Xi'an

Xi'anis thecapitalof the Chinese province ofShaanxi. Asub-provincial cityon theGuanzhongplain,the city is the third-most populous city inWestern ChinaafterChongqingandChengdu, as well as the most populous city inNorthwestern China.Its total population was 12.95 million as of the 2020 census, including an urban population of 9.28 million.
Known asChang'anthroughout much of its history, Xi'an is one of China'sFour Great Ancient Capitals, having held the position under several of the most importantdynasties in Chinese history,including theWestern Zhou,Qin,Western Han,Sui,Northern ZhouandTang.Xi'an is now the second-most popular tourist destination in China.The city was one of the terminal points on theSilk Roadduring the ancient and medieval eras, as well as the home of the 3rd-century BCTerracotta Armycommissioned by EmperorQin Shi Huang—both of which are listed asWorld Heritage SitesbyUNESCO.
Since the 1980s, as part of theeconomic growth of inland Chinaespecially for the central and northwest regions, Xi'an has matured into a cultural, industrial, political and educational, andresearch and developmenthub. Xi'an currently holdssub-provincialstatus, administering 11 districts and 2 counties.In 2020, Xi'an was ranked as a Beta- (global second tier) city by theGlobalization 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 theGlobal Financial Centres Index.Xi'an is ranked by theNature Indexas one the top 20 cities globally by scientific research output,and is home to multipleprestigious educational institutions, such asXi'an Jiaotong University,Northwestern Polytechnical University,Xidian UniversityandNorthwest University.
"Xi'an" is theatonalpinyinromanizationof 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 syllablexian.) The name was adopted in 1369 under the earlyMing dynasty.Jesuit missionariesrecorded its name as"Si-ngan"or"Si-ngan-fou"from its status as the seat of aprefecture(府,fǔ). This form still appears in the Latin name of theCatholic diocese of Xi'an,archidioecesis Singanensis. The name was later romanized as"Hsi-an"byWade & Gilesand as "Sianfu"or "Sian"by theimperial 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 theWestern Zhouwere thetwin citiesofFengandHao, known collectively asFenghao, located on opposite banks of the Feng River at its confluence with the southern bank of theWeiin the western suburbs of present-day Xi'an.TheQincapitalXianyangwas erected north of the Wei during theWarring States periodand was succeeded by theWestern Hancapital ofChang'an(長安), meaning "Perpetual Peace", which was located south of the Wei and covered the central area of present-day Xi'an. During theEastern Han, Chang'an was also known as  the "Western Capital" (西京), named for its namesake position relative to the main capital atLuoyang. Under theSui, its name becameDaxing(大興, "Greatly Prosperous") in AD 581. Under theTang, the name reverted to Chang'an in 618.Under theMongolianYuan dynasty(13th & 14th centuries), it held a succession of names:Fengyuan(奉元),Anxi(安西,"Peaceful West") andJingzhao(京兆).The Ming name "Xi'an" was changed back to Xijing ("Western Capital", as above) between 1930 and 1943.
TheLantian Manwas discovered in 1963 inLantian 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-oldNeolithicvillage,Banpo, was discovered in 1953 on the eastern outskirts of the city proper, which contains the remains of several well organizedNeolithicsettlementscarbon datedto 5,600–6,700years ago.The site is now home to theXi'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 theZhou dynasty. The capital of Zhou was established in the twin settlements of Fengjing (灃京) andHaojing(鎬京), together known asFenghao, located southwest of contemporary Xi'an. The settlement was also known as Zōngzhōu (宗周) to indicate its role as the capital of thevassal states.In 738 BC,King Ping of Zhoumoved the capital toLuoyangdue topolitical unrest.
Following theWarring States period, China was unified under theQin dynasty(221–206 BC) for the first time, with the capital located atXianyang, just northwest of modern Xi'an.The first emperor of China,Qin Shi Huangordered the construction of theTerracotta Armyandhis mausoleumjust to the east of Xi'an almost immediately after his ascension to the throne.
