Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China

History | Ancient era | Imperial era | Modern era | Geography | Economy | Software and Technological Industries | Aerospace industry | Education and research | Sites | Sport | Media | Transport : Metro : Rail : Air | Xi'an cuisine | Qinqiang | Chinese traditional religion and Taoism | Christianity | Islam

🇨🇳 Xi'an, also known as Sian, is the capital of Shaanxi Province. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong Plain in Northwest China, it is one of the oldest cities in China, the oldest prefecture capital and one of the Chinese Four Great Ancient Capitals, having held the position under several of the most important dynasties in Chinese history, including Western Zhou, Qin, Western Han, Sui, Northern Zhou and Tang. The city is the starting point of the Silk Road and home to the UNESCO World Heritage set Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.

Since the 1980s, as part of the economic growth of inland China especially for the central and north-west regions, Xian has re-emerged as a cultural, industrial, political and educational centre of the entire central-north-west region, with many facilities for research and development, national security and space exploration. Xian currently holds sub-provincial status, administering 11 districts and 2 counties. The city is the third most populous city in Western China, the other two being Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populous city in Northwestern China.

Xi'an is ranked in the top 40 cities in the world by scientific research output as tracked by the Nature Index, and home to multiple China's prestige universities, including Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xidian University, Northwest University, Shaanxi Normal University, Chang'an University, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, Xi'an University of Technology, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology and Shaanxi University of Science and Technology. Notably, Xi'an Jiaotong University is one of the elite C9 League universities and the hub of the University Alliance of the Silk Road.

History The Lantian Man was discovered in 1963 in Lantian County, 50 km (31 mi) south-east of Xi'an, and dates back to at least 500,000 years before the present time. A 6,500-year-old Neolithic village, Banpo, was discovered in 1953 on the eastern outskirts of the city proper, which contains the remains of several well organized Neolithic settlements carbon dated to 5,600–6,700 years ago. The site is now home to the Xi'an Banpo Museum, built in 1957 to preserve the archaeological collection.

Ancient era Xi'an became a cultural and political centre of China in the 11th century BC with the founding of the Zhou dynasty. The capital of Zhou was established in the twin settlements of Fengjing (灃京) and Haojing (鎬京), together known as Fenghao, located south-west of contemporary Xi'an. The settlement was also known as Zōngzhōu (宗周) to indicate its role as the capital of the vassal states. In 738 BC, King Ping of Zhou moved the capital to Luoyang due to political unrest.

Imperial era Following the Warring States period, China was unified under the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) for the first time, with the capital located at Xianyang, just north-west of modern Xi'an. The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang ordered the construction of the Terracotta Army and his mausoleum just to the east of Xi'an almost immediately after his ascension to the throne.

In 202 BC, the founding emperor Liu Bang of the Han dynasty established his capital in Chang'an County; his first palace, Changle Palace (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. Two years later, Liu Bang built Weiyang Palace (未央宮, "Never Ending Palace") north of modern Xi'an. Weiyang Palace was the largest palace ever built on Earth, covering 4.8 square km (1,200 acres), which is 6.7 times the size of the current Forbidden City and 11 times the size of the Vatican City. The original Xi'an city wall was started in 194 BC and took 4 years to finish. Upon completion, the wall measured 25.7 km (15.97 mi) in length and 12 to 16 m (39.37–52.49 ft) in thickness at the base, enclosing an area of 36 km² (13.90 sq mi). In the year 190, amidst uprisings and rebellions just prior to the Three Kingdoms Period, Dong Zhuo, a powerful warlord from nearby Xiliang, moved the court from Luoyang to Chang'an in a bid to avoid a coalition of other powerful warlords against him.

Following several hundred years of unrest, the Sui dynasty reunified China in 582. The emperor of Sui ordered a new capital to be built south-east of the Han capital, called Daxing. It consisted of three sections: the Imperial City, the palace section, and the civilian section, with a total area of 84 km² (32 sq mi) within the city walls. At the time, it was the largest city in the world. The city was renamed Chang'an by the Tang dynasty. In the mid-7th century, after returning from his pilgrimage to India, the Buddhist monk Xuanzang established a translation school for Sanskrit scriptures.

