Xi'an (Sian), capital of Shaanxi (Shen-hsi) Province, on the Wei River (he) has a metropolitan population approaching 5 million. Capitals of Chinese states were located near here as long ago as 1100 B.C.E. It has pagodas from the Tang, steles from the Song and towers from the Ming dynasties, not to mention the Grand Mosque, but the metropolitan's area's chief attraction is in a northwestern suburb, Xianyang.