Xianyang (Simplified Chinese: 咸阳; Traditional Chinese: 咸陽; Pinyin: Xiányáng; Sienyang; Hsienyang) is a city in Shaanxi province, near Xi'an.

Basic Facts:

>Area: 10,000 square kilometers

>Population of 4.8 million

>25 kilometers from Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province.

> Known as No.1 Capital of ancient China, Xianyang is the site of nine Han Dynasty and nine Tang Dynasty emperors' tombs.

It was the capital of the state of Qin during the Warring States Period in Chinese history, and remained capital during the short-lived Qin Dynasty. It was located in the modern day Shaanxi province on the northern bank of the Wei River, on the opposite side of which Liu Bang would later build the Han Dynasty capital of Chang'an once he became emperor. The city site was located a few kilometers away from present-day Xi'an, to the northwest of it.

The First Emperor Qin Shi Huang had a lavish mausoleum built near the capital, complete with his Terracotta Army. This and other large undertakings required enormous levies of manpower and resources, not to mention repressive measures, which eventually led to the fall of the Qin Dynasty and with it the original city of Xianyang.

Shortly after the First Emperor's death in 210 BC revolts erupted. At the beginning of December 207 BC, then King of Qin Ziying surrendered to rebel leader Liu Bang. Liu Bang went on to capture Xianyang, but was forced to hand it over to another rebel leader, Xiang Yu, whose army greatly outnumbered Liu Bang's. Xiang Yu then killed Ziying and burned Xianyang, thereby forever robbing humanity of some unique copies of many "forbidden books" in the royal library.

In 202 BC, after defeating Xiang Yu, Liu Bang built a new city near the old Xianyang and named this new capital Chang'an.

Xi'an (Chinese: 西安;), is the capital of Shaanxi province in China and a sub-provincial city. As one of the most important cities in Chinese history, Xi'an is one

of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China for it has been the capital of 13 dynasties, including the Zhou, Qin,Han, and the Tang. Xi'an is also renowned for being the eastern terminus of the Silk Road and for the location of the Terracotta Army from Qin Dynasty.

Recent History

Since 1990s, as part of the economic revival of interior China, especially the central and northwest regions, in addition to a history of manufacturing and solid industrial establishments, Xi'an has become an important cultural, industrial and educational center of the central northwest region, with facilities for research and development, national security and China's space exploration program.

Demographics

The majority of Xi'an residents are Han Chinese, which make up 99.1% of the city's total population. There are around 81,500 ethnic minorities living in Xi'an, including 50,000 Muslim Hui people, many of them concentrated in the famous Muslim quarter, which is also home to the beautiful 1,360 year old Great Mosque of Xi'an. Like other major Chinese cities, Xi'an receives a fair amount of migrant workers from the rural areas

every year.

Pyramids

The main Pyramid areas are on the Qin Chuan Plains in central China.

Qin Lin Valley

Qin Ling Shan Mountains - 100km SouthWest of Xi'an

Moa Ling - Near Xianyang township 50km West of Xi'an

Wei Ho River - North of Xi'an (Chinese Imperium)

Stensi

Shandong - Stone Pyramid

Taibai Shan Mountain - 10,000ft highest point in the Qin Ling Mountains

In ancient texts the mound found near the terracotta army is described as resting place of Chin the first emperor of china. It is supposed to contain a model of the Chinese empire with rivers of flowing mercury and a roof covered with jowls that show the constellations and stars in the sky.

sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xianyang

http://www.chinatoday.com.cn/English/e20037/p60.htm

http://www.earthquest.co.uk/china/china.html