Construction of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda began in 652. This pagoda was 64 m (209.97 ft) in height, and was built to store the translations of Buddhist sutras obtained from India by Xuanzang. In 707, construction of the Small Wild Goose Pagoda began. This pagoda measured 45 m (147.64 ft) tall at the time of completion, and was built to store the translations of Buddhist sutras by Yijing. The massive 1556 Shaanxi earthquake eventually damaged the tower and reduced its height to 43.4 m (142.39 ft).

The Nestorian Stele is a Tang Chinese stele erected in 781 that documents 150 years of early Christianity in China. It is a 279 cm tall limestone block with text in both Chinese and Syriac describing the existence of Christian communities in several cities in northern China. It reveals that the initial Nestorian Christian church had met recognition by the Tang Emperor Taizong, due to efforts of the Christian missionary Alopen in 635.

Chang'an was devastated at the end of the Tang dynasty in 904. Residents were forced to move to the new capital city in Luoyang. Only a small area in the city continued to be occupied thereafter. During the Ming dynasty, a new wall was constructed in 1370 and remains intact to this day. The wall measures 11.9 km (7.4 mi) in circumference, 12 m (39.37 ft) in height, and 15 to 18 m (49.21–59.06 ft) in thickness at the base; a moat was also built outside the walls. The new wall and moat would protect a much smaller city of 12 km² (4.6 sq mi).

Modern era The Qing dynasty established a walled off Manchu banner quarter in north-east Xi'an, on the site of the former palace of the Ming Prince of Qin. A Han banner quarter was established in the south-east of the city.

Manchu bannermen from the Xi'an banner garrison were praised for maintaining Manchu culture by Kangxi in 1703. Xi'an garrison Manchus were said to retain Manchu culture far better than all other Manchus at martial skills in the provincial garrisons and they were able to draw their bows properly and perform cavalry archery, unlike Beijing Manchus. The Qianlong emperor received a memorial staying Xi'an Manchu bannermen still had martial skills, although not up to those, in the past in a 1737 memorial from Cimbu. By the 1780s, the military skills of Xi'an Manchu bannermen dropped enormously, and they had been regarded as the most militarily skilled provincial Manchu banner garrison. Manchu women from the Xi'an garrison often left the walled Manchu garrison and went to hot springs outside the city, and gained bad reputations for their sexual lives. A Manchu from Beijing, Sumurji, was shocked and disgusted by this after being appointed Lieutenant general of the Manchu garrison of Xi'an and informed the Yongzheng emperor what they were doing. Han civilians and Manchu bannermen in Xi'an had bad relations, with the bannermen trying to steal at the markets. Manchu Lieutenant general Cimbru reported this to Yongzheng emperor in 1729, after he was assigned there. Governor Yue Rui of Shandong was then ordered by the Yongzheng to report any bannerman misbehaving and warned him not to cover it up in 1730, after Manchu bannermen were put in a quarter in Qingzhou. Manchu bannermen from the garrisons in Xi'an and Jingzhou fought in Xinjiang in the 1770s and Manchus from Xi'an garrison fought in other campaigns against the Dzungars and Uyghurs throughout the 1690s and 18th century. In the 1720s Jingzhou, Hangzhou, and Nanjing Manchu banner garrisons fought in Tibet.

For the over 200 years they lived next to each other, Han civilians and Manchu bannermen of both genders in Xi'an did not intermarry with each other at all. The Qing dynasty altered its law on intermarriage between Han civilians and Manchu bannermen several times in the dynasty. At the beginning of the Qing dynasty, the Qing allowed Han civilians to marry Manchu women. Then the Qing banned civilians from marrying women from the Eight banners later. In 1865, the Qing allowed Han civilian men to marry Manchu bannerwomen in all garrisons, except the capital garrison of Beijing. There was no formal law on marriage between people in the different banners, like the Manchu and Han banners, but it was informally regulated by social status and custom. In north-eastern China, such as Heilongjiang and Liaoning, it was more common for Manchu women to marry Han men, since they were not subjected to the same laws and institutional oversight as Manchus and Han in Beijing and elsewhere.

