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86-652: Xi'an or Xian (西安) is the capital of Shaanxi province, China. Xian or Xi'an may also refer to: Xi%27an Xi'an is the capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi . A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu , as well as the most populous city in Northwestern China . Its total population

172-553: A prefecture ( 府 ,   fǔ ). This form still appears in the Latin name of the Catholic diocese of Xi'an , archidioecesis Singanensis . The name was later romanized as " Hsi-an " by Wade & Giles and as " Sianfu " or " Sian " by the imperial post office , both of which were common until the promulgation of pinyin. The area of present-day Xi'an has been the site of several important former Chinese cities. The capital of

258-537: A family cache found in western Shaanxi, was cast in the reign of King Gong by the latest in a family of scribes descended from a scribe brought to Shaanxi after the conquest. The lengthy inscription, summarizing the history of the Zhou and that of the Wei ( 微 ) family, begins: Accordant with antiquity was King Wen! (He) first brought harmony to government. The Lord on High sent down fine virtue and great security. Extending to

344-897: 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

430-452: A royal tomb in the early 3rd century BC and recovered in the late 3rd century AD, but lost before the Song dynasty . Two versions exist today: an "ancient text" assembled from quotations in other works and a fuller "current text" that Qian Daxin pronounced a forgery but some scholars believe contains authentic material. The standard account is found in the "Basic Annals of Zhou", chapter 4 of

516-499: A succession of names: Fengyuan ( 奉 元 ), Anxi ( 安西 , "Peaceful West") and Jingzhao ( 京 兆 ). The Ming name "Xi'an" was changed back to Xijing ("Western Capital", as above) between 1930 and 1943. The Lantian Man was discovered in 1963 in Lantian County , 50 km (31 mi) southeast of Xi'an, and dates back to at least 500,000 years before the present time. A 6,500-year-old Neolithic village, Banpo ,

602-473: 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. 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

688-480: Is 25 miles northwest of Xi'an city center, and 8 miles northeast of the center 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. Construction of Terminal 5 began in 2022 and is expected to be completed by 2025. Other than linking to most Chinese cities, the airport also has flights to several major Asian cities. One incident, however,

774-505: 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 km (13.90 sq mi). In the year 190, amidst uprisings and rebellions just prior to

860-501: Is a well known Xi'anese dish. Liang pi (cold rice noodles; simplified Chinese: 凉皮 ; traditional Chinese: 涼皮 ; pinyin: liángpí ) are wheat or rice noodles served cold with vinegar and chili oil. Western Zhou dynasty The early Zhou state was ascendant for about 75 years; thereafter, it gradually lost power. The former lands of the Shang were divided into hereditary fiefs that became increasingly independent of

946-749: 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 kilometers long, with 31 stations from Matengkong to Chuangxingang. Line 16 opened on June 27, 2023, and is 15.03 kilometers 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

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1032-520: 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 is home to contemporary Chinese stars such as Xu Wei , Zhang Chu and Zheng Jun . Yangrou paomo (flat bread soaked in lamb soup; simplified Chinese: 羊肉泡馍 ; traditional Chinese: 羊肉泡饃 ; pinyin: Yángròu pàomó )

1118-405: Is the atonal pinyin romanization of its Chinese name 西安 , Western Peace . (The apostrophe – known in Chinese as a 隔音符號 , géyīn fúhào – should be included to distinguish its pronunciation from the single syllable xian .) The name was adopted in 1369 under the early Ming dynasty . Jesuit missionaries recorded its name as " Si-ngan " or "Si-ngan-fou" from its status as the seat of

1204-540: Is urban. Xi'an has direct jurisdiction over 11 districts and 2 counties : 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

1290-515: Is varied and complex, but no material culture comparable to the dynastic Zhou has been found. Archaeologists searching for the predynastic Zhou have focused on the Qishan area, which is mentioned in early texts and was a key ritual centre of the Western Zhou. Two different pottery types are found in this area, and archaeologists differ on whether one or the other group of people, or a mixture of

1376-572: The Book of Odes and the Book of Documents , are believed to date from the Western Zhou period. The Book of Odes is a collection of songs, traditionally divided as 160 State Airs, 105 Court Songs (Major and Minor) and 40 Hymns (Zhou, Lu and Song), set to melodies that have since been lost. Most specialists agree that the Zhou Hymns date to the Western Zhou, followed by the Court Songs and

