Xi'an

Official Website: http://en.xa.gov.cn

Xi'an also known as Chang'an before the Ming dynasty,is the capital of Shaanxi Province. It is a sub-provincial city located in the center of the Guanzhong Plain in Northwest China. As one of the oldest cities in China, Xi'an is the oldest of the Four Great Ancient Capitals, having held the position under several of the most important dynasties in Chinese history, including Western Zhou, Qin, Western Han,Sui, and Tang. Xi'an is the starting point of the ancient Silk Road and home to the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.

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. Xi'an currently holds sub-provincial status, administering 11 districts and 2 counties, covering about 10106.2 km². Data from the seventh census show that Xi'an has a resident population of 12,952,907 as of November 1, 2020. It is the most populous city in Northwest China, as well as one of the three most populous cities in Western China. Xi'an is making great efforts to build a national central city, an international comprehensive transportation hub, and an international metropolis with historical and cultural characteristics. In 2020, the regional GDP stood at about one trillion yuan. 

History

As a time-honored historical and cultural city, Xi’an has been regarded as one of the four greatest cities of ancient civilization in the world. In addition, with the longest history and most influence among its Chinese counterparts, Xi’an has been reputed as the cradle of Chinese people and civilization, as well as the representative of Chinese culture. In the primitive times, the “Lantian Ape Men” lived here; in the Neolithic era, the “Banpo people” set up tribes here; in the 11th century B.C., King Wenwang of Zhou Dynasty built Fengjing and Haojing here, thus initiating the brilliant history of Xi’an as a capital city. It was built 3,100 years ago and had been made the capital city for 1,200 years for 13 dynasties including Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang, etc., winning the honor of “land of empire for centuries”. Once the political, economic and cultural center of China, Xi’an has been the first Chinese city open up to the outside world and the starting point of the well-known Silk Road. The Terra-Cotta Warriors and Horses of Qin, one of the “eight wonders of the world” fully represents the profound historical and cultural deposit of Xi’an. What’s more, known as the “natural history museum” in China, Xi’an holds a great number of precious cultural relics and sites, of which many are rarely seen in China and in the world.

Geographical Advantages

Located in the geographical center and the bordering area of Middle China and West China, Xi’an has been a portal and traffic hub that connects Northwest China with other regions. In the regional economic layout of China, Xi’an, the biggest central city in the Chinese section of the New Eurasia Land Bridge and the Longhai-Lanxin Railway Economic Belt, has been the bridgehead for West China Development and has played a significant strategic role in linking up different regions of China. Besides, as an important hub in the national “cross-shape” railway network and the radiating railway network of Shaanxi, Xi’an has become one of the largest nodes of the trunk highway network, and one of the six largest aviation and communication hubs in China with outstanding advantages. Along with the accelerated construction of high-speed railway network in China, it’s expected that in the future five years, the “one-day traffic circle” of Xi’an will cover more than half of China, and the population influenced by it will grow from the current 600 million to more than 1.2 billion.

Science & Education

The comprehensive strength of science and education ranks third in the country, with 63 universities and colleges, seven military academies, 43 graduate training institutes, 62 academicians of the "Two Academies" (of sciences and engineering) and 95 scientific research institutes. It has been rated as “China's leading smart city” and one of “the country's top ten innovative cities". Xi'an is second only to Beijing in basic strength of defense science and technology, with 44 military units and 207 investment and management units. In 2017, 400 enterprises joined the military industry, and the business income of the civil-military integration industry exceeded 200 billion yuan. That industry had gathered more than 1/3 of the domestic aerospace, weaponry and nearly 1/4 of the aeronautical research institutes, professionals and production forces. In September 2015, Xi'an was approved as a National Comprehensive Innovation and Reform Pilot Zone, and the Xi'an High-tech Industries Development Zone was approved as a National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone.

Opening-up

Xi’an is a transport hub and open frontier. It is an important fulcrum city on the Belt and Road, and the central city in the west of the China section of the New Eurasian Continental Bridge. It is located in the geometrical center of China and is the national geodetic origin. Xi'an's Xianyang International Airport, its railways and highways are one of the six hubs in China, and its international land port is the only inland port with National and International double codes. With the establishment of the China (Shaanxi) Free Trade Pilot Zone the Xi’an Comprehensive Bonded Zone, Xi’an High-tech Comprehensive Bonded Zone, Xi'an Export Processing Zone A Zone B and other special customs supervision areas have become new highlights and growth poles of the open economy. In 2017, the first Nordic (Xi'an-Kovora, Finland) international freight train route was opened, and has carried 480 runs of the "Chang'an", carrying 659,000 tons of cargo. In 2019, there are also 19 new international passenger routes, and a passenger throughput of 47.2 million passengers at Xi'an Xianyang International Airport. The Eurasian Economic Forum 2019 and the Silk Road Economic Belt Round Table of Cities were successfully held, hosting 33 international sister cities and 21 foreign affairs agencies.

Eco-environment

Xi’an is a beautiful and livable city of mountains and rivers. Xi’an lies on the Qinling Mountains in the south and crosses the Weihe River in the north, with four distinct seasons and a pleasant climate. The Qinling Mountains, which stretch for thousands of miles, are the geographical dividing line between the north and the south of China and a natural ecological barrier. Since ancient times, Xi’an has been protected by the “eight rivers around Chang’an” – the Jing, Wei, Chan, Ba, Yu, Hao, Feng, and Lao, all watering the city. Xi’an, with the most abundant tourist resources of any urban distribution center in China, is one of the world’s most famous tourist destinations.

Development Opportunities

Xi’an will meet with important strategic opportunities in future. It is proposed in the 11th Congress of Party Representatives of Xi’an that Xi’an will be built into a cultural, lively and harmonious city in the years to come. It is also proposed that: The GDP of Xi’an will be increased by more than 13% annually; after fulfilling the “11th Five-year Plan”, the local GDP of Xi’an will reach RMB 350 billion Yuan, and the per capita GDP will exceed US$ 4,500 by 2011, doubling that in 2005, assuring the well-off society of Xi’an in Shaanxi, and making Xi’an the bellwether among the innovation-oriented cities in West China, and engendering Xi’an a first-rate tourist destination and the most livable city in China. In June 2008, the State Council approved the Development Planning of Guanzhong-Tianshui Economic Zone, in which Xi’an was positioned to forge an international metropolis. Xi'an is now an important R&D center in China, a regional center for trade, logistics, conference, exhibition and finance, a first-rate international tourist destination, a vital base for hi-tech industries and advanced manufacturing in China. The implementation of Development Planning of Guanzhong-Tianshui Economic Zone signifies that “Guanzhong-Tianshui Economic Zone” has become a national economic area and Xi’an will play a leading role in the regional development of China. At present, guided by the scientific outlook on development, all the people in Xi’an have been working hard to promote various courses, so as to create better future for Xi’an and happier life for local residents.

Today, Xi’an, a time-honored ancient capital, has become a vigorous modern city and a hot spot for investors. We sincerely welcome friends from all over the world to visit and invest in Xi’an.