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The Wei River ( Chinese : 渭 河 ; pinyin : Wèi Hé ; Wade–Giles : Wei Ho ) is a major river in west-central China's Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. It is the largest tributary of the Yellow River and very important in the early development of Chinese civilization . In ancient times, such as in the Records of the Grand Historian , the river was called Wei Shui ( 渭水 ; Wèishuǐ ; 'Wei water').

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66-683: 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 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

132-579: A drainage area of 135,000 km (52,000 sq mi). Some of the major tributaries include the Luo River , Jing River , Niutou River , Feng River and the Chishui River . In a direct line, it travels due east for 700 km (430 mi) before draining into the Yellow River at Tongguan County near the tri-provincial boundary between Shaanxi, Shanxi and Henan provinces , with

198-551: 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

264-593: A continental climate, with hot summers and cool, dry winters. It sits between the arid steppes and deserts to the north and the forests of the Qingling mountains. Its natural vegetation would be a steppe-forest, but it has been transformed by human activity and is mostly agricultural. In Chinese mythology , the giant Kua Fu drained the Yellow River and the Wei River to quench his burning thirst as he pursued

330-893: 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

396-578: A main tributary of the Tao River , which is the second-largest tributary of the Yellow River (behind the Wei River itself). The head of the Wei River proper — formed by confluence of the Qingyuan River with two small tributaries to its northwest — is less than 110 km (68 mi) from the Yellow River at Lanzhou , but due to the sharp north turn the Yellow River takes in Lanzhou to form

462-565: 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: the Imperial City, the palace section, and

528-399: A series of major cities along its course including Tianshui , Baoji , Xianyang , Xi'an and Weinan . The source of the Wei River starts in the mountainous region in southern Weiyuan County (literally meaning "Wei's source"), Gansu province , with the westernmost headwater of its mainstem Qingyuan River (清源河) less than 1.6 km (0.99 mi) away from a headwater of Manba River,

594-499: 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 ,

660-471: 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

726-478: 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,

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792-1307: 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. List of capitals in China Provinces Autonomous regions Sub-provincial autonomous prefectures Autonomous prefectures Leagues (Aimag) (abolishing) Prefectures Provincial-controlled cities Provincial-controlled counties Autonomous counties County-level cities Districts Ethnic districts Banners (Hoxu) Autonomous banners Shennongjia Forestry District Liuzhi Special District Wolong Special Administrative Region Workers and peasants districts Ethnic townships Towns Subdistricts Subdistrict bureaux Sum Ethnic sum County-controlled districts County-controlled district bureaux (obsolete) Management committees Town-level city Areas Villages · Gaqa · Ranches Village Committees Communities Capital cities New areas Autonomous administrative divisions National Central Cities History: before 1912 , 1912–49 , 1949–present The scope of this list

858-745: 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

924-515: 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 )

990-593: Is limited to capital cities of first-level administrative divisions such as provinces , autonomous regions , municipalities , and special administrative regions , also including sub-provincial cities which are governed by a province but administered independently in many ways from a province. Sub-provincial cities have a status that is below that of the municipalities , which are independent and equivalent to provinces, but above other, regular prefecture-level cities, which are completely ruled by their respective provinces. However, these sub-provincial cities are marked

1056-576: 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 was one of the terminal points on the Silk Road during the ancient and medieval eras, as well as the home of

1122-404: 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

1188-539: 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

1254-619: The Ordos Loop , the Wei and the Yellow River do not meet for more than 2,000 km (1,200 mi) further along the Yellow River's course. After being joined by numerous other tributaries just east of the Weiyuan County town center , the Wei River turns slightly southeast until it reaches Wushan County , continuing east for 20 km (12 mi) before turning slightly southeast again at Gangu County and curves north of Tianshui ,

1320-760: 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 the Han dynasty established his capital in Chang'an County; his first palace, Changle Palace ( 長樂宮 , "Perpetual Happiness")

1386-672: 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

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1452-534: The capital of China ) to the west via Baoji , Tianshui at the Wei's headwaters, Lanzhou , Dunhuang , and the Wushao Ling Mountain , before looping north of the Taklamakan on its way to Kashgar and the routes into Parthia . The Wei River Bridge (Weihe Qiao 渭河桥) featured in the design of the 5000-yuan note of the first series of the renminbi , dated 1953, and shows a train passing over

1518-602: 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

1584-478: 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

1650-832: 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

1716-552: 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

1782-692: 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

1848-520: 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

1914-608: The Sun. The valley of the Wei was one of the early cradles of Chinese civilization, along which the capitals of the Zhou , Qin , Han , and Tang dynasties were situated. The area of Dingxi around its headwaters in Gansu has numerous Stone Age sites from various early cultures. The Wei Valley is likely the earliest center of Chinese civilization, and also the location of China's first major irrigation works. Some Chinese historians now believe

1980-881: 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

2046-596: The Wei is the ancient Jiang River that gave its name to the families of Shennong and the Yan emperor , two Chinese legendary heroes credited with the early development of agriculture there. As "China's natural gateway" to the west, the headwaters of the Wei River are also notable in the development of the Northern Silk Road . The Chinese segment of the Northern Silk Road connected Chang'an (then

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2112-600: 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

2178-714: The bridge. Construction of the Sanmenxia Dam in 1960 caused extensive sedimentation problems in the lower reaches of the Wei river. The construction of the Baojixia diversion works in 1972 and the creation of the Baojixia Irrigation District, with 128,000 hectares (490 sq mi) of cropland under irrigation have resulted in reduced flows. In September 2003 extensive rainfall led to flooding that caused over 30 fatalities, and temporarily displaced over 300,000 people. Ecological aspects of

2244-485: 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

2310-527: 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,

2376-559: 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)

2442-518: 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

2508-617: 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 the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda began in 652. This pagoda

2574-406: 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,

2640-587: 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

2706-644: 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

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2772-402: 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

2838-648: 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

2904-582: 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

2970-412: 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

3036-568: 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

3102-496: 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

3168-434: The provincial capital of Fujian Province , the provincial capitals of the other four provinces listed above – Guangzhou , Shenyang , Jinan , and Hangzhou – are themselves sub-provincial cities. Before 1997, when Chongqing was a sub-provincial city of Sichuan Province , provincial capital Chengdu was also a sub-provincial city. Wei River The total length of the Wei River is 818 km (508 mi), covering

3234-401: 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

3300-414: 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

3366-595: 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

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3432-400: The same as other provincial capitals (or a prefecture-level city if the city is not a provincial capital) on almost all maps. In total, there are five sub-provincial cities that are not themselves provincial capitals. These five cities have been designated as "Cities with Independent Planning Status" ( Chinese : 计划单列市 ; pinyin : Jìhuá Dānliè Shì ). With the exception of Fuzhou ,

3498-672: The second-largest city of Gansu. After picking up the Ji River (耤河, the urban river of Tianshui) east of the city, the Wei River enters the Mount Long and emerges to become the principal river in the Guanzhong Basin . It drains into the Yellow River south of the boundary between Dali County and Tongguan County , just as the Yellow River bends sharply east to enter the North China Plain . The Wei River valley has

3564-417: 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 the Three Kingdoms period, Dong Zhuo ,

3630-414: 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

3696-442: 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

3762-542: 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

3828-500: 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;

3894-405: 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

3960-407: 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 is 6.7 times the size of the current Forbidden City and 11 times

4026-434: 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 the Zhou dynasty . The capital of Zhou

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4092-413: 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 the Warring States period , China was unified under

4158-514: 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

4224-458: 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

4290-576: 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"

4356-424: 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,

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