Xi'an History of the Terracotta Army and Ancient Banpo Village - Page 2

City of Xi'an

Between the 11th and 8th centuries BC, the Zhou Dynasty governed northern China from their palace at Hao, located a few miles west of present-day Xi'an. Although the Zhou capital was moved to Luoyang in 771 BC, Hao, now known as Xianyang, remained one of the four largest cities in North China. During the 4th century BC, it became the capital of the state of Qin. When, a hundred years later, Xianyang became the center of the empire. Qin Shi Huangdi determined that his capital should be worthy of him, and under his direction, a million workers toiled to build wide boulevards and eight huge palaces. The population had increased to nearly 800,000 when, in 207 BC, rebels overthrew the dynasty and put the city to the torch.

The Han rulers, successors to the Qin, built their capital of Chang'an just north of modern Xi'an. The new city prospered, and by the 1st century BC, its walls enclosed eight main streets and 160 alleys, and enormous suburbs sprawled outside its ramparts. It was during this period that trade began with West Asia and the Roman Empire. Just as in present-day China, a special street was set aside to accommodate foreign visitors and a protocol department supervised their undertakings. In 25 AD, the seat of government was moved east to Luoyang and Chang'an declined in importance until the first Sui emperor, Wen-ti, ordered his engineers to build a new metropolis southeast of the old Han town. Although Wen-ti's successor governed from Luoyang, the Tang rulers returned to Chang'an, which they completed in accordance with the Sui design.

During the next two centuries Chang'an was at the center of a cultural and political renaissance that many historians consider being China's golden age. The Emperor reigned supreme from the Korean peninsula to the deserts of Turkestan. Painting, literature, and music all flourished, as did the more sybaritic art of gracious living. Among the court poets were Li Bai and Du Fu, and many of their most famous compositions describe the elaborate, Versailles-like fetes and revels of the day.