Xi'an

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia   (Redirected from Xi'an, Shaanxi) Jump to: navigation, search Xi'an 西安 Chang'an · 長安 —  Sub-provincial city  — 西安市 From top: City wall of Xi'an, Xingqinggong Park, Drum Tower of Xi'an, Great Mosque of Xi'an, Southeast city corner, Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, Nan'erhuan Road Location of Xi'an City jurisdiction in Shaanxi Xi'an Location in China Coordinates: 34°16′N 108°54′E / 34.267°N 108.900°E / 34.267; 108.900Coordinates: 34°16′N 108°54′E / 34.267°N 108.900°E / 34.267; 108.900 Country People's Republic of China Province Shaanxi Government  • CPC Xi'an Sun Qingyun (孙清云)  • Mayor Dong Jun (董军) Area  • Sub-provincial city 9,983 km2 (3,854 sq mi)  • Urban 826 km2 (319 sq mi)  • Metro 3,830 km2 (1,480 sq mi)  • Yangling 94 km2 (36 sq mi) Elevation 405 m (1,329 ft) Population (2010 census)  • Sub-provincial city 8,467,837  • Density Bad rounding here850/km2 (Bad rounding here2,200/sq mi)  • Urban 6,501,200  • Urban density Bad rounding here7,900/km2 (Bad rounding here20,000/sq mi)  • Metro 7,168,005 Time zone CST (UTC+8) Postal code 710000 - 710090 Area code(s) +86/29 GDP (2010) - Total ¥ 324.1 billion - Per capita ¥26,259 License plate prefixes 陕A City flower Pomegranate flower City tree Pagoda tree Website http://www.xa.gov.cn/ Xi'an Chinese 西安 Postal Map Sian Literal meaning western peace Transcriptions Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Xī'ān - Wade–Giles Hsi-An - IPA Min - Hokkien POJ Se-an Wu - Romanization si平oe平 Cantonese (Yue) - Jyutping sai1on1 Chang'an Traditional Chinese 長安 Simplified Chinese 长安 Literal meaning perpetual peace Transcriptions Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Cháng'ān Terracotta Army inside the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum, 3rd century BCE.

Xi'an (Chinese: 西安; pinyin: Xī'ān; Wade–Giles: Hsi-An, also spelled Hsi-an, Hsian, or Sian) is the capital of Shaanxi province, and a sub-provincial city in the People's Republic of China. One of the oldest cities in China, with more than 3,100 years of history, the city was known as Chang'an before the Ming Dynasty. Xi'an is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China, having held the position under several of the most important dynasties in Chinese history, including Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang. Xi'an is the eastern terminus of the Silk Road and home to the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.

Since the 1990s, as part of the economic revival of interior China especially for the central and northwest regions, the city of Xi'an has re-emerged as an important cultural, industrial and educational centre of the central-northwest region, with facilities for research and development, national security and China's space exploration program. It's now one of the most populous built-up areas in inland China with 7,168,005 inhabitants, including urban parts of Xianyang (Weicheng and Qindu districts). According to a July 2012 report by the Economist Intelligence Unit, it was recently named as one of the 13 emerging megacities, or megalopolises, in China. The report pinpoints and highlights the demographic and income trends that are shaping these cities' development.

Name

The two Chinese characters "西安" in the name Xi'an literally mean "Western Peace". During the Zhou Dynasty, the area was called Fenghao, with the portion of the city on the west bank of the Feng River called Feng and the portion on the east called Hao. It was renamed Chang'an, meaning "Perpetual Peace", during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE). It changed in 581 CE to Daxing (大興) during the Sui Dynasty then again became Chang'an from 618 during the Tang Dynasty. During the Yuan Dynasty (1270-1368), the city was first given the name Fengyuan (奉元), followed by Anxi (安西) then Jingzhao (京兆). It finally became Xi'an in 1369 at the time of the Ming Dynasty. This name remained until 1928, then in 1930 it was renamed Xijing (西京), or "Western Capital". The city's name once again reverted to its Ming-era designation of Xi'an in 1943.

Xi'an is abbreviated in Chinese to either Hao (Chinese: 镐; pinyin: Hào) or Tang (Chinese: 唐; pinyin: Táng). The former abbreviation is derived from the name of Zhou Dynasty's capital Haojing (Chinese: 镐京; pinyin: Hàojīng), whilst the latter comes from the name of the Tang Dynasty.

