Why Shaanxi

Shaanxi Province is located in the very heart of China. Boasting a population of more than 36 million in an area of over 200,000 square kilometers (about 77,225 square miles), Shaanxi includes most of the middle stretch of the Yellow River. It borders Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Henan, Hubei, Sichuan, Gansu and Ningxia.

Geography

Located in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, Shanxi Province got its name because it is situated to the west of Shaan Yuan highland (a plateau in the present day shan county, Henan Province). It covers an area of over 200,000 square kilometers and has a population of 35.05 million of the Han, Hui, Man and Mongolian nationalities. Xi’an is the seat of province government.

Climate

Climate varies distinctly between the northern and southern parts of the province, as the Qinling Mountain ward off the cold coming from the north and stop the wet monsoon coming from the south. The mean annual temperature is 7°C to 12°C (44.6°F to 53.6°F) in the northern part, 12°C to 14°C (53.6°F to 57.2°F) in the central area and 14°C -16°C (57.2°F to 60.8°F) in the southern part, with the average temperature of January being -11°C and -3.5°C (12.2°F to 25.7°F) and that of July 21°C -28°C (69.8°F to 82.4°F) . The annual rainfall is 400mm to 1,000mm.

History

Shaanxi is one of the cradles of the Chinese civilization. It is in this province that fossil remains of Lantian Man (primitive man of about 5, 00,000 to 600,000 years ago) were discovered a dozen or so kilometres east of Xi’an are Banpo remains of the matriarchal society. There is a great wealth of history relics of the Zhou, Qin and the following dynasties. During the second civil revolutionary war, a revolutionary base area was set up in Northern Shaaxi with Yan’an as the centre. From 1937 to 1947, Yna’an was the seat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

Population and Nationalities

The population of Shaanxi in 2017 is 38.34 million. Nearly all the people in Shaanxi are ethnic Han Chinese, with pockets of Hui population in the northwestern region (adjacent to Ningxia). Shaanxi province is one of the centers of ancient Chinese civilization. The southern part of Shaanxi, known as Guanzhong, where the provincial capital Xi'an is located, is more populated compared to the northern part.

Economy

As of the mid-19th century, Shaanxi exported animal skins, wine, liquor, and musk. Money loans were also common, with Shaanxi business people involved in the Guangzhou loan business. Shaanxi commonly imported European animal skins, watches, Chinese language books, and cloth.
The fossil fuel and high technology sectors compose the two largest industries in Shaanxi province. During 2009, the province ranked third in China for production of coal, natural gas and crude oil. As the home of several of the leading universities and research institutes in Western China, Shaanxi province also plays a major role in China's burgeoning aircraft and aerospace industries, producing more than 50% of the R&D and manufacturing equipment for the country's domestic commercial air industry. Nominal GDP for 2011 was 1,239 billion RMB (US$196.7 billion) and GDP per capita was 21,729 RMB (US$3,179), ranking 17th in the PRC.