1462-717: The Historical Records compiled by the Han dynasty historian Sima Qian . Most scholars divide the Western Zhou into early, middle and late periods, which also correspond roughly to stylistic changes in bronze vessels. The Han historian Sima Qian felt unable to extend his chronological table beyond 841 BC, the first year of the Gonghe Regency , and there is still no accepted chronology of Chinese history before that point. The Cambridge History of Ancient China used dates determined by Edward L. Shaughnessy from

1548-613: 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

1634-568: 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 kilometers (1,200 acres), which

1720-564: 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. In 582, shortly after the Sui dynasty was founded, 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:

1806-651: 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 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 BC, the founding emperor Liu Bang of

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1892-670: The Western Zhou were the twin cities of Feng and Hao , known collectively as Fenghao , located on opposite banks of the Feng River at its confluence with the southern bank of the Wei in the western suburbs of present-day Xi'an. The Qin capital Xianyang was erected north of the Wei during the Warring States period and was succeeded by the Western Han capital of Chang'an ( 長安 ), meaning "Perpetual Peace", which

1978-453: 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 southwest 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 . Following

2064-497: The "Old Script" chapters are post-Han forgeries, but many of the remaining "Modern Script" chapters were written long after the periods they purport to represent. The five "announcement" (or "proclamation") chapters use the most archaic language, similar to that of bronze inscriptions, and are thought to have been recorded close to the events of the early Western Zhou reigns they describe. Four more chapters, "Catalpa Timbers", "Many Officers", "Take No Ease" and "Many Regions", are set in

2150-489: The "current text" Bamboo Annals and bronze inscriptions. In 2000, the Xia–Shang–Zhou Chronology Project produced a schedule of dates based on received texts, bronze inscriptions, radiocarbon dating and astronomical events. However, several bronze inscriptions discovered since then are inconsistent with the project's dates. The origins of the Zhou are obscure. The archaeology of pre-conquest Wei valley

2236-603: 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

2322-835: 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 helped to bring the Kuomintang (KMT) and Chinese Communist Party to form the Second United Front in order to concentrate on fighting against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Second Sino-Japanese War . On March 11, 1938, an aerial battle broke out for

2408-552: 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 National Time Service Center (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

2494-693: The Heaven'. Xi'an has a temperate climate that is influenced by the East Asian monsoon , classified under the Köppen climate classification as a borderline humid subtropical and humid continental climate ( Cwa/Dwa ). The Wei River valley is characterized 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

2580-593: The Imperial City, the palace section, and the civilian section, with a total area of 84 km (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

2666-544: The Late Shang practice of inscribing bronze vessels to create lengthy texts recording the accomplishments of their owners and honours bestowed on them by the king. The inscriptions also show that the Zhou had adopted Shang ancestor ritual. This adoption of Shang features suggests an effort to legitimate Zhou rule. However, the Zhou did not adopt human sacrifice, which was so extensive in the Late Shang, or even mention it in any of their texts. The Shi Qiang pan , part of

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2752-561: The Ordos region, late in the reign of King Kang. This phase of expansion came to an end in a disastrous southern campaign in the Han River region, in which King Zhao lost his armies and his own life. During the reign of King Mu , the Zhou state shifted to the defensive, particularly in the east. The Bamboo Annals records a campaign against the Xu Rong , who had to be driven back from

2838-522: The Song dynasty proper and its continued relevance to Muslim travelers into China and Chinese Muslim residents. During the Ming dynasty , a new wall was constructed in 1370 which 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

2924-534: The State Airs. The Airs are said to have been collected from throughout the Western Zhou domains, but have a consistency and elegance that suggests that they were polished by the literati of the Zhou court. The Book of Documents is a collection of formal speeches presented as spanning two millennia from the legendary Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to the Spring and Autumn period . Most scholars agree that

3010-886: 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 , and a small area in the city continued to be occupied thereafter. In the era of the Song dynasty , Xi'an was an important cultural center of scholarship and innovation on matters such as science , as well as historiography , religion, and philosophy in China. The Northern Song era saw its people, political culture , and strategic location be directly utilized by

