Xi'an

Xi'an (西安 pinyin: Xi1 An1, literal meaning: "Western Peace") was called Chang'an (長安 pinyin: Chang2 An1, literal meaning: "Perpetual Peace") in ancient times.

Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi province, in China. It was one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China because it has been the capital of 12 dynasties such as Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang. Xi'an is the eastern end of the Silk Road. The city has more than 3,100 years of history.

The city is surrounded by a well-preserved defensive wall.

The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang Di and his Terracotta Army are located outside the city.

This city was the site of the Xian Incident in 1936 during World War II. Xi'an Incident brought the Communist Party of China and Kuomintang to a truce so the two forces could concentrate on fighting against Japan.

It is the sister city with Kyoto, Japan.

Timeline

• 7th century: Buddhist monk Xuan Zang established a sizeable translation centre after returning from India with Sanskrit scriptures. Olopen, a Nestorian Christian monk, built Daqin Pagoda.