Hanzhong Aston
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Hanzhong is located in the Southwest of Shaanxi Province. This is a very mountainous region comprising the borderlands between Sichuan and the plateau and basins of Northern China. The city is 500 meters above sea level and is situated alongside the Han River.
Hanzhong’s mountainous topography generates a very complex climate. There are 4 distinct seasons. Summers are warm with abundant rain and thunderstorms. Winter temperatures dip below freezing and there is occasional snow, although the season is generally dry. Spring and autumn are very pleasant with mild temperatures and little rain.
The city is the administrative capital of Southwestern Shaanxi. This is a land of year round snowcapped mountains, vast forests, and raging white rivers tumbling towards the basins below. Hanzhong is a relatively small town with a population of 200,000. The majority of the community is Han Chinese and there are also people of Hui, Mongol, Qiang, Tibetan, and Xinjiang nationalities. There is very little foreign presence in Hanzhong.
The city itself displays its borderland heritage and has an entirely different feel than those of the rest of Shaanxi. Sichuanese influence is evident in the dialect, food, and tea culture that exist in the city. There are numerous indoor and outdoor markets to be found throughout town where anything from yarn, spices, vegetables, dried snakes, handicrafts, and animals can be bought or traded. There is a small but modern city center, however the atmosphere and general layout of Hanzhong is more of an historic mountain outpost with winding alleys, fading tenements, and community minded residents.
Food in Hanzhong is a delicious blend of Shaanxi and Sichuan, two of the most distinctive and delicious to be found in Asia. There are restaurants all over town preparing these styles and the local street food benefits tremendously from their influence. Western food is limited though a KFC has recently crept in and there are a couple of places experimenting with pizzas, steak, salads, etc.
Hanzhong lies on the main rail line between Chengdu and Xian. Arriving at either of these cities requires an overnight train journey. The benefit of this arrangement is that exploration of these two very different regions of China is possible from Hanzhong. Just outside of the city there is an airport with cheap, quick flights to most of the major destinations in Western China. The region between the two provinces is fascinating and easily accessible with local busses. The Qinling Mountains are home to pandas and some isolated Tibetan communities. Up in these regions you will find tradition mountain culture, very far removed from the booming cities below.