In a book published in 1911, American sociologist Edward Alsworth Ross wrote of his visit to Xi'an just before the Xinhai revolution: "In Sianfu the Tartar quarter is a dismal picture of crumbling walls, decay, indolence and squalor. On the big drill grounds you see the runways along which the horseman gallops and shoots arrows at a target while the Tartar military mandarins look on. These lazy bannermen were tried in the new army, but proved flabby and good-for-nothing; they would break down on an ordinary twenty-mile march. Battening on their hereditary pensions, they have given themselves up to sloth and vice, and their poor chest development, small weak muscles, and diminishing families foreshadow the early dying out of the stock. Where is there a better illustration of the truth that parasitism leads to degeneration?". Ross spoke highly of the Han and Hui population of Xi'an, Shaanxi and Gansu in general, saying: "After a fortnight of mule litter we sight ancient yellow Sianfu, "the Western capital", with its third of a million souls. Within the fortified triple gate the facial mold abruptly changes and the refined intellectual type appears. Here and there faces of a Hellenic purity of feature are seen and beautiful children are not uncommon. These Chinese cities make one realize how the cream of the population gathers in the urban centers. Everywhere town opportunities have been a magnet for the élite of the open country".

In October 1911, during the Xinhai revolution, revolutionaries stormed the Manchu fort in Xi'an. Most of the city's 20,000 Manchus were killed. Hui (Muslims; then referred to as "Mohammedans") were divided in its support for the revolution. Those of Shaanxi supported the revolutionaries, while those of Gansu supported the Qing. The Hui of Xi'an (Shaanxi province) joined the Han Chinese revolutionaries in slaughtering the Manchus. Some wealthy Manchus survived by being ransomed. Wealthy Han Chinese enslaved Manchu girls and poor Han Chinese troops seized young Manchu women as wives. Hui Muslims also seized young pretty Manchu girls and raised them as Muslims.

A British missionary who witnessed the massacre commented that "Old and young, men and women, children alike, were all butchered… Houses were plundered and then burnt; those who would fain have laid hidden till the storm was past, were forced to come out into the open. The revolutionaries, protected by a parapet of the wall, poured a heavy, unceasing, relentless fire into the doomed Tartar (Manchu) city, those who tried to escape thence into the Chinese city were cut down as they emerged from the gates".

In 1936, the Xi'an (then "Sian") Incident took place in the city during the Chinese Civil War. The incident brought the Kuomintang (KMT) and Chinese Communist Party to a truce in order to concentrate on fighting against the Japanese Invasion.

On March 11, 1938, an aerial battle broke out for the first time over Xi'an as Imperial Japanese Army Air Force aircraft attacked the city, and was engaged by Chinese Air Force I-15 fighter planes, led by Lt. Cen Zeliu of the 5th Pursuit Group, 17th Squadron. While repeatedly attacked by air, Shaanxi was heavily fortified by units of the Eighth Route Army; Xi'an was never taken by the Japanese forces.

On May 20, 1949, the Communist-controlled People's Liberation Army captured the city of Xi'an from the Kuomintang force.

During the Mao era, Xi'an was further developed as part of the Third Front Construction.

Xi'an made headlines for being one of the many cities where the 2012 China anti-Japanese demonstrations occurred.

In 2022, Xi'an witnessed the largest COVID-19 community outbreak since the initial months of the pandemic hit China. From December 23, 2021, the city was put into strict lockdown after local authorities reported more than 250 cases, traced to the Delta variant by authorities. This led to stressed healthcare and delayed or insufficient food deliveries to some part of the city. Restrictions of Xi'an were lifted on January 24.

Geography Xi'an lies on the Guanzhong Plain in the south-central part of Shaanxi province, on a flood plain created by the eight surrounding rivers and streams.

The city borders the northern foot of the Qin Mountains (Qinling) to the south, and the banks of the Wei River to the north. Hua Shan, one of the five sacred Taoist mountains, is located 100 km (62 mi) away to the east of the city. Not far to the north is the Loess Plateau.

Map including Xi'an (labeled HSI-AN (SIAN) (walled)) (AMS, 1955)

At the beginning of Han dynasty, the Chief of Staff Zhang Liang advised the emperor Liu Bang to choose Guanzhong as the capital of the Han dynasty: "Guanzhong Plain is located behind Mount Xiao and Hangu Pass, and connects Long (Gansu) and Shu (Sichuan). The area can be called an irony castle spreads for thousands of miles, and is rich in harvest like the nation of 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) Since then, Guanzhong is also known as the 'Nation of the Heaven'.

