Is it "Xi'an," "Xian" or "Xi An"? How do you pronounce?

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Is it "Xi'an," "Xian" or "Xi An"? How do you pronounce?	Have a China-related question? Ask here
In the Chinese original the name is consisted of two characters, Xi and An. The apostrophe is added so that Westerners will know to pronounce them as two syllables instead of one. Some people, however, will simply omit the apostrophe. Xian, Xi’an, or Xi An, literally means “Peace in the West.” The city was located in the Western part of ancient China and for centuries was the capital of China. Back then it was known as Chang An, or “Long-lasting Peace.” It is outside this city that we find the mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, along with his famed underground army of terra-cotta soldiers. Here is how you pronounce Xi'an, Xian or Xi An. Relatedly, there are two Chinese provinces the name of which would appear the same in the romanized form. To differentiate the two, one is arbitrarily spelt “Shaanxi" while the other “Shanxi" – one more “a” is inserted. The two provinces border on each other, and the city of Xian is located in Shaanxi Province, the province located west of Shanxi Province, and is the one spelt with the additional "a". Back to China Travel Tips Back Home

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