History

Main articles: History of Xi'an and Chang'an Statues in the Imperial Tomb of Tang Emperor Gaozong, one of the many Tang Dynasty-era mausoleums located in the Xi'an area Bell Tower of Xi'an

Xi'an has a rich and culturally significant history. The Lantian Man was discovered in 1963 in Lantian County, 50 km (31 mi) southeast of Xi'an, and dates back at to least 500,000 years before the present time. A 6,500-year old Banpo Neolithic village was discovered in 1954 on the outskirts of the city proper.

11th century BCE to 19th century CE

Xi'an became a cultural and political centre of China in the 11th century BCE with the founding of the Zhou Dynasty. The capital of Zhou was established in the twin settlements of Fengjing (灃京) and Haojing, together known as Fenghao, located southwest of contemporary Xi'an. Following the Warring States period, China was unified under the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE) for the first time, with the capital located at Xianyang, just northwest 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 BCE, 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, or Xi'an. Two years later, Liu Bang built Weiyang Palace north of modern Xi'an. The original Xi'an city wall was started in 194 BCE and took 4 years to finish. Upon completion, the wall measured 25.7 km (15.97 mi) in length and 12–16 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, a powerful warlord named Dong Zhuo 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 united China again in 582. The emperor of Sui ordered a new capital to be built southeast of the Han capital, called Daxing (大興, great prosperity). It consisted of three sections: the Xi'an Palace, the Imperial City, 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 in the Tang Dynasty. In the mid-7th century, after returning from his pilgrimage to India, Buddhist monk Xuan Zang (popularly known as Tang Sanzang) established a translation centre for Sanskrit scriptures.

Construction of the Great 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 Xuan Zang. In 707, construction of the Small Wild Goose Pagoda began, and this pagoda measured 45 m (147.64 ft) tall at the time of completion. The massive 1556 Shaanxi earthquake eventually damaged the tower and reduced its height to 43.4 m (142.39 ft).

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 15–18 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).

20th century and after

In October 1911, during the revolution in which the Qing Dynasty was overthrown, the Manchus living in the northeastern zone within the city walls were massacred. In 1936, the Xi'an Incident took place inside the city during the Chinese Civil War. The incident brought the Kuomintang (KMT) and Communist Party of China to a truce in order to concentrate on fighting against the Japanese Invasion.

Geography and climate

Xi'an Climate chart (explanation) J F M A M J J A S O N D     6.9   5 −4     9.6   8 −1     29   14 4     43   21 10     60   26 14     54   31 19     99   32 22     71   31 21     92   25 16     60   20 10     24   12 3     5.8   6 −3 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm Source: China Meteorological Administration Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     0.3   41 25     0.4   47 30     1.1   57 38     1.7   70 49     2.4   79 58     2.1   88 67     3.9   90 71     2.8   87 70     3.6   78 61     2.4   67 50     0.9   54 37     0.2   44 28 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

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 has an average elevation of 400 metres (1,312 ft) above sea level and an annual precipitation of 553 mm (21.8 in). The urban area of Xi'an is located at 34°16′N 108°56′E / 34.267°N 108.933°E / 34.267; 108.933. The Wei River provides potable water to the city.

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.

At the beginning of Han Dynasty, Prime Minister Zhang Liang advised the emperor Liu Bang to choose Guanzhong as the capital of the Han Dynasty: 'Guanzhong Plain, which is located behind Xiao Pass and Hangu Pass, connects Long (Gansu) and Shu (Sichuan). Land of thousands miles and rich in harvest can be found here, as if this place is belongs to the nation of the 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'.

National Time Service Centre

The Shaanxi Astronomical Observatory was established in 1966. In 1975, according to the Geodetic Origin Report of the People's Republic of China, 'in order to avoid bias in the mensuration as much as possible, the Geodetic Origin would be in central mainland China.' Lintong (临潼), a town near Xi'an was chosen. Since 1986, Chinese Standard Time (CST) was set from NTSC. The NTSC in Lintong is 36 km (22 mi) away from Xi'an.

National Time Service Centre (NTSC), the Chinese Academy of Sciences is an institute which is mainly engaged in the service and research on time and frequency. NTSC takes charge of generating and maintaining the national standard time scale, disseminating the time and frequency signals. The autonomous standard time scales of universal time and atomic time and the dissemination techniques with LF radio and HF radio were established successively during the 1970s and 1980s, which meet all the requirements for different applications on the whole, such as the scientific researches, national economy, etc.