Economy As part of the China Western Development policy, Xi’an became a major target for accelerated attention. From 1997 to 2006, the industrial output value of Xi’an's service industry increased at an annual average rate of 13 percent, compared to traditional service industries of 0.74 percent, representing a growth from US$8.113 billion to US$25.85 billion. Xi'an is the largest economy of the Shaanxi province, with a GDP of 324.1 billion Yuan in 2010. On average this value increases by 14.5 percent annually, and accounts for approximately 41.8 percent of Shaanxi's total GDP. At least fifty-eight countries have established over 2,560 enterprises in Xian, including nineteen of the Fortune 500 enterprises. These include ABB, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Toshiba, Fujitsu, Coca-Cola Company and Boeing.

Important industries include equipment manufacturing, tourism, and service outsourcing. The manufacturing industry had an annual output of RMB 36.5 billion, accounting for 44.5 percent of the city's total. Furthermore, as one of China's four ancient capitals, Xi'an's many cultural sites, including the Terracotta Army, the City Wall of Xi'an, and the Famen Temple, make tourism an important industry as well. In 2010, 52 million domestic tourists visited Xi'an, earning a total income of RMB 40.52 billion. On average, revenue increases by 36.4 percent per year, and foreign-exchange earnings (530 million in 2009) increase by around 35.8 percent.

Xi'an is also one of the first service outsourcing cities in China, with over 800 corporations in the industry. The city's output value from this sector exceeded RMB 23 billion in 2008. Employment in the sector doubled from 1997 to 2006, from a base of 60,000, and computer consulting also doubled from 16,000 to 32,000. As a result of the importance of the software outsourcing industry, the city planned construction of a Software New Town, which is scheduled to be completed in 2015 with 30 billion RMB investment. Other major export goods include lighting equipment and automobile parts, while its major import goods are mechanical and electrical products. Internationally, Xi'an's largest trade partner is the United States.

Software and Technological Industries The major industrial zone in Xi'an is the Xi'an Economic and Technological Development Zone. The Jiangcungou landfill in Xi'an was China's largest landfill site before its closure in 2019.

The growing economy of the city also supports the development of a software industry, and the city is a pioneer in software industry in China. The Xi'an Software Park within the Xi'an Hi-Tech Industries Development Zone (XDZ) has attracted over 1,085 corporations and 106,000 employees as of 2012. Xi'an is described as having" large pool of cheap human resources from the 100 universities in the area, it hoovers up around 3,000 computer graduates every year, each earning approximately $120 a month—half the wages for the equivalent job in Beijing".

Aerospace industry In November 2006, Xi'an and the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation jointly set up Xi'an Aerospace Science and Technology Industrial Base. From its establishment, the base has focused on the development of the civil space industry, including equipment manufacturing, software and service outsourcing, new materials and solar photovoltaics.

Apart from the core area, the base will cover Xi'an and the Guanzhong area and the expansion zone will reach other parts of Northwest China and Southwest China. It is expected that by 2012 the total industry output can reach 2.8 billion us dollars with about 10 to 20 brand products with intellectual property rights and 5 to 8 products with global competitiveness.

In 2008, after the launch of the initial aerospace centre in Shanghai, the PRC is constructing another civil aerospace centre in the Shaanxi province. The State Development and Reform Commission approved the planning of Xi'an National Civil Aerospace Industrial Base on December 26, 2007. The National Civil Aerospace Industrial Base of Xi'an, set to cover 23 km² (8.9 sq mi), will focus on developing satellites, new materials, energies, IT and other technologies for civil applications.

Education and research Xi'an has many highly-ranked educational institutions, with the seven universities listed in 147 National Key Universities under the Double First Class University Plan ranking fourth nationwide (tie) with Guangzhou, Wuhan and Chengdu (only after Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing). There are a total of 60 universities in the city, with the most famous one being the Xi'an Jiaotong University (西安交通大学), which was ranked 100-150 worldwide. Other ones also include the Northwestern Polytechnical University (西北工业大学), Xidian University (西安电子科技大学), Chang'an University (长安大学), Northwest University (西北大学), Northwest University of Political Science and Law (西北政法大学) and; Shaanxi Normal University (陕西师范大学).

