Modern day Xi’an or the ‘West Pacified’ is the capital of Shaanxi Province, with a current population of about eight million. At first glance there is little to distinguish it from many of the other industrial urban centers of northern China. However nestled in the Wei River Valley, sandwiched between the northern Beishan and southern Qinling Mountains resides what was the most important city in China for over a thousand years.
Numerous archaeological remains lie scattered in the city suburbs, including the site of Lantian Man, which dates back over half a million years. However, it was not until almost 3,000 years later that a proper urban center emerged. China’s first emperor Qin Shihuangdi unified the warring states in 221 BC and founded the capital in his powerbase nearby. During his short reign in what became known as the Qin dynasty (221-206 B.C.) the emperor standardized weights, measures, written script and currency. Great construction projects ensued, from an extensive road network, and the Great Wall to his mausoleum guarded by the famous Terracotta Army.
An uprising shortly after Qin Shihuangdi’s death, lead to the founding of the Han dynasty (206 B.C. – 220 A.D.) and a new capital Chang’an (Eternal Peace) was built across the river from the Qin settlement. The Han period is widely recognized as one of China’s golden eras aided by the flourishing of one of history’s most famous trading routes. The Silk Road started in Chang’an and passed through Central Asia to Europe, it furthered the exchange of foreign products, and ideas which enabled further development. Mammoth government works continued in the form of slightly down-scaled tomb building and an original city wall, which dates back to 194 B.C.
During the Tang dynasty (618 – 907) Chang’an emerged as one of the biggest cities in the world with a population of over one million, becoming a model for Chinese urban planning, though at the end of the dynasty in 904 A.D. much of the city was reduced to rubble. Chang’an eventually rose from the ashes as an important commercial center, but never regained its political significance. During the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), another city wall was constructed, and it remains one of the best preserved in China. In 1367 the city was renamed Xi’an.
