Xi’an, A Living History Book

Located in Shaanxi Province, People's Republic of China, Xi'an is the undisputed root of Chinese civilization. The eternal city, records the great changes of the Chinese nation just like a living history book. Called Chang'an in ancient times, Xi’an is one of the birthplaces of the ancient civilization in the Yellow River Basin area of the country. So far, Xi’an enjoys equal fame with Athens, Cairo, and Rome as one of the four major ancient civilization capitals. It is also known as "the Cradle of Chinese Nationality, it is not only the birthplace of China but also the important human birthplace and one of the prehistoric culture centers in Asia, and served as an important pivot and center in ancient foreign economy and culture exchange.

Famed for being the eastern terminus of the Silk Road – an ancient trading route for Chinese silk that spanned as far as the Mediterranean Sea – Xi’an was usually the first port of call for visitors to the East, and has a long tradition of welcoming guests from across the globe. In the last few years the city celebrated its historical connection with the Silk Road after the Eastern-most part of the trail was awarded a place on the United Nation’s World Heritage List.

Since the 1990s, as part of the economic revival of inland China especially for the central and northwest regions, the city of Xi'an has re-emerged as an important cultural, industrial and educational centre of the central-northwest region, with facilities for research and development, national security and China's space exploration program. As part of the China Western Development policy, Xi’an became a major target for accelerated attention. Important industries include equipment manufacturing, tourism, and service outsourcing.

Owing to 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, some of which are ongoing archaeological projects, such as the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang and his Terracotta Warriors. The most well-known sites in Xi'an are Ancient City Wall, Bell Tower and Drum Tower, The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Great Mosque, Huaqing Hot Springs and Tang Paradise, Daming Palace and Stele Forest etc.