In 202 BC, the founding emperorLiu Bangof theHan dynastyestablished 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 builtWeiyang 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 currentForbidden Cityand 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 theThree Kingdomsperiod,Dong Zhuo, a powerful warlord from nearby Xiliang, moved the court fromLuoyangto Chang'an in a bid to avoid a coalition of other powerful warlords against him.
In 582, shortly after theSui dynastywas 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 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 theTang dynasty.In the mid-7th century, after returning from his pilgrimage to India, theBuddhistmonkXuanzangestablished a translation school forSanskritscriptures.
Construction of theGiant Wild Goose Pagodabegan in 652. Thispagodawas 64 m (209.97 ft) in height, and was built to store the translations of Buddhist sutras obtained from India byXuanzang. In 707, construction of theSmall Wild Goose Pagodabegan. This pagoda measured 45 m (147.64 ft) tall at the time of completion, and was built to store the translations of Buddhist sutras byYijing. The massive1556 Shaanxi earthquakeeventually damaged the tower and reduced its height to 43.4 m (142.39 ft).
TheNestorian Steleis aTang Chinesesteleerected in 781 that documents 150 years of earlyChristianity in China.It is a 279 cm talllimestoneblock with text in bothChineseandSyriacdescribing the existence of Christian communities in several cities in northern China. It reveals that the initialNestorian Christianchurch had met recognition by the TangEmperor Taizong, due to efforts of the Christian missionaryAlopenin 635.
Chang'an was devastated at the end of the Tang dynasty in 904. Residents were forced to move to the new capital city inLuoyang, and a small area in the city continued to be occupied thereafter.
In the era of theSong dynasty, Xi'an was an importantcultural centerof scholarship and innovation on matters such asscience,as well ashistoriography, religion,andphilosophyin China. TheNorthern Songera saw its people,political culture, and strategic location be directly utilized by the Song dynasty properand its continued relevance toMuslimtravelers into China andChinese Muslimresidents.
During theMing dynasty, a new wall was constructed in 1370 which remains intact to this day. The wall measures 11.9 km (7.4 mi) incircumference, 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 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 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 the most militarily skilled provincial Manchu banner garrison.Manchu women from the Xi'an garrison often left the walled Manchu garrison and went tohot springsoutside 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 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 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 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 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 theXinhai 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 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 beingransomed. Wealthy Han Chinese enslaved Manchu girlsand 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 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 the Chinese city were cut down as they emerged from the gates."
In 1936, theXi'an (then "Sian") Incidenttook place in the city during theChinese Civil War. The incident helped to bring theKuomintang(KMT) andChinese Communist Partyto form theSecond United Frontin order to concentrate on fighting against theImperial Japanese Armyin theSecond Sino-Japanese War.
On March 11, 1938, an aerial battle broke out for the first time over Xi'an asImperial Japanese Army Air Forceaircraft attacked the city, and was engaged byChinese Air ForceI-15fighter planes, led by Lt.Cen Zeliuof the 5th Pursuit Group, 17th Squadron.While repeatedly attacked by air, Shaanxi was heavily fortified by units of theEighth Route Army; Xi'an was never taken by the Japanese forces.
On May 20, 1949, the Communist-controlledPeople's Liberation Armycaptured the city of Xi'an from theKuomintangforce.
During the Mao era, Xi'an was further developed as part of theThird Front Construction.
Xi'an made headlines for being one of the many cities where the2012 China anti-Japanese demonstrationsoccurred.
In 2022, Xi'an witnessed the largestCOVID-19community outbreak since the initial months of the pandemic hit China.From December 23, 2021, the city was put into strict lockdown after local authorities reported more than 250 cases,traced to theDelta variantby 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 theGuanzhong Plainin the south-central part ofShaanxiprovince, on a flood plain created by the eight surrounding rivers and streams.