Climate

Xi'an has a temperate climate that is influenced by the East Asian monsoon, classified under the Köppen climate classification as situated on the borderline between a semi-arid climate (BSk) and humid subtropical climate (Cwa). The Wei River valley is characterised by hot, humid summers, cold, dry winters, and dry springs and autumns. Most of the annual precipitation is delivered from July to late October. Snow occasionally falls in winter but rarely settles for long. Dust storms often occur during March and April as the city rapidly warms up. Summer months also experience frequent but short thunderstorms. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from around the freezing mark in January to 26.6 °C (79.9 °F) in July, with an annual mean of 13.68 °C (56.6 °F). Extreme temperatures have ranged from −20.6 °C (−5 °F) to 42.9 °C (109 °F).

Climate data for Xi'an (normals 1971−2000, extremes 1961−2000) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 17.0 (62.6) 24.1 (75.4) 27.9 (82.2) 33.6 (92.5) 38.6 (101.5) 41.8 (107.2) 41.0 (105.8) 40.0 (104) 38.2 (100.8) 33.7 (92.7) 24.1 (75.4) 21.6 (70.9) 42.9 (109.2) Average high °C (°F) 4.8 (40.6) 8.3 (46.9) 13.9 (57) 21.0 (69.8) 26.1 (79) 31.2 (88.2) 32.1 (89.8) 30.8 (87.4) 25.3 (77.5) 19.5 (67.1) 12.2 (54) 6.4 (43.5) 19.3 (66.7) Average low °C (°F) −3.8 (25.2) −1.1 (30) 3.6 (38.5) 9.5 (49.1) 14.2 (57.6) 19.2 (66.6) 21.9 (71.4) 20.9 (69.6) 15.9 (60.6) 9.9 (49.8) 2.9 (37.2) −2.5 (27.5) 9.2 (48.6) Record low °C (°F) −16 (3) −18.7 (−1.7) −6.6 (20.1) −4 (25) 5.0 (41) 10.1 (50.2) 15.2 (59.4) 12.5 (54.5) 5.4 (41.7) −1.9 (28.6) −12 (10) −14.7 (5.5) −20.6 (−5.1) Precipitation mm (inches) 6.9 (0.272) 9.6 (0.378) 28.6 (1.126) 43.0 (1.693) 60.2 (2.37) 54.4 (2.142) 98.6 (3.882) 70.8 (2.787) 91.6 (3.606) 59.9 (2.358) 23.9 (0.941) 5.8 (0.228) 553.3 (21.783) Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 3.6 4.4 6.9 8.4 8.9 9.0 10.0 9.1 10.9 9.7 6.0 3.4 90.3  % humidity 66 63 67 68 68 62 71 75 79 77 74 69 69.9 Mean monthly sunshine hours 100.8 103.2 120.8 147.9 171.4 185.3 191.9 195.4 127.0 111.1 98.4 92.8 1,646 Percent possible sunshine 32 34 33 38 40 43 44 47 34 32 32 31 37 Source: China Meteorological Administration, all-time extreme temperature

Demographics

Muslim Quarter in Xi'an, 2011

By the end of 2005, Xi'an had a population of 8.07 million. Compared to the census data from 2000, the population has increased by 656,700 persons from 7.41 million. The population is 51.66% male and 48.34% female. The district with the most population is YanTa Qu, with 1.08 million inhabitants.

The majority of Xi'an residents are Han Chinese, who make up 99.1% of the city's total population. There are around 81,500 people belonging to ethnic minorities living in Xi'an, including 50,000 Hui people.

During World War II, Xi'an became a destination for many refugees from other provinces of China, especially neighboring Henan Province. Because Xi'an was far inland, the invading Japanese army only managed a few aerial assaults on the city. As a result, Xi'an suffered minimal destruction. After 1949, the national government tried to balance the development in different regions of China, and relocated a number of factories and universities from other cities to Xi'an. Modern Xi'an Jiaotong University was relocated from its original campus in Shanghai.

Subdivision

The sub-provincial city of Xi'an has direct jurisdiction over 9 districts (区 qu) and 4 counties (县 xian):

