Infrastructure

Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province, is known as the gateway to north-western China. Several trunk railways run through the province and Xi'an is one of the key railway hubs linking north-western China with other parts of the country. A network of highways has been established while the provincial government has committed additional investment to develop road transport capabilities further. Xi'an Xianyang International Airport operates more than 95 domestic lines to major cities in China and international air routes to Hong Kong, Macao, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Europe. By the end of 2000, the number of fixed-line telephone subscribers, pager users and mobile phone users totalled 6.5 million. There are nearly 200,000 Internet users.