus, in the middle, plains and in the south, mountainous areas.

Shaanxi Province is well-known for its abundant ancient cultural and historical sites since it was the centre of activity for many dynasties. 72 imperial mausoleums in Xian witness to the ancient economy and culture, including the Qingshihuang's Terra-cotta Army which was included in the World Heritages in 1987 and is highly praised as the eighth world wonder. Other famous historical relics include the site of Lantian Ape Man, Xian Forest of Steles, Wild Goose Pagoda, Famen Temple in Baoji, and Huaqing Pool in Lintong, Banpo Primitive Society Ruins, Mausoleum of Huang Di, Shaanxi History Museum, and the city gate and wall of Xian. Dispersed in Shaanxi is also magnificent scenery with beautiful mountains such as Mt.Huashan in Weinan, Mt.Lishan in Lintong, Mt.Tiantai in Baoji, Mt. Cuihua. The national major famous scenic areas, such as are all well-known to visitors both from home and abroad.

The Xian Xianyang International Airport is a Grade-A airport in China and the largest air hub in northwest China. The province has opened 119 domestic and international air routes and has flights to 51 cities in China. The international air routes amount to 25, passengers can fly to Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Germany, England, the US and Canada, including 18 foreign cities, namely Paris, Vancouver, London, Los Angles, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Delhi, Tokyo, Nagoya, Niigata, Fukuoka, Seoul, Busan, Frankfurt, New York, San Francisco. New Yulin Airport also helps to improve air transportation in the province. Shaanxi has 13 main and feeder railways eradiating in four all directions. A highway transportation network was constructed with Xi'an at the core.