Shaanxi Overview


The name "Shaanxi" means Land West of the Shanguan Pass. This pass in Henan province, now part of Shanzhou District of Sanmenxia city, was considered to be the place where the Yellow River left the Loess Plateau and entered the North China Plain, although its exposed nature meant that the Hanguguan and Tongguan Passes to its west were more strategically important.

Facts of Shaanxi
Chinese Name:陕西 (shan xi)
Location: Northwest of China
Population: 38,1262 million
Aarea:  205 800 square km
Capital City: Xian
Nationalities: Han, Hui, Mongolia
Administrative Division: Shaanxi consists of twelve prefecture-level divisions: all prefecture-level cities (including a sub-provincial city). The twelve prefecture-level divisions of Shaanxi are subdivided into 107 county-level divisions (28 districts, 3 county-level cities, and 76 counties).

Geography

Shaanxi lies in Northwest China. It covers an area of over 205,000 km2  with about 38 million people. Shaanxi comprises the Wei Valley and much of the surrounding fertile Loess Plateau, stretching from the Qinling Mountains and Southern Shaanxi in the south to the Ordos Desert in the north. Along with areas of adjacent Shanxi province and Henan province, it formed the cradle of Chinese civilization, with its Guanzhong region sheltering the capitals of the Zhou, Qin, Han, Jin, Sui, and Tang dynasties. It does not include the full territory of the Yellow River's Ordos Loop, with the Great Wall of China separating it from the grasslands and deserts of Inner Mongolia.


History & Culture
Shaanxi is considered one of the cradles of Chinese civilization. Thirteen feudal dynasties established their capitals in the province during a span of more than 1,100 years, from the Zhou Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty. The province's principal city and current capital, Xi'an, is one of the four great ancient capitals of China and is the eastern terminus of the Silk Road, which leads to Europe, the Arabian Peninsula and Africa.


Climate & Weather

Due to its large span in latitude, Shaanxi has a variety of climates. Under the Köppen climate classification, the northern parts, including the Loess Plateau, have either a cold arid or cold semi-arid, with cold and very dry winters, dry springs and autumns, and hot summers. The area known as Guanzhong is mostly semi-arid, though there are a few areas with a humid subtropical climate, with cool to cold winters, and hot, humid summers that often see early-season heatwaves. The southern portion is much more humid and lies in the humid subtropical zone, with more temperate winters and long, hot, humid summers. Annual mean temperature is roughly between 8 to 16 °C (46 to 61 °F), with January temperatures ranging from −11 to 3.5 °C (12.2 to 38.3 °F) and July temperatures ranging from 21 to 28 °C (70 to 82 °F).


Population & Religion

Nearly all the people in Shaanxi are ethnic Han Chinese, with pockets of Hui population in the northwestern region (adjacent to Ningxia). Shaanxi Province is one of the centers of ancient Chinese civilization. The central part of Shaanxi, known as Guanzhong, where the provincial capital Xi'an is located, is more populated compared to the northern part. At the end of 2016, it has a permanent resident population of 38,1262 million

The predominant religions in Shaanxi are Chinese folk religions, Taoist traditions and Chinese Buddhism. According to surveys, 7.58% of the population believes and is involved in ancestor veneration, while 1.57% of the population identifies as Christian. 90.85% of the population may be either irreligious or involved in worship of nature deities, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, folk religious sects, and small minorities of Muslims.


Economy

As of the mid-19th century, Shaanxi exported animal skins, wine, liquor, and musk. Money loans were also common, with Shaanxi business people involved in the Guangzhou loan business. Shaanxi commonly imported European animal skins, watches, Chinese language books, and cloth.

The fossil fuel and high technology sectors compose the two largest industries in Shaanxi province. The province ranked third in China for production of coal, natural gas and crude oil. As the home of several of the leading universities and research institutes in Western China, Shaanxi province also plays a major role in China's burgeoning aircraft and aerospace industries, producing more than 50% of the R&D and manufacturing equipment for the country's domestic commercial air industry. Nominal GDP for 2011 was 1,239 billion RMB (US$196.7 billion) and GDP per capita was 21,729 RMB (US$3,179), ranking 17th in the PRC.


 

 

 



Ask Questions ?