1 2 3 Baqiao Weiyang Yanta Yanliang Lintong Chang'an Lantian County Zhouzhi County Hu County Gaoling County 1. Xincheng 2. Beilin 3. Lianhu ISO 3166-2 English Chinese Pinyin Area in km2 Seat Postal code Subdivisions Subdistricts Towns Townships Residential communities Villages 610100 Xi'an 西安市 Xī'ān Shì 10096.81 Weiyang District 710000 106 69 1 721 3025 610102 Xincheng District 新城区 Xīnchéng Qū 30.13 Xiyi Road Subdistrict (西一路街道) 710000 9 104 1 610103 Beilin District 碑林区 Bēilín Qū 23.37 Zhangjiacun Subdistrict (张家村街道) 710000 8 103 610104 Lianhu District 莲湖区 Liánhú Qū 38.32 Beiyuanmen Subdistrict (北院门街道) 710000 9 127 5 610111 Baqiao District 灞桥区 Bàqiáo Qū 324.50 Fangzhicheng Subdistrict (纺织城街道) 710000 9 37 223 610112 Weiyang District 未央区 Wèiyāng Qū 264.41 Zhangjiabao Subdistrict (张家堡街道) 710000 10 93 181 610113 Yanta District 雁塔区 Yàntǎ Qū 151.44 Xiaozhai Road Subdistrict (小寨路街道) 710000 8 117 92 610114 Yanliang District 阎良区 Yánliáng Qū 244.55 Fenghuang Road Subdistrict (凤凰路街道) 710089 5 2 23 80 610115 Lintong District 临潼区 Líntóng Qū 915.97 Lishan Subdistrict (骊山街道) 710600 23 38 284 610116 Chang'an District 长安区 Cháng'ān Qū 1588.53 Weiqu Subdistrict (韦曲街道) 710100 25 31 668 610122 Lantian County 蓝田县 Lántián Xiàn 2005.95 Languan (蓝关镇) 710500 22 9 519 610124 Zhouzhi County 周至县 Zhōuzhì Xiàn 2945.20 Erqu (二曲镇) 710400 22 14 376 610125 Hu County 户县 Hù Xiàn 1279.42 Ganting (甘亭镇) 710300 16 21 518 610126 Gaoling County 高陵县 Gāolíng Xiàn 285.03 Luyuan (鹿苑镇) 710200 7 1 4 88

Transportation

Xi'an Metro Yongningmen Metro Station Xi'an North Railway Station Bell Tower Underpass

Xi'an has many areas that are easily accessible on foot. In many commercial, residential, educations 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.

Electric bikes are very popular among students and offer easy transportation in and around the city for many residents. Taxi services are numerous but many citizens of Xi'an still commute to work on one of more than 200 bus routes.

Metro Main article: Xi'an Metro

Currently the metro system is designed with 6 lines.

Line 2 was the first to open, on September 16, 2011. Construction on Line 1 started on October 30, 2008. Line 1 is currently expected to start operation on September 14, 2013. The rest are planned to start in 2013 and to be finished around 2016.

Taxi

Taxis in Xi'an are predominantly VW Santana made in Shanghai, BYD Auto made in Xi'an, and Citroen made in Wuhan. Most, if not all, taxis in Xi'an run on compressed natural gas.

Rail

There are 6 passenger transport railway stations in Xi'an. Xi'an Railway Station, located just north of Xi'an walled city, is one of the eight major national railway stations, and the main railway transportation 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.

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 thousand square meters, has 5 passenger platforms, and 24 tracks. It provides 112 services to 80 000 people daily. There are services from Xi'an to Zhengzhou, from Xi'an to Lanzhou, from Xi'an to Baoji, and from Xi'an to 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 opened on February 6, 2010.

Expressways

Xi'an currently has two ring road systems, the Second Ring road and the Third Ring road which encircle the city. These ring roads are similar to freeways, except that there are traffic signals on the Second Ring road.

As a tourist city, Xi'an has built expressways to Lintong, Tongchuan and Baoji, with well-maintained roads to famous scenic spots in suburban counties and to the north slope of the Qin Mountains. Since its construction in September 2007, the Xi'an–Hanzhong Expressway connects Hanzhong and Xi'an through the Qinling. At 15 km (9.3 mi) long the Zhongnan Shan Tunnel is the longest tunnel in Asia.

China National Highway 210 China National Highway 211 China National Highway 312 Air

Xi'an Xianyang International Airport (airport code: XIY) is the major airport serving the city and is the largest airport in the northwestern part of China. The airport is located to the northwest of the city, between Xi'an and Xianyang. Chang'an Airlines and China Eastern Airlines are the main airlines using the airport.

International Routes: There are direct flights from Xi'an to many major cities in Asia, including Bangkok, Fukuoka, Hong Kong, Osaka, Pusan, Sapporo, Singapore and Seoul and Taipei.

Germany's Fraport, the operator of Frankfurt Airport, has paid 490 million yuan to obtain a 24.5-percent stake in the Xianyang International Airport, offering opportunities to upgrade and expand the facility.