Xi'an is one of the first batch of national historical and cultural cities announced by the State Council. In history, 13 dynasties including Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang established their capitals here. It is one of the four ancient capitals in the world. , once served as the capital and political, economic and cultural center of China for more than 1,100 years. As early as 1 million years ago, ancient humans in Lantian built settlements here; during the Yangshao Culture period 7,000 years ago, the prototype of a city wall had already appeared here; in 2008, Neolithic Age artifacts dating back more than 6,000 years were unearthed in Yangguan Village, Gaoling, Xi'an The late city ruins were selected as the top archaeological discoveries in China that year. This is the earliest urban ruins discovered in China so far. It also advances the urban history of Xi'an to the late Neolithic Age more than 6,000 years ago. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, more than 200 heads of state and dignitaries from around the world have visited Xi'an, the ancient capital, including the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the President of the United States, the President of Russia, the German Chancellor, the President of France, the Queen of England, the Emperor of Japan, the President of South Korea, etc.
In ancient times, the "Lantian ape man" thrived here; the Neolithic "Banpo ancestors" established tribes here. In the economic life of the Banpo people, agricultural production occupies a very important position. Trees were burned, farmland was reclaimed, and dryland crops such as millet were planted. At that time, the tools used by people in production activities were made of stones, animal bones, antlers and pottery shards. In addition to food production, Banpo people have also begun to grow vegetables. The livestock breeding industry had already appeared at that time. There were two types of livestock raised at that time, pigs and dogs, with pigs being the mainstay. Hunting and fishing were also important production activities at that time.
On the basis of archaeological excavations, the Xi'an Banpo Museum was built on the spot in 1957. It was completed and officially opened to the public in April 1958. It is China's first Neolithic Age ruins museum and the first museum of New China. The first museum of prehistoric settlement sites. The museum covers an area of ??about 3,000 square meters and contains relics such as semi-underground houses, cellars, fences, and large ditches for protection and flood discharge. It relatively completely retains the original appearance of Banpo's primitive social village.
Xi'an was called "Fenghao" in the Western Zhou Dynasty. "Fenghao" is the collective name of Fengjing and Haojing built by King Wen of Zhou and King Wu of Zhou respectively. ?Bo Jichang (King Wen of Zhou) of the Western Zhou Dynasty built Fengjing in the southwest of present-day Xi'an City and moved his subjects here from Qishan Zhouyuan. He also ordered his son Ji Fa (King Wu of Zhou) to build Haojing on the east bank of Feng River. The latter is the political center, and the former is the religious and cultural center, collectively known as "Zong Zhou", which was the beginning of the construction of Xi'an. After King Wu destroyed the Shang Dynasty and established the Zhou Dynasty, he made Fenghao the capital, which was the beginning of Xi'an as the capital.
The "Chengkang Rule" in the early Western Zhou Dynasty marked the heyday of China's slavery society. In 841 BC, the "Chinese Rebellion" in Haojing was the earliest large-scale mass riot in Chinese history to expel a king.
In the capital city of Xianyang, most of the Epang Palace is in today’s Xi’an City, and the Terracotta Warriors and Qin Tombs are in today’s Xi’an City (located in Lintong District, Xi’an City). Qin's ancestral temple is on the south bank of the Wei River. Jing Ke's assassination of the King of Qin took place in the Zhangtai Palace of Qin (later the front hall of the Weiyang Palace of the Han Dynasty); Lian Po and Lin Xiangru were seated in the Zhangtai Palace of Qin. The palace layout of the Qin Dynasty has not yet formed the layout of the palace city, the imperial city and the three main halls. The city of Xianyang in Qin spans the north and south of the Wei River.
In 202 BC, Liu Bang took power and established the Western Han Dynasty in Chang'an (today's Hancheng, a northwest suburb of Xi'an). Liu Bang established his capital in Guanzhong and named it "Chang'an" after the local Chang'an township, which means "long-lasting peace and stability".
