Xian
Xian Overview
Location: located at 33o north and 107o east, in the southern part of Guanzhong Plain in Shaanxi Province with Qinling Mountains to the north and the Weihe River to the south
Neighboring Areas: Shanxi, Henan, Hubei, Sichuan, and Gansu Provinces; Ningxia Hui and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regions
Physical Features: with an elevation of 500 meters, the Weihe Plain extends between Baoji in the west and Tongguan in the east and borders the Qinling Mountains in the south and the Loess Plateau in the north. Lying in the warm zone, the plain has a temperate climate with four distinct seasons. Chequered with the Weihe, Jinghe, Luohe, and Bahe rivers as well as the Jinghui, Weihui and Luohui canals, the fertile land on the plain has easy access to irrigation facilities and an abundant yield of farm produce. Xian lies in the center to the south of this plain, a favorable geographical location surrounded by water and hills
Area: 16,808 sq km
Nationalities: Han, Hui
History: called Chang'an in ancient times, more than 1 million years of condensation of history. During Xian's 3,100 years of development, 13 dynasties such as Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang, held it as their capitals
Climatic Features: temperate and continental climate; cold and dry in winter and hot in summer and rainy season comes in July, August and September
Average Temperature: 13.3oC annually
Rainfall: 604.2 mm annually
Mountains: Mt. Huashan, Mt. Taibaishan, Mt. Lishan
Rivers: Hui River, Wei River, Feng River, Jing River
Popular Attractions:
Terracotta Army, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, City Wall, Bell Tower, Drum Tower, Forest of Stone Steles, Shaanxi History Museum, Huaqing Hot Springs, Muslim Street, Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Hanyangling Museum, Tang Paradise
Recommended Xian Tour Itineraries:
Xian Appreciation: 2 Days to Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Shaanxi History Museum, City Wall and Great Mosque
Xian Overview: 3 Days to Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Shaanxi History Museum, Great Mosque
Optional Xian Suburb Travel:
Option No. 1: 1 Day to Qianling Museum, Famen Temple, Maoling Mausoleum
Option No. 2: 1 Day to Huashan Mountain, 120 kilometers (about 75 miles) east from Xian
Option No. 3: 1 Day to Cao Tang Temple and Lou Guan Tai (pandas bred there)
