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Located on the north-west China Loess highland, this province on the middle reaches of the Yellow River
covers an area of 206,000 square kilometres inhabited by 34.425-million people. The provincial capital is Xi'an, a
booming industrial centre straddling
China's east-west rail trunk line - the Longhai Railway. Shaanxi is one of the cradles of the Chinese
nation where 13 dynasties made their national capital. Yan'an, and some of the other places in northern Shaanxi, were
the seat of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party from October 1935 to 1948.
Climate: Shaanxi has a continental monsoon climate, with great differences between the
areas north and south of the Qinling range. It has a mean annual temperature of 6º - 16º and a mean annual precipitation
of 340-600 mm in northern Shaanxi; 570-700 millimetres in the Guanzhong Plain and 800-1,210 millimetres in southern
Shaanxi.
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Geography: Shaanxi has a varied terrain. In the north are plateaus, in the centre plain lands and
in the south mountainous areas. The Northern Shaanxi Plateau is the middle part of the Loess highland, comprising the
whole of northern Shaanxi. Except
for scattered stony and rocky mountains, most of it is covered by a deep layer of loess (An extremely
fertile, yellowish, fine loamy soil of wind-deposited silt, often composed of mineral components). Here vegetation is
sparse and soil erosion over the centuries has brought about a varied loess land formation.
The Guanzhong Plain, also known as the Weihe Plain or the Guanzhong Basin, is 30-80 km by 300
km and crossed by the Weihe River and its tributaries, the Jinghe and Beiluo rivers. With fertile soil, abundant farm
produce, a large population and convenient transport service, the area is one of the country's important
industrial-agricultural centres. The Southern Shaanxi Mountain Area, also known as the Qinba mountainous area, includes
the Qinling and Daba ranges and the Hanshui Valley between them.
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Famous Terra Cotta Warriors of Xi'an |
Agriculture: Northern Shaanxi is a farming-pastoral area growing millet, broom corn millet and
sheep, and contains vast areas for developing forestry and animal husbandry. The Guanzhong Plain with its long
reclamation history and highly developed agriculture is one of China's best-known wheat and cotton growing areas. It is
also famous for its cattle and donkeys. Southern Shaanxi is a sub-tropical farming area rich in rice, maize, peas and
beans, rape-seed, oranges and tangerines, tea, tung-oil, lacquer, bamboo, and medicinal herbs.
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Centuries old historical buildings |
Industry: Mineral deposits, including coal, mercury, molybdenum, gold and more than 80 kinds of
other minerals have been discovered in the province. The Shenmu and Fugu coal fields in northern Shaanxi have total
reserves of more than 160-billion tons of quality coal containing extra low sulfur, phosphorous and ash contents. A huge
reserve of natural gas has also been found in the province.
Shaanxi, is well-known for its ancient monuments, temples and terra cotta warriors, has built up a
modern industry producing colour displays for television and computers, household electrical appliances and aircraft. |
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