The city was ranked 138th globally by the QS Best Student Cities Rankings in 2023.

Xi'an is a world leading city for scientific research and as of 2022, it ranked among the world's top 30 cities and China's top 10 cities by scientific research output by the Nature Index. It ranked first in West China region, with a combined population of almost 300 million. The city also hosted the 2011 World Horticultural Exposition.

Sites Because of the city's many historical monuments and a plethora of ancient ruins and tombs in the vicinity, tourism has been an important component of the local economy, and the Xi'an region is one of the most popular tourist destinations in China.

The city has many important historical sites, and some are ongoing archaeological projects, such as the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang and his Terracotta Army. There are several burial mounds, tombs of the Zhou dynasty kings located in the city. Xi'an also contains some 800 royal mausoleums and tombs from the Han dynasty, with some of them yielding hundreds of sculpted clay soldiers, and remains of sacrificial temples from the Han era. The city has numerous Tang dynasty pagodas and is noted for its history museum and its stele forest, which is housed in an 11th-century Confucian temple containing large stone tablets from various dynasties.

Some of the most well-known sites in Xi'an are: • The city is surrounded by a well-preserved city wall which was re-constructed in the 14th century during the early Ming dynasty and was based on the inner imperial palace of Tang dynasty. • The Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang and his Terracotta Army are located 40 km (25 mi) to the east of the city centre, in the city's suburbs. • The Bell Tower and Drum Tower, both are located at the city's central axis • The city's Muslim Quarter, which is home to the Great Mosque of Xi'an • The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and Small Wild Goose Pagoda are both spectacular towers and both are well over 1,000 years old and have survived great earthquakes. • The Stele Forest is famous for its numerous historic inscriptions and stoneworks. • The Famen Temple and its towering pagoda located 120 km (75 miles) west of Xi'an. • Xi Ming Temple • Wolong Temple at Kaitong lane • Xingjiao Temple at Shaolin Yuan • Jianfu Temple • The Banpo Neolithic village • The Shaanxi History Museum, which has a large collection of historical artifacts • Huaqing Hot Springs, at the foot of Mt. Li, have a history of 6,000 years, the adjacent Huaqing Palace has a history of 3,000 years. Ranked among the Hundred Famous Gardens in China, it also has the status as a National Cultural Relic Protection Unit and a National Key Scenic Area. • Daming Palace National Heritage Park, site of the former royal residence of the Tang dynasty emperors • Mount Li National Forest Park • Mount Zhongnan National Forest Park • Datang Everbright City

Sport Famous former professional sports teams in Xi'an include: • Chinese Jia-A League ◦ Shaanxi National Power (moved to Ningbo and renamed themselves Ningbo National Power in 2004) • Chinese Football Association Super League ◦ Shaanxi Baorong Chanba (moved to Guiyang and renamed themselves Guizhou Renhe in 2012) • Chinese Basketball Association ◦ Shaanxi Dongsheng (moved to Foshan and renamed themselves Foshan Dralions in 2010).

Media Television and radio • China Central Television's channel 1 through 12 is broadcast nationwide. • Shaanxi Television (SXTV), provincial station, broadcasts on eight channels as well as a satellite channel for other provinces. • Shaanxi Radio broadcasts music and news.

Transport Xi'an has many areas that are easily accessible on foot. In many commercial, residential, educational zones in the city, especially in the shopping and entertainment districts around the Bell Tower, underpasses and overpasses have been built for the safety and convenience of pedestrians.

A bicycle sharing network started operating in Xi'an from the year 2013 and today has 52,000 bikes, used by over 200,000 people per day. Taxi services are numerous, but many citizens of Xi'an still commute to work using the city's 270 official municipal bus routes serviced by a fleet of over 7,800 buses, with an average system-wide ridership of over 4 million people per day. The bus network is complemented by a rapidly expanding subway system that carries over 1.5 million commuters per day. There are more than 2 million registered automobiles in Xi'an; the growing number of personal automobiles also means traffic jams are a common urban issue.