3096-552: The Wei valley to the Nanyang basin and sought to inprove relations with distant Zhou states in the northeast and east. At the same time, the king also had to contend with succession struggles in some of the old Zhou states. According to received texts, King You 's reign began with ominous portents. The texts, as well as some of the Minor Court Songs, hint at factional struggles within the Zhou court. In his 11th year,

3182-457: The Wei valley. King Wen left two or three of his brothers (depending on the source) to oversee the former Shang domains, nominally ruled by Wu Geng , the son of the last Shang king. King Wu died two or three years after the conquest, triggering a crisis of the young state. According to the traditional histories, one of King Wu's brothers, the Duke of Zhou declared himself regent for King Wu's son,

3268-529: The Zhou capital from Qiyi to Feng , and his son, King Wu , made a further move to Hao across the Feng River. King Wu expanded his father's campaigns to the Shang, defeating them in the decisive Battle of Muye , which is also described in the "Great brightness" song of the Classic of Poetry . According to the Yi Zhou Shu , the Zhou army spent two months in the area mopping up resistance before returning to

3354-581: The Zhou king over time. The Zhou court was driven out of the Wei River valley in 771 BC: this marked the beginning of the Eastern Zhou period, wherein political power was wielded in actuality by the king's nominal vassals. The Western Zhou are known from archaeological finds, including substantial inscriptions, mostly on bronze ritual vessels. In contrast to earlier periods, this direct evidence can be usefully compared with texts transmitted through

3440-596: The Zhou king. Soon afterwards, the Zhou were attacked by Chu , who reached as far as the Luo River before being driven off in a counterattack described in the Yu ding and Yu gui . King Li embarked on defensive campaigns in the east and northwest. The received texts all present him in a negative light, and record that he was driven out of the capital into exile in the Fen River valley. Sources disagree on whether this

3526-601: 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

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3612-490: The census data from 2007, the population has increased by 1.4 million persons. The population is 51.66 percent male and 48.34 percent female. Among its districts, Yanta has the largest population, with around 1.08 million inhabitants. The Xi'an metropolitan area was estimated by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) to have, as of 2010 , a population of 12.9 million, of which 5,740,000

3698-534: 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,

3784-559: 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 27.0 °C (80.6 °F) in July, with an annual mean of 14.08 °C (57.3 °F). Extremes since 1951 have ranged from −20.6 °C (−5 °F) on January 11, 1955, to 41.8 °C (107 °F) on June 21, 1998. A highest record of 42.9 °C (109 °F)

3870-522: 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. Xi'an lies on the Guanzhong Plain in the south-central part of Shaanxi province, on a flood plain created by

3956-504: The core Wei River valley and the Luoyang areas in the 1930s and expanded to a broader area from the 1980s. Bronze vessels are a key marker of Western Zhou sites, including buildings, workshops, city walls and burials. Elite burials usually contain sets of vessels, which can be dated using known variations in styles, as well the paleography and content of inscriptions. Hundreds of hoards of bronzes have been found in Shaanxi , dating from

4042-406: 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,

4128-587: 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

4214-545: The eastern capital. The inscription on the Dong gui celebrates a defeat inflicted by the Zhou on the Dongyi near Ying, a colony set up by one of King Cheng's brothers to guard the southern approaches to the capital. With the passing of generations, the family relationships between the king and the rulers of the colonies had also become more distant. Instead, the Zhou state developed a bureaucracy and formalized relations between

4300-644: 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 . At the beginning of Han dynasty, the Chief of Staff Zhang Liang advised

4386-499: The elites. There were reforms of the military, official titles and the distribution of land. A drastic shift in the style and types of bronze ritual vessels, formerly based on Late Shang models, also suggests a change in ritual practice at this time. Very little historical information is available for the reigns of the next four kings, Gong, Yih, Xiao and Yi. Western Zhou kings were customarily succeeded by their oldest sons. However, Sima Qian states, without explanation, that King Yih

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4472-402: 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

