Xianyang Aston
 

City:
Xianyang is located twenty kilometers west of Xi’an in Shaanxi Province, along the northern bank of the Wei River.  This is the original ancient capital city of China and its history dates back well over 2,500 years.  It is here that Qin Shihuang, after unifying the various warring kingdoms of the Eastern Asian continent into a single political entity, established one of the world’s first great political and cultural capitals.
The modern city embraces it’s glorious past as it moves into the modern age.  Xianyang today is a modest sized Chinese city of about 1 million people.  The population consists mainly of Han Chinese, Hui, Mongol, and Xinjiang peoples, and there is a definite Islamic presence in the local culture and food.  In many ways it is a typical balance of modern downtown and faded tenement areas found in many cities of its size throughout the nation.  Small family-run businesses and restaurants number into the thousands.  Street food and outdoor markets are found all over the city and forms a great part of the attraction and pulse of Xianyang.  Rivers of people on their bicycles flood the streets during the peak times of the day making for a fascinating sight.  Residents here enjoy a quieter, more relaxed pace lifestyle than those of neighboring Xi’an.
The justly famous historical sights scattered throughout southern Shaanxi are very easily accessible from Xianyang.  Ancient tombs, palaces, and temples dot the surrounding countryside and there is local transportation to all of these places.  The Loess Plateau to the north is an area of haunting beauty and village life, also easily explored on days off with relative ease.  There is a massive mountain range to the south of the city with equally enticing exploration opportunity.  
The food of Xianyang is essentially the same as neighboring Xi’an.  Central Asian styles of cooking are dominant in the street markets and standard Chinese styles from throughout the country are represented.  Shaanxi remains one of the best places in the world for hand made noodle dishes and Xianyang upholds this tradition wonderfully.  In addition to this, there are a couple of excellent, reasonably priced places serving up convincing Western fare.
The weather in Xianyang is continental with 4 distinct seasons.  Summer is hot with occasional heavy rains and frequent thunderstorms rolling out of the Qinling Mountains to the south.  Winter is cold with below freezing temperatures at night and infrequent snows.  Spring and autumn are very pleasant times of the year with abundant sunshine and little rain.
Xianyang uses Xi’an as its main transportation hub.  Busses get you into downtown Xian in about a half an hour from Xianyang.  Trains from Xi’an enable easy access to areas throughout northern China.  Lanzhou, Yinchuan, Zhengzhou, and Taiyuan are all easy overnight train rides.  Flights to Chengdu and Chongqing take little more than an hour and can cost as low as 30 US dollars.  Xi’an International Airport is actually just outside of Xianyang and is well connected with the rest of the country and beyond.  

       

School:
Xianyang Aston opened its doors in August 2004 and has gone on to become the leading English Training School in our city.  We are located in downtown Xianyang within easy walking distance to anywhere in the city center.  Our students range in age from 4 to 54 and number just under a thousand at present.  Total staff number around 20 and consist of 10 full time teachers, half of which are Western teachers.
Our school is a modern design and has 4 floors consisting of numerous classrooms, reception areas, and a comfortable teacher’s lounge.  We have an extensive collection of resources for teacher’s use in planning and teaching.  As with all other Aston Schools our aim is improving the English communication skills of our students.  Our ability to do this with the team of people here in Xianyang is evident in our standing within the community and our growing reputation throughout the region.  With schools now in all of the major cities throughout Shaanxi we have become the premiere English Training School of the province and our teaching staff enjoys the benefits of this reputation.

                

Apartments:
Xianyang Aston presently provides three apartments for our foreign teachers’ accommodation.  All of these are within 5km from the school and set among lively residential neighborhoods.  Most residents bike around Xianyang or utilize the fleet of inexpensive taxis.  In each apartment, the basic minimums of the contract are honored and little individual perks give them identity and a homey feeling.
Two of these flats are in standard apartment blocks and are accessed by the staircase.  The third apartment is in a modern high-rise on the 15th floor.  Elevators conveniently wisk residents up and down from the lobby.  Any questions regarding accommodation in Xianyang can be presented to our management staff and we will happily respond to all inquires.