Shaanxi Province is one of the most important cradles of ancient Chinese civilization. As far back as one million years ago, some of China's earliest inhabitants lived in this region, and began spreading their culture along the life-sustaining Yellow River. Throughout the province's long history, there are 13 dynasties who established capitals here, including the Zhou, the Qin, the Han, and the Tang. Because of this rich history, cultural relics and ruins are plentiful, and may be found preserved both above- and underground. So Shaanxi is called the "authentic history museum" in China. The Silk Road, that came to prominence then, was to bring not only monetary wealth, but also a range of cultural treasures, from western settlers to Buddhism. This second treasure was to become most significant in Shaanxi, both in its capital Xi'an and in a pretty nearby mountain, Huashan. Xi'an was to be, fairly consistently, China's main political center up until the end of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD).

Shaanxi Province's climate is temperate and semi-arid in the north and subtropical and humid in the south. Annual average temperature of Shaanxi is between 8 C and 16 C and its annual rainfall averages from 400 millimeters to 1000 millimeters. Spring and fall are the best times to visit Shaanxi, since the winters are cold and summer is often rainy.