Transport: Metro Line 2, running through the city from north (North Railway Station) to south (Weiqu Nan), was the first line opened to the public on September 16, 2011. Operations began on September 28, 2011. This line is 19.9 km (12.4 miles) long with 17 stations. Line 1 opened on September 15, 2013. As a west–east railway, its 19 stations connect Houweizhai and Fangzhicheng. Line 3 runs from north-east (Baoshuiqu) to south-west (Yuhuazhai) and opened on November 8, 2016. Line 4, which is basically parallel to Line 2 on its east except for the northern parts, runs from the North Square of the North Railway Station [Beikezhan (Beiguangchang)] to south (Hangtianxincheng) and was available publicly on December 26, 2018. Line 5 opened on December 28, 2020. This line is 41.6 km long, with 31 stations from Matengkong to Chuangxingang.

Line 16 opened on June 27, 2023 and is 15.03 km long, and runs from Qinchuangyuanzhongxin to Shijingli with 9 stations. Four more lines are currently under construction, including an extension of Line 1.

The subway system covers some of the most famous attractions, such as Banpo Museum (Banpo Station, Line 1), Bell and Drum Tower (Line 2), Fortifications of Xi'an (Line 2), the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda (Line 3 and Line 4), the Daminggong National Heritage Park (Line 4) and Shaanxi History Museum (Line 2, 3 and 4), etc.

The first metro departure time for Line 1, 2, 3 and 4 is 6:00, the last metro departure time for Line 3 and 4 is 23:00, for Line 1 is 23:30, and for Line 2 is 23:50.

On December 30, 2008, a fire accident occurred that was extinguished within an hour and all workers evacuated safely. Sixty-six hours later, on January 2, another fire occurred at another station on Line 2.

Transport: Rail Xi'an's rail station, located just north of Xi'an's walled city, is one of the eight major national rail stations and the main rail hub of Shaanxi Province. The new Xi'an North railway station, situated a few miles to the north, is the station for the high-speed trains of the Zhengzhou–Xi'an High-Speed Railway. With 34 platforms, it is the largest railway station in Northwest China. Construction of the station began on September 19, 2008. The station was opened on January 11, 2011. As of May 2012, Xi'an North Station is served only by the fast (G-series and D-series) trains running on the Zhengzhou–Xi'an high-speed railway; one of them continues south to Hankou. The city's other stations include Xi'an West, Xi'an East, Xi'an South, Sanmincun, and Fangzhicheng railway stations.

Xi'an Railway Station covers 597,000 square meters (6,430,000 square feet), has 5 passenger platforms, and 24 tracks. It provides 112 services to 80 000 people daily. Among the destinations served by direct trains from Xi'an are Beijing, Zhengzhou, Lanzhou, Baoji, and Mount Hua. China Railway High-speed 2 now run an express services from Xi'an to Baoji and Xi'an to Zhengzhou; with a total running time to Baoji of under 90 minutes, and 2 hours to Zhengzhou. The Zhengzhou–Xi'an high-speed railway also serves Xi'an. Construction work began on September 25, 2005, the railway opened for service on February 6, 2010. The railway has made air service between Zhengzhou and Xi'an uncompetitive. All passenger flights between the two cities were suspended within 48 days of start of regular high-speed rail service.

Transport: Air Xi'an Xianyang International Airport (airport code: XIY) is the major airport serving the city and it is the largest airport in the north-western part of China. It is 25 miles north-west of Xi'an city centre, and 8 miles north-east of the centre of Xianyang. China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and China Southern Airlines are the main airlines using the airport. Terminal 3 and the second runway were opened on May 3, 2012.

Other than linking to most Chinese cities, the airport also has flights to several major Asian cities. One incident, however, is in 1994, when China Northwest Airlines flight 2303 broke up in mid-air and crashed near Xi'an en route to Guangzhou. A maintenance error was responsible. All 160 people on board died. As of 2016, it remains the deadliest airplane crash ever to occur in mainland China.

Xi'an cuisine Yangrou paomo (flat bread soaked in lamb soup; simplified Chinese: 羊肉泡馍; 羊肉泡饃; pinyin: Yángròu pàomó) is a well known Xi'anese dish.

Liang pi (cold rice noodles; simplified Chinese: 凉皮; 涼皮; pinyin: liángpí) are wheat or rice noodles served cold with vinegar and chili oil.

