Location: located at 33 north and 107 east, in the southern part of GuanZhong Plain in Shaanxi province with Qinling Mountains to the north and the Weihe River to the south.

Physical Features: with an elevation of 500 metres, the Weihe Plain extends between Baoji in the west and Tongguan in the east and borders the Qinling Mountains in the south and the Huangtu Plateau in the north. Lying in the warm zone, the plain has a temperate climate with four distinct seasons. Chequered with the Weihe, Jinghe, Luohe, and Bahe rivers as well as the Jinghui, Weihui and Luohui canals, the fertile land on the plain has easy access to irrigation facilities and an abundant yield of farm produce. Xi'an lies in the centre to the south of this plain, a favourable geographical location surrounded by water and hills

Climatic Features: temperate and continental climate; cold and dry in winter and hot in summer and rainy season comes in July, August and September

Mountains: Mt. Huashan, Mt. Taibaishan, Mt. Lishan
Rivers: Hui River, Wei River, Feng River, Jing River

During its 3,100 years of development, 12 dynasties such as the Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang, held Chang'an as their capitals. It sits on an ancient site atop layers of early Chinese cities of different names both beneath and around it. The land is fertile, renewed yearly by silt from the Yellow River. Both nomadic and farming people enjoyed the relatively flat landscape, ready water, and ease of travel. Long ago, traders from the west erected camps outside the city walls—a mixture of colorful tents, utensils, bags, and bundles. The traders’ wares were cottons and exotic spices from India, metals and ceramics, scrolls of paintings, and seeds. Most of this treasure was used to barter for cascades of silk in all colors and textures to take on the return journey west.

A plethora of historical and archaeological sites are located in and around Chang'an, including such places as the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the Forest of Stone Stele, and the Emperor's Winter Palace at the Huaqing Hotspring. The most famous of these, of course, is the burial site of China's first emperor Qin Shihuang-di and his 7000 terra cotta warriors.

If you would like to know more, you can take our award winning tour of Ancient Chang'an. When the tour is over, we'd love for you to stop by Fei Jing Tours and leave us a message. Let us know if you enjoyed yourself, or if you have suggestions for improvement, we'd love to hear those too.