4558-438: The fall of the western capital in 771 BC. A hoard typically contains treasured vessels accumulated by a family over three centuries, carefully buried to hide them from the invaders. The Zhou produced thousands of inscriptions, mostly on bronze ritual vessels and often considerably longer than those of the Late Shang. A vessel was typically cast for some member of the Zhou elite, recording a relevant event or an honour bestowed on

4644-446: 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

4730-450: The future King Cheng . Later Confucian scholars, who glorified the Duke of Zhou, described the young king as a babe in his mother's arms, but other evidence indicates that he was a young man at the time. Some authors suggest that the Duke appointed himself king, and in the "Announcement to Kang" chapter of the Book of Documents he seems to speak as a king. Wu Geng and the brothers of King Wu tasked with supervising him rebelled against

4816-585: The growing number of personal automobiles also means traffic jams are a common urban issue. 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 kilometers (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 northeast ( Baoshuiqu ) to southwest (Yuhuazhai) and opened on November 8, 2016. Line 4, which

4902-446: The high and low, he joined the ten thousand states. Capturing and controlling was King Wu! (He) proceeded and campaigned through the four quarters, piercing Yin [= Shang] and governing its people. Eternally unfearful of the Di (Distant Ones), oh, he attacked the Yi minions. Longer accounts are found in later sources. Both the Historical Records and the Bamboo Annals describe campaigns by King Wen in southern Shanxi. King Wen moved

4988-416: The manuscript tradition. These include some Confucian classics , the oldest parts of which are thought to date from this period. Texts from the Warring States period and Han dynasty provide fuller accounts, though further removed from the original events. Zhou ritual bronzes have been collected since the Song dynasty and are now scattered in collections around the world. Scientific excavations began in

5074-412: 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

5160-404: 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

5246-499: 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

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5332-557: The new regime. The Duke of Zhou and his half-brother, the Duke of Shao , organized another eastern campaign. After three years they had regained the lost areas and expanded their domain over an area stretching into Shandong. The victorious triumvirate of the Duke of Zhou, Duke of Shao and King Cheng then consolidated their control over this expanded territory. They built an eastern capital at Chengzhou (modern day Luoyang ) and began founding colonies or states at strategic points in their domain. The most important were placed under members of

5418-456: The owner by the king. In the latter case, the inscription might include a narrative of the ceremony and report the speech of participants. These give a rich insight into Zhou governance and the upper levels of Zhou society. Many inscriptions contain details that may be compared with later histories. More than a hundred of them commemorate a royal appointment to some government position. More than 50 of them describe military campaigns. Naturally

5504-427: The picture is incomplete, as very few inscriptions touch on military defeats or failures of government. Inscriptions usually contain some dating information, but not the name of the current king. Scholars have devised a range of criteria to narrow down the reign of an inscription, including the style of the vessel, the form of the characters and details within the text. The earliest received texts, including parts of

5590-402: 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

5676-417: 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. Xi'an Xianyang International Airport (airport code: XIY) is the major airport serving the city and it is the largest airport in the northwestern part of China. It

5762-486: 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

5848-418: The ruling Jī ( 姬 ) family. These colonies are listed in the Zuozhuan , and some have been confirmed by archaeological finds. The inscription on the Mai zun narrates the ceremony in which King Cheng appointed a son of the Duke of Zhou to rule Xing . Kings Cheng and Kang mounted numerous military campaigns to expand their domains. The Xiao Yu ding relates a victory over the Guifang, presumably in

5934-446: The same period, but their language suggests that they were written late in the Western Zhou period. The prefaces written for each chapter, tying the Documents together as a continuous account, are thought to have been written in the Western Han period. Texts transmitted from the Warring States period relate traditions from the Western Zhou period. The "Discourses of Zhou" chapter of the Guoyu includes speeches claimed to be from

6020-403: The state. In his 5th year, he ordered a campaign against the Xianyun in the west, and then appointed the successful general to command the eastern territories. According to the Bamboo Annals , in the following year he ordered a campaign against the Huaiyi. Bronze inscriptions record victories in this campaign and others against the Xianyun. He reinforced the south by relocating settlements from

6106-416: 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. As of 2010 Xi'an has a population of 5.4 million. Compared to