Biangbiang mian, also known as youpo chemian (油泼扯面; 油潑扯麵; pinyin: Yóupō chěmiàn), are thick and long hand-pulled noodles, typically served with red hot pepper.

Roujiamo (meat buns; simplified Chinese: 肉夾馍; 肉夾饃; pinyin: Ròujiāmó) is a bun filled with pork.

Qinqiang Qinqiang (Voice of Qin) is the oldest and most extensive of the four major types of Chinese opera. Another one would be the Empress of the Great Tang is China's first Tang Dynasty dance and music show. The story is based on the life of the famous Chinese historical figure, Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty. Through live performances by a classical Chinese orchestra and state-of-the-art stage design, this show will take you back to the glory of the legendary Empress Wu Zetian and the Great Tang Empire.

Chinese traditional religion and Taoism The most influential religions in Xi'an are the Chinese traditional religion and Taoist schools, represented by many major and minor temples. Among these there are a City God Temple, completely reconstructed in the 2010s, and a Temple of Confucius.

Christianity The first recorded Christian missionary in China was Alopen, a Syriac-speaker, who arrived in Xi'an (then known as Chang'an) in 635 along the Silk Road. The Nestorian Stele, now located in Xi'an's Beilin Museum, is a Tang Chinese stele erected in 781 that documents the 150 years of early Christianity in China following Alopen. It is a 279-centimeter-tall (110-inch) limestone block with text in both Chinese and Syriac describing the existence of Christian communities in several cities in northern China. The Daqin Pagoda, a Buddhist pagoda in Zhouzhi County of Xi'an, has been suggested to have originally been a Nestorian Christian church from the Tang Dynasty.

Baptist missionaries from England ran a hospital in Xi'an. In 1892, Arthur Gostick Shorrock and Moir Duncan founded the Sianfu Mission, in present-day Xi'an.

Islam Xi'an has a minority Muslim community, most of these Muslims are from the Hui group, there are an estimated 50,000 Hui Muslims in Xi'an. There are seven mosques in Xi'an, the best known being the Great Mosque.

Asia/Shanghai/Shaanxi 
<b>Asia/Shanghai/Shaanxi</b>
Image: Adobe Stock chungking #279490602

Xi'an is rated Beta − by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) which evaluates and ranks the relationships between world cities in the context of globalisation. Beta level cities are cities that link moderate economic regions to the world economy.

Xi'an is the #115 city in the world according to the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI) which evaluates and ranks the competitiveness of the major financial centres of the world according to a wide range of criteria – Human Capital, Business, Finance, Infrastructure and Reputation.

Xi'an is ranked #150 and rated C by the Global Urban Competitiveness Report (GUCR) which evaluates and ranks world cities in the context of economic competitiveness. C cities are international gateway cities. Xi'an was ranked #750 by the Nomad List which evaluates and ranks remote work hubs by cost, internet, fun and safety. Xi'an has a population of over 4,467,837 people. Xi'an also forms the centre of the wider Xi'an metropolitan area which has a population of over 8,470,000 people. Xi'an is ranked #475 for startups with a score of 0.404.

To set up a UBI Lab for Xi'an see: https://www.ubilabnetwork.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/UBILabNetwork

Twin Towns, Sister Cities Xi'an's twin towns and sister cities are:

🇬🇷 Athens, Greece 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Birmingham, England 🇧🇷 Brasília, Brazil 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Bury St Edmunds, England 🇪🇬 Cairo, Egypt 🇦🇷 Córdoba, Argentina 🇵🇪 Cusco, Perú 🇺🇦 Dnipro, Ukraine 🇩🇪 Dortmund, Germany 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Edinburgh, Scotland 🇲🇦 Fez, Morocco 🇯🇵 Funabashi, Japan 🇲🇾 George Town, Malaysia 🇳🇱 Groningen, Netherlands 🇦🇲 Gyumri, Armenia 🇦🇺 Hobart, Australia 🇷🇴 Iași, Romania 🇹🇷 Istanbul, Turkey 🇬🇷 Kalamata, Greece 🇺🇸 Kansas City, USA 🇳🇵 Kathmandu, Nepal 🇲🇾 Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia 🇯🇵 Kyōto, Japan 🇵🇰 Lahore, Pakistan 🇸🇮 Maribor, Slovenia 🇹🇲 Mary, Turkmenistan 🇦🇺 Melbourne, Australia 🇵🇰 Multan, Pakistan 🇯🇵 Nara, Japan 🇯🇵 Obama, Japan 🇩🇪 Oldenburg, Germany 🇮🇹 Pompei, Italy 🇨🇦 Québec, Canada 🇺🇿 Samarkand, Uzbekistan 🇳🇿 Taupō, New Zealand 🇧🇬 Veliko Tǎrnovo, Bulgaria
Text Atribution: Wikipedia Text under CC-BY-SA license | GFCI | GaWC | GUCR | Nomad | StartupBlink

