Xian tourist information
Xi'an is known as "the Cradle of Chinese Nationality". It is not only the birthplace of Chinese Nationality, but also the important human birthplace and one of the prehistoric culture centers in Asia. There is a saying, "Xi'an located in the center of Qinling had been made capital since the ancient times." Xi'an is a city with a long history, in which many ancient Chinese dynasties established their capitals. From Xizhou with the flourishing slavery to Tang Dynasty with the peak of feudalism, there had been a total of 12 dynasties that built capitals here. As an ancient capital with thousands of years of history and the starting point of the "Silk Road", Xi'an served as an important pivot and center in ancient foreign economy and culture exchange. After the 10th Century A.D., with the focus of Chinese economy, politics and culture moved eastward, Xi'an attracted high attentions from rulers of Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing, because it was, first of all, taken as an important town militarily and politically in northwest, serving as an important strategic position to maintain the stability in northwest and guard the safety in central China. Xi'an is a city with glorious revolutionary traditions. In 841 B.C. the National Insurrection in Haojing was a very famous large-scale mass insurrection which expelled the king in Chinese history. Red Eyebrow and Lulin Peasant Rebellion at the end of Xihan, Tang-eng Huangchao Peasant Rebellion and Ming-end Li Zicheng Peasant Rebellion all once built Peasant Rebellion Political Powers in Xi'an. During Tongzhi years of Qing Dynasty, the Muslim peasants in Shaanxi rose in rebellion, and set off an upsurge of peasant rebellion in Xi'an and Guanzhong area. On Oct. 22,1911, Shanxi Revolutionary Political Party members and Gelaohui jointly rose in rebellion, and after 2 days of hot fighting, they took control in Xi'an and overthrew Qing's ruling in Xi'an. During the Anti-Japanese War, Xi'an was both a gateway to guard the Vast Northwest and a hub of communication for connecting the anti-Japanese base areas in enemy's rear with the Big Rear Area, and contributed greatly to the victory of the Anti-Japanese War. On May 20,1949, PLA liberated Xi'an, and the People's Government of Xi'an proclaimed its founding.
Xi'an is located in the guanzhong Basin of the middle section of Yellow River Valley in the center area of mainland China. The total area of Xi'an is 9,983 square kilometers. Qinling Mountains span in the south of the city, and the absolute altitude of its ridge is 2,000-2,800 meters. Also it is an important geographical dividing line of South and North China. To the north of Xi'an, along the border of Huangtu Highland, the Beishan mountain system consist of Liang mountain, Yellow Dragon Mountain, Yaowang Mountain and Long Mountain which echo one another at a distance with Qinling Mountains, which forms a barrier around the Guanzhong Plain. Wei River, the largest branch of Yellow River, flows across Guanzhong Plain. Guanzhong Plain came into being due to the alleviation of Wei River and its branches, so it is also called Weihe Plain. The Plain begins from Baoji in the west, and reaches the Yellow River in the east, known as "800-li Qinchuan'.
There are sharp distinctions among seasons in Xi'an. Because Xi'an is in the area of Eastern Asia warm temperate zone continental monsoon climate, the climate in Xi'an is warmer and more humid than its surroundings, with an annual average temperature between 6.4 and 13.4. The annual average temperature of the urban district and the counties on the plain area is between 13.0 and 13.4, and the annual average precipitation of this area is between 537.5 and 1028.4mm. The annual average precipitation of the urban district is 584.9mm.
Xi'an is located with its south to Qinling Mountains and its north to the Weihe River. It has fertile soils and crowded rivers. The climate is warm and humid and the natural environment is fine. The types of mountainous young plants are numerous. The plain abounds in grain, cotton and various kinds of fruit. Due to the increase of the earth's surface heat, there are 5 big earth heat areas inside Xi'an City, and all of them have hot mineral water with high medical value.
Since the founding of the PRC, Xi'an has developed from a poor and backward deformed consuming city in Old China into our nation's important city of modern processing industry base, scientific research and higher education base, international tourist city and commerce and trade center. With a number of large and middle enterprises and machinery, electronics, textile and defense industries as the backbone, Xi'an has formed a modem industrial production system with many types of light industry, chemical industry, food, metallurgy, construction materials, electric and medical production, etc. Her industries such as high-voltage transmitting and transforming electricity equipment, airplane manufacturing, electronic and communication equipment, automation instruments, petroleum prospecting instruments, optical instruments, refrigeration equipment, railway tanker, wristwatch and sewing machine, etc. are among the best in the country. The total industrial output value of Xi'an accounts for 21% of that of all provinces and districts in the northwest area, and 40% of Shaanxi Province; the original value of her industrial fixed assets and paid taxes account for beyond 40% of Shaanxi Province. In addition, the Electronic Industry Zone, the Nation-level Xi'an High and New Technology Develop Zone and Xi'an Economic Technology Develop Zone that have been established since Reform and Opening up, together with those rapidly developed foreign-funded enterprises, stock enterprises, town enterprises and private enterprises, have become a new growth point and newly-born power in Xi'an industry. Xi'an is the gateway to Central China from the 5 provinces in the northwest, possessing the advantage of the largest commercial and trade center in the northwest. During "the Eighth Five Years" period, the total investment of the city's commercial and trade facilities projects was 1.7 billion RMB and finished building 211 commercial and trade facilities, including more than 30 high-level large-scale commercial and trade facilities. The city has set up a number of fairly large wholesale markets and trade centers. Among those there are 33 wholesale markets of every type of meat, non-staple food, vegetables, general merchandise, clothing, hardware and chemical industry products, etc. and 34 grain wholesale markets, primary markets and exchanges, and 38 material buildings, wholesale centers and trade centers of steel, timber, coal, gas and motor vehicles. There are a total of 458 fair trade markets of every type, among which there are 19 ones with an annual business volume over 100 million RMB. The development of merchandise market encourages that of production elements market. The intermediary organizations of circulation improve day after day and the city's open market system of multi-level, multi-channel and multi-dimension has gradually taken shape.
by China National Tourism Administration
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