6192-401: The time of King Mu onward. The Zuo Zhuan is primarily concerned with the Spring and Autumn period , but contains many references to events in the preceding Western Zhou period. The Bamboo Annals provides a wealth of attractive detail, often varying from other sources, but its transmission history presents many problems. The original text was a chronicle of the state of Wei buried in

6278-444: 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

6364-445: The two, produced the Zhou. It is likely that several groups from across Shaanxi banded together to conquer the Shang. The conquest is reflected in the material record by the sudden appearance throughout the Wei River basin of burials in the Shang style and sophisticated bronze vessels of all the types produced by the Shang, from which the Zhou had evidently acquired skilled craftsmen, scribes and abundant resources. They also expanded

6450-604: The walls. The new wall and moat would protect a much smaller city of 12 km (4.6 sq mi). The Qing dynasty established a walled off Manchu banner quarter in northeast Xi'an, on the site of the former palace of the Ming Prince of Qin. A Han banner quarter was established in the southeast 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

6536-504: 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;

6622-459: Was 12.95 million as of the 2020 census, including an urban population of 9.28 million. Known as Chang'an throughout much of its history, Xi'an is one of China's Four Great Ancient Capitals , having held the position under several of the most important dynasties in Chinese history , including the Western Zhou , Western Han , Sui , Northern Zhou and Tang . Xi'an is now the second-most popular tourist destination in China. The city

6708-494: Was a revolt of the peasantry or the nobility, but agree that the king's infant son was barely saved from a mob. The Bamboo Annals , confirmed by bronze inscriptions, relate that control of the state passed to Lord He, instituting the Gonghe Regency . Sima Qian's belief that it was a co-regency was based on a misinterpretation of the name. When King Li died in exile, his son became King Xuan . Both received texts and bronze inscriptions suggest that King Xuan acted quickly to secure

6794-568: Was already presented as a linear sequence of kings in the Lai pan , cast in the reign of King Yi's grandson. Both Sima Qian and the Bamboo Annals state that King Yi boiled the Duke of Qi (in eastern Shandong) in a cauldron. A bronze inscription confirms a Zhou attack on Qi at this time. This incident, in a state originally founded by one of King Wu's generals, indicates the waning authority of

6880-399: 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. Xi'an became a cultural and political center of China in the 11th century BC with the founding of

6966-624: Was informally regulated by social status and custom. In northeastern 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 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

7052-629: Was located south of the Wei and covered the central area of present-day Xi'an. During the Eastern Han , Chang'an was also known as the "Western Capital" ( 西 京 ), named for its namesake position relative to the main capital at Luoyang . Under the Sui , its name became Daxing ( 大 興 , "Greatly Prosperous") in AD 581. Under the Tang , the name reverted to Chang'an in 618. Under the Mongolian Yuan dynasty (13th & 14th centuries), it held

7138-647: Was one of the terminal points on the Silk Road during the ancient and medieval eras, as well as the home of the 3rd-century BC Terracotta Army commissioned by Emperor Qin Shi Huang —both of which are listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO . Since the 1980s, as part of the economic growth of inland China especially for the central and northwest regions, Xi'an has matured into a cultural, industrial, political and educational, and research and development hub. Xi'an currently holds sub-provincial status, administering 11 districts and 2 counties. In 2020, Xi'an

7224-788: Was ranked as a Beta- (global second tier) city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network , and, according to the country's own ranking, ranked 17th; it is also one of the world's top 100 financial centers according to the Global Financial Centres Index . Xi'an is ranked by the Nature Index as one the top 20 cities globally by scientific research output, and is home to multiple prestigious educational institutions , such as Xi'an Jiaotong University , Northwestern Polytechnical University , Xidian University and Northwest University . "Xi'an"

7310-555: Was registered in another station on June 17, 2006. An unofficial record low of −25.0 °C (−13 °F) was also recorded in January 1930, but at another weather station in the northern suburbs of the city. 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,

7396-416: Was succeeded by his uncle, who became King Xiao, and that on Xiao's death "the many lords restored" King Yih's son, King Yi. Bronze inscriptions of the time use two different royal calendars, and the Bamboo Annals mentions King Yih moving out of the capital. Some authors suggest that King Yih was forced out by his uncle, and the two were rivals for a time, but whatever happened is now obscure. The succession

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