North of: 34.25

🇱🇧 Batroun 34.25

🇲🇦 Kenitra 34.25

🇯🇵 Iwade 34.25

🇺🇸 Tujunga 34.253

🇺🇸 Pacoima 34.253

🇺🇸 Sunland-Tujunga 34.258

🇯🇵 Kinokawa 34.26

🇺🇸 Tupelo 34.265

🇨🇳 Xuzhou 34.265

🇨🇳 Xi An 34.271

South of: 34.25

🇱🇧 Batroun 34.25

🇲🇦 Kenitra 34.25

🇯🇵 Iwade 34.25

🇨🇳 Beilin 34.249

🇺🇸 Rome 34.245

🇺🇸 Northridge 34.243

🇺🇸 North Hills 34.236

🇯🇵 Wakayama 34.233

🇯🇵 Kure 34.233

🇺🇸 Camarillo 34.227

East of: 108.933

🇨🇳 Sanyuan 108.933

🇨🇳 Weiyang 108.942

🇨🇳 Beilin 108.958

🇮🇩 Singkawang 108.983

🇻🇳 Phan Rang–Tháp Chàm 108.995

🇮🇩 Cilacap 109

🇨🇳 Ankang 109.014

🇨🇳 Beihai 109.109

🇨🇳 Tóngrén 109.189

🇻🇳 Nha Trang 109.197

West of: 108.933

🇨🇳 Xi An 108.925

🇻🇳 Quảng Ngãi 108.799

🇻🇳 Vĩnh Thạnh 108.767

🇨🇳 Xianyang 108.709

🇨🇳 Qindu 108.667

🇨🇳 Qinzhou 108.654

🇨🇳 Yizhou 108.583

🇮🇩 Cirebon 108.557

🇻🇳 Tam Kỳ 108.483

🇻🇳 Đà Lạt 108.446

Antipodal to Xi'an is: -71.067,-34.25

Locations Near: Xi'an 108.933,34.25

🇨🇳 Xi An 108.925,34.271 d: 2.4  

🇨🇳 Beilin 108.958,34.249 d: 2.3  

🇨🇳 Weiyang 108.942,34.318 d: 7.6  

🇨🇳 Xianyang 108.709,34.33 d: 22.4  

🇨🇳 Qindu 108.667,34.3 d: 25.1  

🇨🇳 Sanyuan 108.933,34.683 d: 48.2  

🇨🇳 Weinan 109.471,34.521 d: 57.8  

🇨🇳 Chengguan 107.603,35.07 d: 152  

🇨🇳 Ankang 109.014,32.684 d: 174.3  

🇨🇳 Baoji 107.238,34.363 d: 156.2  

Antipodal to: Xi'an -71.067,-34.25

🇨🇱 San Fernando -70.988,-34.587 d: 19977  

🇨🇱 Rancagua -70.727,-34.168 d: 19982.5  

🇨🇱 Melipilla -71.267,-33.617 d: 19942.3  

🇨🇱 Curicó -71.234,-34.983 d: 19932.2  

🇨🇱 San Bernardo -70.683,-33.589 d: 19933.5  

🇨🇱 El Bosque -70.667,-33.567 d: 19930.6  

🇨🇱 Puente Alto -70.576,-33.597 d: 19929.5  

🇨🇱 La Cisterna -70.65,-33.533 d: 19926.6  

🇨🇱 San Antonio -71.613,-33.581 d: 19925.2  

🇨🇱 La Florida -70.583,-33.533 d: 19923.7  

Bing Map

Option 1