| Shaanxi
briefing |  Shaanxi,
an inland province in China, is also called "Qin," or "Shaan"
for short. It is one of the places where Chinese culture originated. Beishan Mountain
and the Qinling Range stand as two boundaries that divide the province into three
natural areas -- the Loess Plateau in northern Shaanxi, Guangzhong Plain, and
the Qinba Hillyland. Plateau and hillyland make up most of the province's area.
Shaanxi has a continental climate with distinctive four seasons. The months from
March to November are the best tourist season. Shaanxi Province boasts an area
of 205,600 square kilometers and a population of 36 million people. The city of
Van is the capital.
Shaanxi Province has a time-honored history and a well-developed
culture. It was the starting point of the Silk Road that extended from Asia to
Europe and played an important role in cultural interflow between the East and
West in ancient times. Beginning in the 1 1 th century, Van served intermittently
for more than 1,100 years as the capital of 1 3 feudal dynasties. The favorable
geographical environment and long history have left Shaanxi with many unique places
of historic interest and enchanting landscapes, cultural sites, and revolutionary
sites. There are six cities of historic and cultural interest and 35,750 historical
relic places, including more than 10,000 historic ruins, 4,300 tombs, 557 grottoes,
and nearly 20,000 stone sculptures and ancient and modern buildings. The worldrenowned
Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-207 B.C.),
and the terracotta warriors and horses were included by UNESCO in the List of
World's Cultural Heritages.
A network of air, railway, and highway transport
that has been formed in Shaanxi Province radiates in all directions. The province
is a vital traffic artery linking China's northwest and southwest. Xianyang Airport
in Van is one of China's modern airports. The Longhai (Lianyungang-Lanzhou) Railway
that links Eurasia runs from east to west through the province. A highway network
with Van as its center reaches all the cities , towns, and scenic sites. Tourism
has become an important industrial sector of Shaanxi. | | Xi'an |  Xi'an,
capital of Shaanxi Province with a 3,000-year history, was known as Chang's in
ancient times. For 1,062 years the city had been capital for 13 dynasties, and
a total of 73 emperors had ruled China there. That is why the land of the city
is pockmarked with cultural relics and historical ruins. The mausoleum of Qinshihuang
and his mighty army of terracotta warriors and horses are world-famous attractions.
The other scenes and sights include Banpo Village Ruins, Greater and Lesser Wild-Goose
Pagodas, Bell tower and Drum Tower, City Wall, Xingjiao Temple, Famen Temple,
Shaanxi History Museum, Xi'an Stele Forest, and Grand Mosque. The celebrated Silk
Road began in Xi'an.
| | The Mausoleum
of Qin Shi Huang |  Five
kilometers east of the Lintong County seat, in the vicinity of Xiahe Village,
is the tomb of Qin Shi Huang. The mound is 55.05 meters high and 2,000 meters
in girth. The imposing cemetery, with a novel layout, is divided into the inner
and outer cities and has an unprecedentedly great wealth of cultural relics. It
was included into the List of World's Cultural Heritages.Located 1.5 kilometers
east of the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, Pit 1 is 230 meters from east to west, 62 meters
from south to north, and five meters deep. It is referred to as "the No.8
world's wonder" and the largest military museum in the world. The pit houses
6,000 life-size painted terracotta warriors and horses. The warriors, arranged
in battle formation, wear helmets and armor and carry weapons. They are dignified,
and each has a different manner. | | The
City Wall of Xi'an |  Xi'an
boasts the only city wall to remain intact to this day in China. Built during
the early Ming on the basis of the Tang imperial city of Chang'an, and laid out
on a rectangular plan 13.7 km in circumference, this wall stands 12 metres high,
12-14 metres wide at the top and 15-18 metres wide at the base. A total of 5,894
crenels are built along the outer edge of the wall each of its four corners is
topped by a turret, and a main gateway is built into each of the wall's four sides.
The top of the wall has been converted into a promenade, so that visitors can
take a stroll while feasting their eyes on the scenery within and without the
city and musing upon the distant past of this ancient city.
| | Yan'an
Pagoda Hill |  Located
in the central Yan'an Prefecture, the timehonored city of Yan'an is the seat of
the Administrative Office of the Yan'an Prefecture. It covers an area of 3,556
square kilometers. It was here that the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee
led the Chinese people in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. As
a sacred place in the Chinese revolution, Yan'an has rich historical relics and
many places of historic interest and scenic beauty. Also known as Dialing Hill,
it stands by the Yanhe River east of the city of Yan'an, with an elevation of
1,076.3 meters. The hill is named after the pagoda on it. The pavilion-style pagoda,
a Ming Dynasty structure, is 44 meters high. Standing on top of the majestic pagoda,
one can have a panoramic view of Yan'an City. The pagoda is the symbol of Yan'an
as a sacred place in the Chinese revolution.
| |
Huaqing Palace |  The
Tang emperor, Xuanzong, had Huaqing Palace built by the hot springs at the foot
of Lishan Mountain in Lintong County, so that he could frolic with his favoured
Imperial Lady Yang to his heart's content. Today, the facility is attracting a
constant stream of visitors who come both to catch a piece of history and enjoy
the nice scenery.
| | Mount Huashan |  The
1,997-metre-tall Mount Huashan, true to its reputation as the "most precipitous
mountain under heaven", is a cluster of five peaks with breathtaking cliff
faces and a tough challenge to mountaineers. A cable car whisks visitors right
to the top of Huashan, which is also one of the five holy mountains in China.
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