The city borders the northern foot of theQin Mountains(Qinling) to the south, and the banks of theWei Riverto 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 theLoess Plateau.
At the beginning of Han dynasty, the Chief of StaffZhang Liangadvised the emperorLiu Bangto choose Guanzhong as the capital of the Han dynasty: "Guanzhong Plain is located behindMount XiaoandHangu 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 the Heaven'.
Xi'an has atemperateclimate that is influenced by theEast Asian monsoon, classified under theKöppen climate classificationas a borderlinehumid subtropicalandhumid continental climate(Cwa/Dwa). The Wei River valley is characterized by hot,humidsummers, cold, dry winters, and dry springs and autumns. Most of the annualprecipitationis delivered from July to late October. Snow occasionally falls in winter but rarely settles for long.Dust stormsoften occur during March and April as the city rapidly warms up. Summer months also experience frequent but shortthunderstorms. 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) 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.
TheShaanxi Astronomical Observatorywas 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 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 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 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,Yantahas the largest population, with around 1.08 million inhabitants.
The Xi'anmetropolitan areawas estimated by theOECD(Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) to have, as of 2010, a population of 12.9 million,of which 5,740,000 is urban.
Xi'an has direct jurisdiction over 11districtsand 2counties:
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.
Abicycle sharingnetwork started operating in Xi'an from 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 automobilesin Xi'an; 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 connectHouweizhaiandFangzhicheng. Line 3 runs from northeast (Baoshuiqu) to southwest (Yuhuazhai) and opened on November 8, 2016. Line 4, which 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 fromQinchuangyuanzhongxintoShijingliwith 9 stations.Four more lines are currently under construction, including an extension of Line 1.
The subway system covers some of the most famous attractions, such asBanpo 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) andShaanxi 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 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 newXi'an North railway station, situated a few miles to the north, is the station for the high-speed trains of theZhengzhou–Xi'an High-Speed Railway. With 34 platforms, it is the largest railway station inNorthwest 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 theZhengzhou–Xi'an high-speed railway; one of them continues south toHankou.The city's other stations includeXi'an West,Xi'an East,Xi'an South, Sanmincun, and Fangzhicheng railway stations.
Xi'an Railway Station covers 597,000 square meters (6,430,000square feet), has 5 passenger platforms, and 24 tracks. It provides 112 services to 80 000 people daily. Among the destinations served by direct trains from Xi'an areBeijing,Zhengzhou,Lanzhou,Baoji, andMount Hua.China Railway High-speed 2now 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. TheZhengzhou–Xi'an high-speed railwayalso serves Xi'an. Construction work began on September 25, 2005, 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 is 25 miles northwest of Xi'an city center, and 8 miles northeast of the center of Xianyang.China Eastern Airlines,Hainan AirlinesandChina Southern Airlinesare 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, is in 1994, whenChina Northwest Airlines flight 2303broke 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 asXu Wei,Zhang ChuandZheng Jun.
Yangrou paomo(flat bread soaked in lamb soup; simplified Chinese:羊肉泡馍; traditional Chinese:羊肉泡饃; pinyin:Yángròu pàomó)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.
Biangbiang mian, also known asyoupo chemian(simplified Chinese:油泼扯面; traditional Chinese:油潑扯麵; pinyin:Yóupō chěmiàn), are thick and long hand-pulled noodles, typically served with red hot pepper.
Roujiamo(meat buns; simplified Chinese:肉夾馍; traditional Chinese:肉夾饃; pinyin:Ròujiāmó) is a bun filled with pork.
Qinqiang(Voice of Qin) is the oldest and most extensive of the four major types of Chinese opera.Another one would be the Empress of the Great Tang is China's first Tang dynasty dance and music show. The story is based on the life of the famous Chinese historical figureEmpress Wu Zetianof theTang dynasty. Through live performances by a classical Chinese orchestra and state-of-the-art stage design, this show will take you back to the glory of the legendary Empress Wu Zetian and the Great Tang Empire.
