Shaanxi faces challenges as it seeks to diversify economy

Shaanxi province's GDP was 1.44 trillion yuan ($231 billion) in 2012, showing an increase of almost 15.5 percent from 2011.

It is a province of less than 38 million people, so its per capita GDP was 36,800 yuan, ranking 14th among 31 provincial-level divisions of the Chinese mainland.

At the top of the list, Tianjin municipality reported a per capita GDP of 95,000 yuan, followed by Beijing, with 88,100 yuan, and Shanghai, with 85,600 yuan.