Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province, was called Chang'an in ancient times. It is situated in the central part of Weihe Plain. The city is bounded by the WeiheRiver in the north and the Qinling Ranges in the south. Shaanxi province, an inland province in China, also called "Qin", or "Shaan" is one of the birthplaces of civilization in China. The months from March to November are the best tourist season.
Culture
As one of China's seven ancient national capitals, it served as the capital for 12 dynasties spanning more than 1,000 years. Xi'an therefore, has a great number of precious relics and historical sites. More than 4,000 historical sites and tombs have been excavated and over 120,000 historical relics remain unearthed. The main tourist attractions include The Terra cotta Warriors and Horses, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Huaqing Hot Springs , BanpoMuseum, SteleForest, Great Mosque, QianLing Mausoleum, FamenTemple and Maoling Mausoleum. Xi'an was the starting point of the Acient Silk Road that extended from Asia to Europe and played an important role in cultural exchange between the East and West in ancient times.
Population
At the end of 2005, Xi'an had a population of 8.07 million. 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.
Transportation
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 BellTower. 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.