Xi'an

Xi'an sits on the Guanzhong plain as the capital of Shaanxi province. It holds sub-provincial status and governs 11 districts and 2 counties. Among cities in Western China, only Chongqing and Chengdu have larger populations; Xi'an is also the most populous city in all of Northwestern China. A 2025 survey based on a 1% sample estimated its year-end resident population at 13.24 million, with 10.72 million living in urban areas.

The city is among China's oldest. For much of its history, it was called Chang'an, and it ranks as one of the country's Five Great Ancient Capitals. Several major dynasties—including the Western Zhou, Qin, Western Han, Sui, Northern Zhou, and Tang—placed their capital here. Today, Xi'an is China's second-most popular tourist destination. It houses the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, which includes the Terracotta Army, and five component sites of the UNESCO-listed Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor.

Since the 1980s, as inland China—especially the central and northwest regions—experienced economic growth, Xi'an has become a hub for culture, industry, politics, education, and research and development. In 2020, the Globalization and World Cities Research Network ranked it as a Beta- (global second tier) city; China’s own ranking placed it 17th. The Global Financial Centres Index lists it among the world’s top 100 financial centers. By scientific output, Xi'an ranks 16th globally and first in Western China. It hosts several prestigious institutions, including Xi'an Jiaotong University, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xidian University, and Northwest University.

The name Xi'an is the atonal pinyin romanization of the Chinese characters meaning "Western Peace." The apostrophe (known in Chinese as a géyīn fúhào) distinguishes its pronunciation from the single syllable "xian." The name was adopted in 1369 under the early Ming dynasty. Jesuit missionaries recorded it as Si-ngan-fou, from its status as a prefectural seat; this form persists in the Latin name of the Catholic diocese of Xi'an. Later romanizations included Sianfu or Sian by the imperial post office and Sian by Wade & Giles, both common until pinyin became standard.

The area of present-day Xi'an was home to several earlier important Chinese cities. During the Western Zhou, the twin cities of Feng and Hao—collectively Fenghao—stood on opposite banks of the Feng River where it meets the Wei, in what are now the western suburbs. The Qin capital Xianyang was built north of the Wei during the Warring States period. The Western Han capital Chang'an ("Perpetual Peace") then rose south of the Wei, covering the central area of modern Xi'an.

Under the Eastern Han, Chang'an was also called the "Western Capital," reflecting its position relative to the main capital at Luoyang. The Sui renamed it Daxing ("Greatly Prosperous") in AD 581; the Tang reverted to Chang'an in 618. During the Yuan dynasty (13th–14th centuries), it held a succession of names: Fengyuan, Anxi ("Peaceful West"), and Jingzhao. The Ming name Xi'an was changed back to Xijing ("Western Capital") between 1930 and 1943.

In 1963, the Lantian Man—dating back at least 500,000 years—was discovered in Lantian County, 50 km southeast of Xi'an. A Neolithic village called Banpo, carbon dated to 5,600–6,700 years ago, was found in 1953 on the eastern outskirts. Its well-organized settlement remains are preserved at the Xi'an Banpo Museum, built in 1957.

Xi'an became a cultural and political center in the 11th century BC with the Zhou dynasty. The Zhou capital was established at Fenghao (also called Zōngzhōu), southwest of contemporary Xi'an. In 738 BC, King Ping moved the capital to Luoyang due to political unrest. After the Warring States period, the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) unified China for the first time, with its capital at Xianyang, just northwest of modern Xi'an. The first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, ordered the construction of the Terracotta Army and his mausoleum east of Xi'an soon after his ascension.

In 202 BC, Han founder Liu Bang set his capital in Chang'an County, building Changle Palace ("Perpetual Happiness") across the river from the Qin capital's ruins—this is traditionally seen as Chang'an's founding date. Two years later, he built Weiyang Palace ("Never Ending Palace") north of modern Xi'an, the largest palace ever constructed on Earth, covering 4.8 km² (6.7 times the size of the Forbidden City and 11 times the Vatican City). The original Xi'an city wall was begun in 194 BC and took four years to finish; it measured 25.7 km in length and 12 meters thick at the base, enclosing 36 km². In AD 190, during uprisings before the Three Kingdoms period, warlord Dong Zhuo moved the court from Luoyang to Chang'an to avoid a coalition.