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The name of the province“Shaanxi” first appeared in the Western Zhou Dynasty.In the beginning of the dynasty， Master Zhou and Master Zhao had their own manors built respectively to the east and west of Shanyuan Tableland， which lay in the southwest of Henan Province. People named the region to the west of the tableland“Shaanxi”， which means“west of Shanyuan Tableland”. Then during the Spring and Autumn Period， Shaanxi fell under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Qin， so it is now also called “ Shan” or“ Qin ” for short. Today the capital of Shaanxi Province is Xi'an.
Lying in the Middle Reaches of the Yellow River， and in the eastern part of the northwest region of China， Shaanxi Province borders in such a geographical location neighboring Inner Mongolia，Ningxia，Gansu，Sichuan，Hubei，Henan，and Chongqing. Therefore， it serves as the gateway to the northwest of the country， and offers a link of communication between the Southwest， Northwest， Central and East China. With an area of 205，800 square kilometers， Shaanxi Province takes up 2.14％ of the country's total territory.
Topographically， Shaanxi Province is long and narrow in shape， with a higher altitude in both the south and the north but lower in the middle. Therefore it canbe divided into three regions： Plateau in the south， Mountainous Region in the north， and Plain in between， each with its own distinctive features. The Qinling Mountain Range， the largest mount in the province， extending from east to west， is not only the natural dividing line between South China and North China， but also the watershed of the two greatest water systems in China—the Yellow River system and the Yangtze River system. The Qinba Mountainous Region to the south of the Qinling Mountain Range is dominated by subtropical climate， which contributes a lot to the growth of some agricultural produces such as rice， corn and rapeseeds. Its production of raw lacquer ranks first in China. Apart from this， this region is also famous for its production of tea， cocoons， walnuts， chestnuts and medicinal herbs. With an abundance of rainfall and a stretch of fertile land， the Plain has become a corn production base of Shaanxi Province as well as one of the nation's bases of wheat， oil-bearing crops and cotton. So it is well-known as the “800-Mile Grain Basin”. The Plateau possesses a large quantity of coal， natural gas and petroleum deposits. Since its gas reserve amounts to 15％ of the nation's verified total， this region ranks among the biggest gas fields in the world. With the help of the central government， a new pattern of “coal transported from the West to the East” and “gas transported from the West to the East” is gradually taking shape.
Shaanxi is one of the cradles of the Chinese civilization， so places of historical interest can be found almost all over the province. Archaeological findings reveal that ancestors of Chinese people have lived and labored in this region from a very early age.The greatest excavations in Shaanxi include the Lantian Man 1.15 million years ago，the 6，000-year-old Banpo Village of the primitive Yangshao Culture， and the “Eighth World Wonder”—terracotta warriors and horses of the First Emperor in the Qin Dynesty. From the 11th century BC， onwards， 13 kingdoms or feudal dynasties established their capitals in this province， with a span of 1，200 years. The major ones are the Zhou， the Qin， the Han， the Sui and the Tang. Shaanxi also boasts a variety of cultural resources. It ranks first with regard to the number of its historical sites，ancient tombs， ancient buildings and artifacts of great significance， so it is worthy of the name“ a province with rich relics and ruins” and “ a natural history museum”.This well explains the saying that “A visit to Shaanxi is a must for the acquaintance of 5，000-year-old Chinese history”.
Apart from this， the natural resources of Shaanxi Province are also abundant.Here， one can find the precipitous and splendid Mount Hua， one of the five Holy Mountains in China， the rolling Loess Plateau， the Hukou Waterfall， the biggest waterfall on the Yellow River and the National Forest Park at Taibai Mountain， which is famous for its unique geographical features and its various forest scenes.
With Xi'an in the center and four most popular tourist routes extending in different directions， the tourist attractions in Shaanxi Province are distributed in 10 tourist zones which bear different subject matters and distinctive styles：
1. Xi'an—the ancient capital；
2. Mount Li—places of historical interest and natural scenery；
3. Chang'an—ancient temples；
4. Mount Hua；
5. Xianyang—mausoleums of emperors；
6. Baoji— the Famen Temple；
7. Yan'an—“Three Yellows”（the Hukou Waterfall on the Yellow River， the Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor， and the Yellow Loess Plateau） and “ one sacred place”（a sacred revolutionary place）；
8. Yulin—frontiers scenes；
9. The Yellow River；
10. The Zhashui Karst and Caves.
Shaanxi Province is now one of the major tourist destinations in China and tourism has become the mainstay in its economy.