The Han Chang'an City is located on the Guanzhong Plain south of the Wei River, covering an area of ??about 36 square kilometers. During the Western Han Dynasty, Chang'an City, as the capital, has always been the political, economic and cultural center of the country. It was also the first large-scale city with a large number of residents in Chinese history. Han Chang'an was built on the basis of Qin Xianyang ruins. "Historical Records": "Han Chang'an is also Qin Xianyang", Zhang Heng's "Xijing Fu" says: Western Han Chang'an "is a view of the Qin system and the Zhou method", "Sanfu Huang" "Picture Preface" also says: "Wuzhao governed Xianyang because it was the capital of Han Dynasty." "Old Tang Book Geography" says: "The capital is Xianyang of Qin and Chang'an of Han." Qin Xianyang continued to expand southward after King Huiwen, and built Zhangtai, Xingle Palace, and Ganquan south of the Wei River. Palace, Xin Palace, Afang Palace and Seven Temples and other buildings. After Liu Bang conquered the world, he established Chang'an as his capital after persuasion by Lou Jing, Zhang Liang and others. The Xingle Palace of Qin was renovated and changed into Changle Palace, and the Weiyang Palace was built on the basis of Qin Zhangtai. That is to say, the Han Dynasty Chang'an City was built on the basis of the Qin capital Xianyang, which shows that the Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system in selecting the location of the capital. The palaces of the Han Dynasty are all located in the Hancheng Reserve in today's Xi'an City, north of the North Second Ring Road, and the tomb of Emperor Wu and Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty is in today's Xianyang City. After the opening of the Silk Road, Chang'an became the center of Eastern civilization, known in history as "Rome in the west and Chang'an in the east."
In 9 AD at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, Wang Mang, the great Sima, officially proclaimed himself emperor and changed the name of the capital Chang'an to "Chang'an".
In 582 AD, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty issued an order to build the new capital Daxing City at the site of present-day Xi'an, southeast of Chang'an City in the Han Dynasty. At the beginning of the Sui Dynasty, the capital was still in the old city of Chang'an, which was in dilapidated condition due to long-term wars. Therefore, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty abandoned the old Chang'an City north of Longshouyuan and chose a new site southeast of Han Chang'an City south of Longshouyuan to build the new city of Daxing City.
After the Tang Dynasty established its capital in Chang'an, the city of Daxing in the Sui Dynasty was renamed Chang'an City, and additional repairs and expansions were carried out. In the eighth year of Zhenguan (AD 634), Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, the Daming Palace was built on the Longshou Plain in the northeast of the original Waiguo City. In the following years, city walls, towers, Xingqing Palace and other buildings were continuously built. The palace city completely coincides with the present-day Xi'an city, and the imperial palace coincides with the Ming city wall of today's Xi'an city.
Most of the imperial mausoleums of the Tang Dynasty, such as Zhaoling and Qianling, are located in today's Xianyang City. In the Tang Dynasty, all the eighteen tombs of the Tang Dynasty were in the counties under the jurisdiction of Jingzhao Prefecture, and the Qianling Tombs were in Fengtian County of Jingzhao Prefecture.
From the second year of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty (582 AD) to the fifth year of Yonghui reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty (654 AD), it was basically ready, which lasted 72 years. The city covers an area of ??84.1 square kilometers, with a neat layout and strict symmetry from east to west. It is divided into three parts: the palace city, the imperial city and the outer city. The urban structure layout fully reflects the grandeur of the peak period of feudal society, and has an epoch-making influence in the history of Chinese architecture and cities.
During the Five Dynasties, the Later Liang Dynasty changed Jingzhao Prefecture to Yongzhou and established Da'an Prefecture. In the Later Tang Dynasty, Da'an Prefecture was renamed Jingzhao Prefecture. In the Song Dynasty, Shaanxi Road was established, and later Yongxing Military Road was established. After Zhao Kuangyin unified China, he once intended to move the capital to Chang'an. In the end, due to opposition from his subordinates, he had to abandon the Jin Dynasty and change Yongxing Military Road to Jingzhaofu Road.
