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Historic city · Industrial centre · Shaanxi

Baoji

宝鸡 (Bǎojī)

Homeland of the Zhou and Qin, city of bronzes

Baoji is a prefecture-level city at the western end of the Guanzhong Plain, where the Wei River leaves the mountains. The plain of Zhouyuan in its territory was the homeland of the Zhou dynasty and has yielded many of China's most important inscribed bronzes; the early Qin capital Yong lay at Fengxiang, and the Famen Temple, with its relic of the Buddha, stands in Fufeng county.

ProvinceShaanxi

Key facts

Province
Shaanxi
Administrative level
Prefecture-level city
Area
about 18,117 km²[1]
Resident population
3.32 million(as of 2020 census)[2]
Name Baoji
since 757

Overview

Baoji guards the passes from the Wei valley into Gansu and, across the Qinling, into Sichuan. That position made it a strategic city in every era, and in the twentieth century a railway junction and a centre of heavy industry, especially for railway equipment, machine tools and titanium, for which it has been called China's “Titanium Valley”.

For visitors, its interest lies in the Zhou and Qin archaeology, the Famen Temple, and the Qinling peaks of Mount Taibai to the south.

Names and nicknames

  • 陈仓 (Chéncāng)

    The ancient name, known from the idiom 暗度陈仓 — Han Xin's secret march on Chencang in 206 BCE.

  • 青铜器之乡 (qīngtóngqì zhī xiāng)

    “home of bronzes”

    For the thousands of Zhou bronzes found in the Zhouyuan area.

History

The Zhou people settled at Zhouyuan below Mount Qi before overthrowing the Shang around 1046 BCE. The Qin ruled from Yong, near Fengxiang, for nearly three centuries before moving east. The city was called Chencang until 757, when the Tang renamed it Baoji, “Treasure Chicken”, after an auspicious omen. Zhuge Liang died on campaign at Wuzhangyuan in the county of Qishan in 234.

  1. 11th century BCE

    Zhou homeland at Zhouyuan

    Palace foundations and bronze hoards at Qishan and Fufeng mark the pre-dynastic Zhou centre.

  2. 677–383 BCE

    Qin capital Yong

    The state of Qin ruled from Yong near Fengxiang; the huge tomb of Duke Jing of Qin was excavated there.

  3. 234

    Death of Zhuge Liang at Wuzhangyuan

    The Shu Han chancellor died in camp during his last northern campaign against Wei.

  4. 757

    Renamed Baoji

    The Tang court gave the city its present name.

  5. 1963

    The He zun found

    A bronze wine vessel whose inscription contains the earliest known use of the phrase 中国 (zhōngguó) was found in Baoji; it is in the Baoji Bronze Ware Museum.

  6. 1987

    Famen Temple crypt opened

    The underground palace yielded a finger-bone relic of the Buddha and Tang imperial gold, silver, glass and porcelain.

Landmarks

  1. Museum

    Baoji Bronze Ware Museum

    宝鸡青铜器博物院 (Bǎojī Qīngtóngqì Bówùyuàn)

    Museum of Zhou and Qin bronzes, home of the He zun.

  2. Temple or shrine

    Famen Temple

    法门寺 (Fǎmén Sì)

    Temple in Fufeng county with a Ming brick pagoda over the Tang crypt, a large modern stupa and a museum of the crypt treasures.

  3. Historic site

    Wuzhangyuan

    五丈原 (Wǔzhàngyuán)

    Terrace above the Wei with a temple to Zhuge Liang on the spot where he died.

  4. Nature

    Mount Taibai

    太白山 (Tàibái Shān)

    The highest peak of the Qinling, with glacial lakes near its summit.

Neighbourhoods

  • Weibin

    渭滨区 (Wèibīn Qū)

    The central district along the south bank of the Wei, with the railway station.

  • Fengxiang

    凤翔 (Fèngxiáng)

    District north-east of the city, site of the Qin capital Yong and home of painted clay figures and Xifeng liquor.

Food

  • Qishan saozi noodles

    岐山臊子面 (Qíshān sàozi miàn)

    Thin noodles in a sour, spicy broth, served in small bowls and often eaten by the dozen at celebrations.

  • Ganmianpi

    擀面皮 (gǎnmiànpí)

    Steamed wheat-gluten sheets cut into strips and dressed with vinegar and chilli oil; Baoji's everyday cold noodle.

Culture

Baoji keeps some of the liveliest folk traditions of Guanzhong: the new-year shehuo parades with painted faces and floats, Fengxiang clay figures and woodblock new-year prints, and the Zhou legacy celebrated in the city's museums. The Qinling foothills south of the city are known for Daoist temples, including Jintai Temple, linked by legend to Zhang Sanfeng.

Getting around

  • Baoji South station is on the high-speed line from Xi'an to Lanzhou; Baoji station is the junction of the conventional Longhai line and the Baoji–Chengdu railway across the Qinling.
  • The Famen Temple and the Zhouyuan sites lie east of the city towards Xi'an and are usually reached by road.

Day trips

  • Taibaishan National Forest Park

    太白山国家森林公园 (Tàibái Shān Guójiā Sēnlín Gōngyuán)

    Forested valleys and high trails on the northern flank of Mount Taibai.

  • Zhouyuan

    周原遗址 (Zhōuyuán Yízhǐ)

    The archaeological zone of the early Zhou capital, with a museum at Fufeng.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

  1. Baoji Municipal People's Government — Baoji Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
  2. Seventh National Population Census communiqués — National Bureau of Statistics of China (retrieved 27 September 2026)
  3. Baoji — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)

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