Administration type: Province

Capital and Largest City: Xi'an

Governor: Chen Deming

Area: 205,800 km² (11th)

Population: (2004) 37,050,000 (17th); Density: 180/km² (21st)

GDP: (2004) CNY 288.4 billion (22nd); per capita: CNY 7780 (24th)

Major nationalities: (2000) Han - 99.5%; Hui - 0.4%

Prefecture-level divisions: 10

County-level divisions: 107

Township-level divisions: (December 31, 2004) 1745

Shaanxi (Pinyin: Shǎnxī; Wade-Giles: Shan-hsi; Postal System Pinyin: Shensi, pronounced like "Shahn-shee") is a north-central province of the People's 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, both Shaanxi and the neighbouring province of Shanxi should be spelled as "Shanxi", and the difference is in tone: Shānxī and Shǎnxī. To make the difference clear even without tonal marks, the spelling "Shaanxi" was contrived for the province of Shǎnxī, while "Shanxi" is used for the province of Shānxī.

History

Shaanxi (and the city of Xi'an 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 1100 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. During the Mongol rule in the 13th century, Shaanxi became a provincial unit. In the ensuing years, wars and famine had decimated and depopulated the province. As a result, large populations of Muslims, or Hui people, emerged, as evident today. 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 24, 1556, killing an estimated 830,000 people. The short-lived Jiangxi Soviet can be seen to have ended in Shaanxi, signaling the beginning of the Long March by Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communists.

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, Yan'an, Ankang.

Economy

Shaanxi's 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.

Demographics

Nearly all the people in Shaanxi are comprised of ethnic Han Chinese, with pockets of Hui population in the north western region (adjacent to Ningxia). The southern part of Shaanxi—where its provincial capital of Xi'an is located—is more populated compared to the northern part.

Culture

Qinqiang, the representative folk opera of Shaanxi

Tourism

Banpo Neolithic village, near Xi'an; Daqin Pagoda; Imperial mausoleums; Zhao Mausoleum; Mount Huashan, one of the five most famous mountains in China; Mount Taibaishan, the highest peak of the Qinling Range; Mausoleum and Terracotta Army Museum of the First Qin Emperor in Xi'an (World Heritage Site) ; The city of Xi'an: City Walls, Great Mosque, Bell Tower and Drum Tower, Forest of Stone Steles Museum, Shaanxi History Museum, Wild Goose Pagoda; Yan'an, the destination of the Long March and the center of Chinese; Communist revolution from 1935 to 1948.