The most influential religions in Xi'an are theChinese traditional religionandTaoistschools, represented by many major and minor temples. Among these there are aCity God Temple, completely reconstructed in the 2010s, and aTemple of Confucius.
The first recorded Christian missionary in China wasAlopen, aSyriac-speaker, who arrived in Xi'an (then known as Chang'an) in 635 along theSilk Road. TheNestorian Stele, now located in Xi'an'sBeilin Museum, is aTang Chinesesteleerected in 781 that documents the 150 years of earlyChristianity in Chinafollowing Alopen.It is a 279-centimeter-tall (110-inch)limestoneblock with text in bothChineseandSyriacdescribing the existence of Christian communities in several cities in northern China. TheDaqin Pagoda, a Buddhist pagoda inZhouzhi Countyof Xi'an, has been suggested to have originally been aNestorianChristian church from theTang dynasty.
Baptist missionaries from England ran a hospital in Xi'an.In 1892,Arthur Gostick Shorrockand Moir Duncanfounded theSianfu Mission, in present-day Xi'an.
Xi'an has a minority Muslim community, most of these Muslims are from theHuigroup, there are an estimated 50,000 Hui Muslims in Xi'an.There are seven mosques in Xi'an, the best known being theGreat Mosque.The Great Mosque, located in the city center, is one of the oldest and most significant mosques in China. It was built during the Tang Dynasty and has been renovated and expanded over the centuries. The mosque reflects a unique blend of Islamic and traditional Chinese architectural styles.
As part of theChina Western Developmentpolicy, Xi'an became a major target for accelerated attention. From 1997 to 2006, the industrial output value of Xi'an's service industry increased at an annual average rate of 13 percent, compared to traditional service industries of 0.74 percent, representing a growth from US$8.113 billion to US$25.85 billion.Xi'an is the largest economy of the Shaanxi province, with a GDP of 1.148 trillion Yuan in 2022. On average this value increases by 14.5 percent annually, and accounts for approximately 35 percent ofShaanxi's total GDP.At least fifty-eight countries have established over 2,560 enterprises in Xi'an, including nineteen of the Fortune 500 enterprises. These includeABB,Mitsubishi,Panasonic,Toshiba,Fujitsu,Coca-Cola CompanyandBoeing.Xi'an's capacity in information technology, advanced materials, aerospace, energy, and chemical engineering was highlighted in the western development policies in theGuiding Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Development of the West in the New Era and Forming a New Pattern.
In 2020, Xi'an was ranked as a Beta- (global second tier) city by theGlobalization and World Cities Research Network.Xi'an is also one of the world's top 100 financial centers, according to theGlobal Financial Centres Index.
Important industries include equipment manufacturing, tourism, and service outsourcing.The manufacturing industry had an annual output of RMB 36.5 billion, accounting for 44.5 percent of the city's total.Furthermore, as one of China's four ancient capitals,Xi'an's many cultural sites, including theTerracotta Army, theCity Wall of Xi'an, and theFamen Temple, make tourism an important industry as well. In 2019, tourists visiting Xi'an exceeded 300 million, earning a total income of RMB 314.6 billion.On average, revenue increases by 36.4 percent per year, and foreign-exchange earnings (530 million in 2009) increase by around 35.8 percent.
Xi'an is also one of the first service outsourcing cities in China, with over 800 corporations in the industry. The city's output value from this sector exceeded RMB 23 billion in 2008. Employment in the sector doubled from 1997 to 2006, from a base of 60,000, and computer consulting also doubled from 16,000 to 32,000.As a result of the importance of the software-outsourcing industry, the city planned construction of a Software New Town, which is scheduled to be completed in 2015 with 30 billion RMB investment.Other major export goods include lighting equipment and automobile parts, while its major import goods are mechanical and electrical products. Internationally, Xi'an's largest trade partner is the United States.
