Shaanxi陕西·陕 / 秦
Cradle of Chinese civilization and the start of the Silk Road.
Shaanxi is where Chinese imperial history begins. at modern Xi'an, and the city walls, drum tower and Muslim Quarter still anchor the centre today.
The province's headline attraction — the at the tomb of China's first emperor — remains one of the most astonishing archaeological sites on Earth, but the , Tang grottoes and craggy are equally rewarding.
Shaanxi is also the east-to-west pivot of the Silk Road — Tang Chang'an (today's Xi'an) was the world's largest city in the 8th century and the eastern terminus of the caravans.
Top Attractions
Culture & Traditions
Tang Dynasty Cosmopolitanism
Xi'an (then Chang'an) was the world's largest city in the 8th century and the eastern terminus of the Silk Road — bringing Sogdian merchants, Persian silver and Buddhist scriptures into the Chinese capital.
Hui Muslim Heritage
Around the Drum Tower, generations of Hui Muslim families run the Muslim Quarter food stalls. The 1,300-year-old Great Mosque combines Tang architecture with Arabic calligraphy.
Tang-style Drumming
Ankle-bound legs and chest-mounted drums power the loud, percussive Shaanxi waist-drum dance that survives in folk troupes from Ansai county.
Shaanxi Noodle Universe
Biang biang, youpo che mian, qishan saozi, liangpi cold noodles — locals will tell you the province has more named noodle dishes than letters in the alphabet.
Loess Plateau Cave Homes
In northern Shaanxi, yaodong cave dwellings carved into the loess hillside stay cool in summer and warm in winter — Mao Zedong famously lived in one in Yan'an.
Cities
10 prefecture-level · sorted by tourist popularity- 1
Xi'an
西安CapitalProvincial capital and 13-dynasty imperial capital — Terracotta Army, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, City Wall bicycle loop, Muslim Quarter food street, and the Shaanxi History Museum (one of the top 3 museums in China).
- 2
Xianyang
咸阳Western suburbs of Xi'an — Hanyangling Mausoleum, Maoling tomb of Han Wudi, Qianling Mausoleum (joint tomb of Tang Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian, 60 km northwest), and Xi'an Xianyang International Airport.
- 3
Baoji
宝鸡Western Shaanxi — Famen Temple (Buddha finger relic), Mount Taibai (Qinling main peak, 3,767 m), Zhouyuan (birthplace of the Zhou dynasty), and the Bronze Vessel Museum.
- 4
Weinan
渭南East-central Shaanxi — Mount Hua (the western Sacred Mountain), the Yumenkou Yellow River cliff, and the Sima Qian (historian) birthplace at Hancheng on the Yellow River.
- 5
Yan'an
延安Northern Shaanxi loess plateau — Yan'an Revolutionary Memorial (CPC wartime base 1937–47), Hukou Yellow River Waterfall, and the Huangdi (Yellow Emperor) Mausoleum at Huangling 1.5h south.
- 6
Yulin
榆林Far north Shaanxi on the Inner Mongolia border — Mu Us Desert and Hongshixia oases, Ming-era Great Wall sections, and the Tongwancheng ruins (5th-century Xiongnu capital).
- 7
Hanzhong
汉中Southwest Shaanxi in the Qinba Mountains — birthplace of the Han dynasty (Liu Bang's first capital), Wuhou Temple (Zhuge Liang tomb at nearby Mianxian), and Zhang Qian's hometown at Chenggu.
- 8
Ankang
安康Southern Shaanxi on the Han River — Yingfu Buddhist temple, Nangong Mountain national forest park, and the Hanjiang River source heritage trail.
Famous Locals
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