Scientists in the Xi'an New and High-tech Development Zone are busy designing the latest aeroengine.

A few kilometers away from their laboratory and workshop in northwest China's Shaanxi Province stand the tombs of 72 emperors from 13 ancient dynasties and the world-renowned terra cotta warriors.

Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi, has become a curious blend of the past and the future with the stepped-up development of western China. The city has established four new and high-tech development zones and a high-tech agriculture experiment zone, and is home to a mighty contingent of scientists and technicians.

"This ancient capital city has served as the cradle of ancient civilization and the birthplace of many 'firsts' in China --the first carrier rocket engine, the first color TV kinescope, the first integrated circuit and the first civilian plane," said Sun Haiying, director of the Shaanxi Provincial Commission of Science and Technology, speaking at a trade fair of investment and cooperation between east and west China, which closed on April 9.

Shaanxi has more than 90,000 scientists and engineers, 850,000 technicians and over 1,000 research institutes, which score thousands of research achievements annually, yielding at least 100 billion yuan in revenue, Sun said.

New and high-tech sectors will be an important feature of western China's economic growth. Experience in the United States and Japan shows that high-tech development is the key to success, he added.

Cheng Andong, the provincial governor, pledged that Shaanxi will give top priority to high-tech research.

"We will make full use of local technical personnel and will work to turn the new and high-tech development zone in central Shaanxi into a 'Silicon Valley' in western China," he said.