In the early Yuan Dynasty, the scope of Chang'an City still followed Han Jian's "New City" and used the name of Jingzhao Mansion. In the ninth year of the Yuan Dynasty (AD 1272), Emperor Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty named his third son, Brother Ma, the King of Anxi, guarding the land and building the Prince's Palace of Anxi. In the 16th year of the Yuan Dynasty (1279 AD), the Jingzhao Mansion was renamed Anxi Road. Later, due to the rebellion of King Anxi, the Anxi Kingdom was withdrawn. In the first year of Huangqing (AD 1312), Anxi Road was renamed Fengyuan Road. According to the "Fengyuan City Map" drawn by Li Haowen in "Chang'an Chronicles", there is only one gate on each side, with the south gate leaning to the east and the north gate leaning to the west. The east and west gates are also asymmetrical, and the buildings in the city have no symmetrical pattern. The markets are concentrated in the northwest corner of the city, including Horse Market, Sheep Market and Qinchuanyi. In the northeast corner are the Prince's Mansion (Ming and Qin Prince's Mansion), the City God's Temple, the Chaoyuan, etc. Marco Polo visited here in the twelfth year of the Yuan Dynasty (1275) and wrote: "The city is very magnificent, and it is the capital of the Jingzhao Kingdom... This city has prosperous industry and commerce, produces a lot of silk, and the residents make various kinds of gold, brocade and silk... Every human life Everything necessary is available in the city, but the value is very low."
The Ming Dynasty formed the structure of today's Xi'an, and the name of Xi'an also originated from the Ming Dynasty. In March of the second year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1369 AD), General Xu Da marched on Fengyuan Road, and the Ming government changed Fengyuan Road into Xi'an Prefecture.
In the third year of Hongwu (1370 AD), Zhu Yuanzhang named his second son Zhu Fang the King of Qin. In the same year, the construction of Prince Qin's Mansion began in the northeast corner of Xi'an Fucheng. The Palace of the Prince of Qin was called the "Imperial City" at the time, but later was mistakenly called the "Imperial City". The city wall was newly built in the seventh to eleventh years of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, and the Drum Tower was built in the thirteenth year of Hongwu (1380 AD) and the seventeenth year of Hongwu (1384 AD). The location of the bell tower is the same as that of the Jingshi Tower and Bell Tower in the Yuan Dynasty.
After Zhu Biao visited Xi'an in the 24th year of Hongwu (AD 1391), he proposed to move the capital to Xi'an. However, he died of illness after returning to Nanjing.
The layout of Xi'an City in the Qing Dynasty remained the same, but a Manchu garrison was built in the northeast of the city, a Han army garrison was built in the southeast of the city, and the governor's office was added southwest of the bell tower. During the Gengzi Incident, Cixi and Guangxu fled westward and stayed in Xi'an for a year.
On October 22, 1911, after the outbreak of the Revolution of 1911, an armed uprising also broke out in Xi'an. Mancheng, which accounted for about a quarter of the total city area, was captured and burned by the insurrectionary army, becoming a symbol of Xi'an. A blind spot.
In 1921, Feng Yuxiang supervised Shaanxi for the first time. He renovated the buildings and stationed troops in the former Qin Wangfu City (Eight Banners Teaching Ground).
On the eve of the Anti-Japanese War, the Nationalist Government established the Nationalist Government’s Xijing Preparatory Committee.
During the Anti-Japanese War, Henan and other places were lost, and a large number of refugees poured into Xi'an along Longhai Road, mainly concentrated in the area of ??the railway station and Shangren Road (today's Jiefang Road). Shangren Road has rapidly developed into a new commercial district, and the commercial center of Xi'an has begun to be concentrated in the eastern part of the city.
After the Long March of the Communist Party of China, the northern Shaanxi area became the Soviet area, and Xi'an became an important front line of the Kuomintang, where the Xi'an Incident occurred.
Xi'an was liberated on May 20, 1949 and is a municipality under the jurisdiction of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region.
In 1950, it was changed to the leadership of the Northwest Military and Political Commission. On January 27, 1953, the Northwest Military and Political Commission was changed to the jurisdiction of the Northwest Administrative Commission, and Xi'an City belonged to the Northwest Administrative Commission.
On March 12, 1953, it was changed to a municipality directly under the central government, one of the 12 central municipalities in the country; on June 19, 1954, it was changed to a provincial municipality.