Origin of name 陕 shǎn - Shanzhou (now Shan County, Henan)
西 xī - west
"west of Shanzhou"
Administration type Province
Capital (and largest city) Xian
Area 205,800 km2 (11th)
Population (2004) 37,050,000 (17th)
- Density 180/km2 (21st)
Major nationalities Han - 99.5%
Hui - 0.4%
Prefecture-level 10 divisions
County-level 107 divisions
Township-level 1745 divisions
Shaanxi (Simplified Chinese: 陕西; Traditional Chinese: 陝西; Pinyin: Shǎnxī; Wade-Giles: Shan-hsi; Postal map spelling: Shensi) is a north-central province of the Peoples Republic of China, and includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River as well as the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of the province.
By regular Hanyu Pinyin rules, if tone marks are not written, both Shaanxi and the neighbouring province of Shanxi should be spelled "Shanxi"; the difference is in tone: Shānxī and Shǎnxī. To make the difference clear without tonal marks, the spelling "Shaanxi" was contrived (following the romanization system of Yuen Ren Chao) for the province of Shǎnxī, while "Shanxi" is used for the province of Shānxī. It is also the official spelling on Chinese Governments official web portal.
History
Shaanxi (and the city of Xian therein) are considered one of the cradles of Chinese civilization. Thirteen feudal dynasties established their capitals in this province during a span of more than 1,100 years, from the Zhou Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty. It is also the starting point of the Silk Road which leads to Europe, Arabia and Africa.
Under the Ming dynasty, Shaanxi was incorporated into Gansu but was again separated in the Qing dynasty.
One of the most devastating earthquakes in history occurred near Hua Shan, in south-eastern part of Shaanxi Province on January 23, 1556, killing an estimated 830,000 people (see 1556 Shaanxi earthquake).
The end of the short-lived Jiangxi Soviet signalled the beginning of the Long March by Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communists to the Shaanxi Soviet at Yanan.
Geography
Desert in the north along the border with Inner Mongolia, the Loess Plateau in the central part of the province, the Qinling mountains running east to west in the south central part, and subtropical climate south of the Qinling mountains.
The northern part of Shaanxi is cold in the winter and very hot in summer with dry winter and spring. Its southern portion generally receives more rain. Annual mean temperature is roughly between 9°C and 16°C with January temperature ranging from ?11°C to 3.5°C and July temperature ranging from 21°C to 28°C.
Other cities include: Baoji, Hanzhong, Lintong, Tongchuan, Xianyang, Yanan, Ankang.
Administration
Shaanxi consists of nine prefecture-level cities and the city of Xian. The prefecture-level cities are:
Yulin
Yanan
Tongchuan
Weinan
Xianyang
Baoji
Shangluo
Ankang
Hanzhong
Economy
Shaanxis nominal GDP for 2004 was 288.4 RMB (35.78 billion USD) and GDP Per Capita was 6536 RMB (789 USD). It ranked 22nd in the PRC.
Culture
Qinqiang, the representative folk opera of Shaanxi.
Tourism
Banpo Neolithic village, near Xian
Daqin Pagoda
Imperial mausoleums
Zhao Mausoleum
Huashan (Mount Hua), one of the five most famous mountains in China.
Taibaishan (Mount Taibai), the highest peak of the Qinling Range.
Mausoleum and Terracotta Army Museum of the First Qin Emperor in Xian (World Heritage Site)
The city of Xian: City Walls, Great Mosque, Bell Tower and Drum Tower, Forest of Stone Steles Museum, Shaanxi History Museum, Wild Goose Pagoda
Yanan, the destination of the Long March and the center of Chinese Communist revolution from 1935 to 1948
Biang Biang Noodles, one of the "ten strange wonders of Shaanxi" (陝西十大怪)
