Xīnpíng

Xinping stands in the middle Jing River valley, in the uplands north of the Wei plain. The town served as the seat of Binzhou for centuries and lay on a route between the Guanzhong heartland and the Gansu frontier. Its county name dates to the Sui, when Baitu County was moved here and renamed Xinping. The surrounding region was associated with the early history of the Zhou people.

Under the Tang the prefecture came to be known as Binzhou, with its seat at Xinping. The city retained that role through the Song and Yuan. Early in the Ming, Xinping County was absorbed into the prefecture itself, which was placed under Xi'an; the walls and offices of the old county town remained the centre from which the prefecture was administered.