Shaanxi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 陕西省 Shǎnxī Shěng |
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| Abbreviations: 陕 or 秦 (Pinyin: Shǎn or Qín) | |
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| Origin of name | 陕 shǎn - Shanzhou (now Shan County, Henan) 西 xī - west "west of Shanzhou" |
| Administration type | Province |
| Capital (and largest city) |
Xi'an |
| CPC Ctte Secretary | Zhao Leji |
| Governor | Yuan Chunqing |
| Area | 205,800 km² (11th) |
| Population (2004) - Density |
37,050,000 (17th) 180/km² (21st) |
| GDP (2004) - per capita |
CNY 288.4 billion (22nd) CNY 7780 (24th) |
| HDI (2005) | 0.729 (medium) (23rd) |
| Major nationalities | Han - 99.5% Hui - 0.4% |
| Prefecture-level | 10 divisions |
| County-level | 107 divisions |
| Township-level† | 1745 divisions |
| ISO 3166-2 | CN-61 |
| Official website www.shaanxi.gov.cn (Simplified Chinese) |
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| Source for population and GDP data:
《中国统计年鉴—2005》 China Statistical Yearbook 2005
Source for nationalities data:
ISBN 7503747382 《2000年人口普查中国民族人口资料》 Tabulation on nationalities of 2000 population census of China
† As at December 31, 2004ISBN 7105054255 |
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Shaanxi (Simplified Chinese: 陕西; Traditional Chinese: 陝西; pinyin: Shǎnxī; Wade-Giles: Shan-hsi; Postal map spelling: Shensi) is a north-central province of the People's Republic of China, and includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River as well as the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of the province.
By regular Hanyu Pinyin rules, if tone marks are not written, both Shaanxi and the neighbouring province of Shanxi should be spelled "Shanxi"; the difference is in tone: Shānxī and Shǎnxī. To make the difference clear without tonal marks, the spelling "Shaanxi" was contrived (following the romanization system of Yuen Ren Chao) for the province of Shǎnxī, while "Shanxi" is used for the province of Shānxī. It is also the official spelling on Chinese Government's official web portal.
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[edit] History
- See also: Chang'an, Zhou Dynasty, Qin Dynasty, Han Dynasty, Sui Dynasty, and Tang Dynasty
Shaanxi (and the city of Xi'an therein) are considered one of the cradles of Chinese civilization. Thirteen feudal dynasties established their capitals in this province during a span of more than 1,100 years, from the Zhou Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty. It is also the starting point of the Silk Road which leads to Europe, Arabia and Africa.
During the Mongol rule in the thirteenth century, Shaanxi became a provincial unit. In the ensuing years, wars and famine had decimated and depopulated the province. As a result, large populations of Muslims, or Hui people, emerged, as evident today. Under the Ming dynasty, Shaanxi was incorporated into Gansu but was again separated in the Qing dynasty.
One of the most devastating earthquakes in history occurred near Hua Shan, in south-eastern part of Shaanxi Province on January 23, 1556, killing an estimated 830,000 people (see 1556 Shaanxi earthquake).
The end of the short-lived Jiangxi Soviet signalled the beginning of the Long March by Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communists to the Shaanxi Soviet at Yan'an.
[edit] Geography
Desert in the north along the border with Inner Mongolia, the Loess Plateau in the central part of the province, the Qinling mountains running east to west in the south central part, and subtropical climate south of the Qinling mountains.
The northern part of Shaanxi is cold in the winter and very hot in summer with dry winter and spring. Its southern portion generally receives more rain. Annual mean temperature is roughly between 9°C and 16°C with January temperature ranging from −11°C to 3.5°C and July temperature ranging from 21°C to 28°C.
Other cities include: Baoji, Hanzhong, Lintong, Tongchuan, Xianyang, Yan'an, Ankang.
[edit] Administration
Shaanxi consists of nine prefecture-level cities and the city of Xi'an. The prefecture-level cities are:
See List of administrative divisions of Shaanxi for a complete list of county-level divisions.
[edit] Economy
Shaanxi's nominal GDP for 2004 was 288.4 RMB (35.78 billion USD) and GDP Per Capita was 6536 RMB (789 USD). It ranked 22nd in the PRC.
[edit] Demographics
Nearly all the people in Shaanxi are comprised of ethnic Han Chinese, with pockets of Hui population in the north western region (adjacent to Ningxia). The southern part of Shaanxi—where its provincial capital of Xi'an is located—is more populated compared to the northern part.
[edit] Culture
- Qinqiang, the representative folk opera of Shaanxi.
[edit] Tourism
- Banpo Neolithic village, near Xi'an
- Daqin Pagoda
- Imperial mausoleums
- Mount Huashan, one of the five most famous mountains in China.
- Mount Taibaishan, the highest peak of the Qinling Range.
- Mausoleum and Terracotta Army Museum of the First Qin Emperor in Xi'an (World Heritage Site)
- The city of Xi'an: City Walls, Great Mosque, Bell Tower and Drum Tower, Forest of Stone Steles Museum, Shaanxi History Museum, Wild Goose Pagoda
- Yan'an, the destination of the Long March and the center of Chinese Communist revolution from 1935 to 1948
- Biang Biang Noodles, one of the "ten strange wonders of Shaanxi" (陝西十大怪)
[edit] Media
Shaanxi Radio serves Xi'an and the surrounding Shaanxi province area with music, and news.
[edit] Miscellaneous topics
Professional sports teams based in Shaanxi include:
- Chinese Basketball Association
- Chinese Football Association Jia League
- Xi'an Anxinyuan
[edit] External links
- The official website of Shaanxi
- Brief Introductions and Functions of Component Organizations of Shaanxi Provincial Government and Its Subordinate Bodies
- Map of Shaanxi Province and Map of Xi'an City
- Travel guide to Shaanxi
- Large map of Shaanxi
- Snapshots of Xi'an today
- China Shaanxi - a blog about Shaanxi
| Province-level divisions administered by the People's Republic of China (PRC) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Provinces | Anhui · Fujian · Gansu · Guangdong · Guizhou · Hainan · Hebei · Heilongjiang · Henan · Hubei · Hunan · Jiangsu · Jiangxi · Jilin · Liaoning · Qinghai · Shaanxi · Shandong · Shanxi · Sichuan · Taiwan1 · Yunnan · Zhejiang |  |
| Autonomous regions | Guangxi · Inner Mongolia · Ningxia · Tibet (Xizang) · Xinjiang | |
| Municipalities | Beijing · Chongqing · Shanghai · Tianjin | |
| Special administrative regions | Hong Kong · Macau | |
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1 Claimed by the PRC, but currently ruled by the Republic of China ("Taiwan"). See also Political status of Taiwan.
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