China coloring map and fun facts

Click here and you should get to a free promotional coloring map put out by Berkshire publishing. And here you’ll find a complementary article on Tibet by the same.

Some facts:

• Xi’an is the capital of Shaanqi province, all just east of the dead center of contemporary China.
• It is most famous as one of the ancient capitals of all of China, most notably under the T’ang Dynasty (June 18, 618 – June 4, 907).
• It is also claimed to be the eastern terminus of the Silk Road – yet maps suggest that the route travels further east to Luoyang and to China’s coastal cities as well.
• It is also known as Chang’an, which is what it’s called for my trip because this was the name during the time when Buddhism held greatest influence in the city.
• It was sacked by Tibet in 763 (see above article).
• Among the city’s many distinguished features is the great Terracotta Army (see below), dating to around 210 BCE and known as the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor by UNESCO.