Shaanxi Province

Located in the middle reaches of the Huanghe River, Shaanxi Province is well-known for the long history in China. Neighboring with Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu, Sichuan, Hubei, Henan and Chongqing, Shaanxi Province is the seat of Ancient Chinese civilization where there were 13 dynasties and kingdoms set up their capitals which lasted 1100 years starting from the 11th century B.C. The province covers an area of 205,800 square kilometers and has a population of about 40 million. While you travel to China, particularly first time, you have to visit Shaanxi Province.
Feature of Shaanxi is long and narrow, higher in the North-western part, lower in the South-eastern region. The province is dividedinto three natural regions: Northern Shaanxi Plateau, Guanzhong Plain and Hanzhong Basin. The location is protected by the mountains so that it was always escaped the wars in the history, Japanese invader could not get here druing second world war.
Shaanxi is one of the cradles of the Chinese civilization, with a galaxy of cultural relics and historic sites. Archaeologist have uncovered the 1150,000-year-old Lantian Man fossils, the 6,000-year-old Banpo Village, a matriarchal commune of the Neolithic Age, and the most remarkable of all so far, the First Qin Emperor’s Underground Terra-cotta Legions which enjoys the fame as “the Eighth Wonder of the World”. The Mausoleum of Huang Di Emperor, who has been honored as the ancestor initiating the Chinese civilization, stands at the top of Mt. Qiaoshan in Huangling County, Shaanxi Province. The capital city o Shaanxi province is Xian where many sites can be visited for tourists including Bell Tower, Drum Tower, Muslim Quarter, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Shaanxi Historical Provincial Museum, Old City Wall etc.