Xian, capital of the Shaanxi province, lies in the protected valley of the Wei River, a few dozen miles west of the Wei's concluence with the Huang He. From this valley, Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi unified China for the first time. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Xian was the largest city in the world. Linked to many central Asian regions and Europe via the Silk Road, thousands of foreign traders lived in the city. For more than a thousand years, Xian served as the capital for nearly a dozen imperial dynasties. Following the demise of the Tang Dynasty, Xian's importance began to disappear.

A site near present-day Xian was also the early capital of the Zhou Dynasty (1027-221BC), the great period of bronze culture. However, archaeologists have unearthed even earlier settlements dating back to Neolithic times, as well as the bones of an early homo erectus, said to have lived about 800,000 BC. Without question, the biggest visitor draw to Xian today is the 8,000 terracotta warrior site unearthed in 1974.

Modern Xian is much smaller than it was in the Tang Dynasty but it still retains reminders of its former glory. In its early days, a large wall surrounded the city. The city itself stretched over six miles from east to west and nearly five miles from north to south. Although the wall built during the Tang Dynasty no longer exists here, nine miles of the wall from the Ming Dynasty still surrounds the center.

Xian's climate has moderate seasonal variation. The winters are not too cold. At the beginning of spring and autumn, the days are pleasantly cool; the rainy season lasts from July to October.

Customs
Travelers are allowed to bring into China one bottle of alcoholic beverages and two cartons of cigarettes. There is no limit on the amount of foreign currency (although amounts above US$10,000 must be declared on a customs form).

Climate

Average Temperature