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Chang'an in the Han Period

Type Object Region China Time c. -202–220

Han-era Chang'an was the capital of the Western Han, located in the Wei River plain and one of the world's largest and most rigorously planned cities…

Timeline

  1. c. -202–-1Chang'an · ShaanxiEmperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, established the capital at Chang'an; from the reigns of Emperor Hui to Emperor Wu, Weiyang Palace and Jianzhang Palace were expanded, walls and the eight avenues and nine thoroughfares were built, and the population exceeded four hundred thousand, making it the political, economic, and cultural center of the Western Han.
  2. c. 9–25Chang'an · ShaanxiWang Mang's Xin dynasty kept the capital at Chang'an; during the Gengshi disturbance the city suffered severe damage, and after the Red Eyebrows entered the city the palaces were burned, the population plummeted, and the capital's status was shaken.
  3. c. 25–220Chang'an · ShaanxiAfter Emperor Guangwu moved the capital to Luoyang, Chang'an became the seat of the Colonel Director of Retainers and remained a strategic stronghold controlling Guanzhong and the routes to the Western Regions; at the end of the Eastern Han, Dong Zhuo moved the emperor to Chang'an, making it once again a focus of warfare.

Sources