Shaanxi (redirected from Shaansi)

Shaanxi (shän`shē`) or Shensi (shĕn`sē`) [west of the mountain passes], province (1994 est. pop. 34,010,000), c.76,000 sq mi (196,840 sq km), N central China. Xi'an is the capital. From north to south Shaanxi has four main regions—the loess plateau, fertile but dry; the Wei River valley, rich agriculturally and the center of population; the Qinling divide, the highest range of the province; and the upper Han River valley. The valleys of the Wei and Han rivers and newly irrigated areas in the northwest are the main farming regions. Extensive reforestation, terracing, and irrigation have reclaimed much eroded land and increased agricultural output. Wheat, millet, cotton, soybeans, and corn are the chief crops. Rice, tea, and tung oil are produced in the south, and fruit orchards are cultivated in the upland areas. Livestock (notably sheep) are raised. Shaanxi has rich coal and iron deposits. Oil is extracted at Yanchang, just E of Yan-an, and salt is obtained from lakes. China's main east-west railroad traverses Shaanxi through the Wei valley. A branch line links the west with Chengdu in Sichuan prov. A highway ties the Wei valley to the northwest. Important population centers are Xi'an, Baoji, Tongchuan, Xianyang, and Yan'an. Since the 1960s, Shaanxi has developed industrially; cotton, once sent to Shanghai for processing, is spun and woven in the province. Shaanxi's main industrial city is Xi'an, which has a variety of heavy and light industries. Shaanxi, especially the Wei River valley, was one of the early major political and cultural centers of N China. The founders of the Chou, Ch'in, and T'ang dynasties built their power there, and the Manchus gave the province its present boundaries. There was a widespread Muslim rebellion in Shaanxi in the 1860s. In 1935 the Communist army came to Yan'an in Shaanxi on its "long march," and from 1935 until the assumption of power in 1949, Shaanxi was the seat of the Chinese Communists.

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Shaanxi

 or Shen-hsi conventional Shensi

Province (pop., 2002 est.: 36,740,000), north-central China. It is bordered by Shanxi, Henan, Hubei, Sichuan, and Gansu provinces, Chongqing municipality, and Ningxia and Inner Mongolia autonomous regions. It has an area of 75,600 sq mi (195,800 sq km). Its capital is Xi'an. Shaanxi has three distinct natural regions: the mountainous southern region, the central Wei River valley, and the northern upland plateau. The valley is especially vulnerable to earthquakes. Its northern parts were some of the earliest settled in China, and the remains of ancient construction projects found there include part of the Great Wall. From 221 BC until the Tang dynasty, it was wealthy and the centre of much political activity. As its irrigation system deteriorated, the area declined. In the 13th century, under the Mongols, it assumed its present form as a province. Mao Zedong's Long March ended there in 1935. Its ancient irrigation system has been rehabilitated since 1949, and the region is again a rich agricultural area. Crops include corn (maize), winter wheat, fruits, tobacco, and cotton.

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Shaanxi, Shensi

a province of NW China: one of the earliest centres of Chinese civilization; largely mountainous. Capital: Xi'an. Pop.: 36 900 000 (2003 est.). Area: 195 800 sq. km (75 598 sq. miles)