TheXi'an International Trade and Logistics Parkcovers about thirty-five square miles and was conceived of as model for logistics-basedurbanization.The park is a majordry portand rail container center.More China-Europe Freight Train (CEFT) rails depart from or return to Xi'an than any other city.
The major industrial zone in Xi'an is theXi'an Economic and Technological Development Zone. TheJiangcungou landfillin Xi'an was China's largest landfill site before its closure in 2019.
The growing economy of the city also supports the development of a software industry, and the city is a pioneer in software industry in China. The Xi'an Software Park within the Xi'an Hi-Tech Industries Development Zone (XDZ) has attracted over 1,085 corporations and 106,000 employees as of 2012.Xi'an is described as having" large pool of cheap human resources from the 100 universities in the area, it hoovers up around 3,000 computer graduates every year, each earning approximately $120 a month—half the wages for the equivalent job in Beijing."
In November 2006, Xi'an and the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation jointly set up Xi'an Aerospace Science and Technology Industrial Base. From its establishment, the base has focused on the development of the civil space industry, including equipment manufacturing,softwareand serviceoutsourcing, new materials and solarphotovoltaics.
Apart from the core area, the base will cover Xi'an and theGuanzhongarea and the expansion zone will reach other parts ofNorthwest ChinaandSouthwest China. It is expected that by 2012 the total industry output can reach 2.8 billion us dollars with about 10 to 20 brand products with intellectual property rights and 5 to 8 products with global competitiveness.
In 2008, after the launch of the initial aerospace center in Shanghai, the PRC is constructing another civil aerospace center in the Shaanxi province. The State Development and Reform Commission approved the planning of Xi'an National Civil Aerospace Industrial Base on December 26, 2007. The National Civil Aerospace Industrial Base of Xi'an, set to cover 23 km(8.9 sq mi), will focus on developing satellites, new materials, energies, IT and other technologies for civil applications.
Xi'an has manyhighly ranked educational institutions, with the seven universities listed in 147National Key Universitiesunder theDouble First-Class Constructionranking fourth nationwide (tie) withGuangzhou,WuhanandChengdu(only afterBeijing,ShanghaiandNanjing). There are a total of 60 universities in the city,with the two famous ones being theXi'an Jiaotong University(西安交通大学) and theNorthwestern Polytechnical University(西北工业大学), which were ranked 95 and 101-150 worldwide, respectively.Other ones also includeXidian University(西安电子科技大学),Chang'an University(长安大学),Northwest University(西北大学),Northwest University of Political Science and Law(西北政法大学) and;Shaanxi Normal University(陕西师范大学).
The city was ranked 138th globally by the QS Best Student Cities Rankings in 2023.
Xi'an is a world leading city for scientific research and as of 2023, it ranked among the world's top 20 cities and China's top 10 cities by scientific research output by theNature Index.It ranked first inWest Chinaregion, with a combined population of almost 300 million. The city also hosted the 2011 World Horticultural Exposition.
Because of the city's many historical monuments and a plethora of ancient ruins and tombs in the vicinity,tourism has been an important component of the local economy, and the Xi'an region is one of the most popular tourist destinations in China.
The city has many important historical sites, and some are ongoing archaeological projects, such as theMausoleum of Qin Shi Huangand hisTerracotta Army. There are several burial mounds, tombs of theZhou dynastykings located in the city.Xi'an also contains some 800 royalmausoleumsand tombs from theHan dynasty,with some of them yielding hundreds of sculpted clay soldiers, and remains of sacrificial temples from the Han era.The city has numerousTang dynastypagodas and is noted for its history museum and its stele forest, which is housed in an 11th-century Confucian temple containing large stone tablets from various dynasties.
Some of the most well-known sites in Xi'an are:
Famous former professional sports teams in Xi'an include:
Xi'an'stwin towns and sister citiesare: