Hanzhong in the context of "Shu Han"

Shaanxi is a province in north Northwestern China bordering the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to the west. Shaanxi covers an area of over 205,000 km (79,000 sq mi) with about 37 million people, the 16th-largest in China. Xi'an, which includes the sites of the former capitals Fenghao and Chang'an – is the provincial capital and largest city in Northwest China and also one of the oldest cities in China. It is also the oldest of the Four Ancient Capitals, being the capital for the Western Zhou, Western Han, Jin, Sui and Tang dynasties. Xianyang, which served as the capital of the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC), is just north across the Wei River. The other prefecture-level cities into which the province is divided are Ankang, Baoji, Hanzhong, Shangluo, Tongchuan, Weinan, Yan'an and Yulin.

The province is geographically divided into three parts, namely Northern (or "Shaanbei"), Central ("Shaanzhong") and Southern Shaanxi (or "Shaannan"). Northern Shaanxi makes up the southeastern portion of the Ordos Basin and mainly comprises the two prefectural cities of Yulin and Yan'an on the northern Loess Plateau, demarcated from the Ordos Desert and the grasslands of Inner Mongolia's Ordos City by the Ming Great Wall. Central Shaanxi is also known as the Guanzhong region, and comprises the drainage basin of lower Wei River east of Mount Liupan and north of the Qinling Mountains, where the majority of Shaanxi's population reside. Southern Shaanxi comprises the three prefectural cities in the edge of the historical Bashu region south of the Qinling Mountains and includes the three mountainous cities of Hanzhong, Ankang and Shangluo.

The Han River, also known by its Chinese names Hanshui and Hanjiang, is a major river in Central China. A left tributary of the Yangtze, the longest river in Asia, it has a length of 1,532 km (952 mi) and is the longest tributary of the Yangtze system.

The river gave its name to the ancient Chinese Han dynasty, which marked one of ancient China's first golden ages and through it, to the Han Chinese, the dominant ethnic group in modern China and the most populous ethnic group in the world. It is also the namesake of the city of Hanzhong on its upper course.

Zhouzhi County (simplified Chinese: 周至县; traditional Chinese: 周至縣; pinyin: Zhōuzhì Xiàn) is a county under the administration of Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province, China. It is the most spacious but least densely populated county-level division of Xi'an, and also contains the city's southernmost and westernmost points. Since the establishment of Huyi District in 2016, replacing the former Hu County, Zhouzhi and Lantian are the only two counties under the administration of Xi'an. Zhouzhi borders the prefecture-level cities of Xianyang to the north, Ankang to the southeast, Hanzhong to the southwest, and Baoji to the west, as well as Xi'an's Huyi District to the east. It is famous for kiwifruit, one type of produce in which Shaanxi province excels.Many of notable historical figures have visited Zhouzhi county, such as Chinese philosopher Laozi (老子), poet Bai Juyi (白居易), and British biochemist Joseph Needham.

There are some claims Yu the Great (大禹) was born in Hongqi village, Zhouzhi County.