Xi'an, the eternal city, records the great changes of the Chinese nation just like a living history book. Called Chang' an in ancient times, Xi'an is one of the birthplaces of the ancient civilization in the Yellow River Basin area of the country. During Xi'an' s 3,100 year development, 13 dynasties such as Western Zhou (11th century B.C.—771 B.C.), the Western Han (206 B.C. – 24 A.D.) and Tang (618 – 907) placed their capitals here. So far, Xi'an enjoys equal fame with Athens, Cairo, and Rome as one of the four major ancient civilization capitals.