Jingzhao ( zh, 京兆) was a historical region centered on the ancient Chinese capital of

Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin ...

Han dynasty

In early

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

, the governor of the capital Chang'an and its vicinities was known as ''You Neishi'' (), and the region was also known by the same name. In 104 BC, the eastern half of ''You Neishi'' was changed to ''Jingzhao Yin'' (京兆尹, "Intendant of the Capital"), while the western half became '' You Fufeng''. The region included 12 counties: Chang'an (), Xinfeng (), Chuansikong (), Lantian (), Huayin (), Zheng (), Hu (), Xiagui (), Nanling (), Fengming (), Baling () and Duling (). In 2 AD, the population was 682,468, in 195,702 households. By the end of the Han dynasty, Nanling, Fengming and Chuansikong counties were abolished and Hu and Huayin became part of Hongnong Commandery, while 5 new counties – Changling (), Yangling (),

Shangluo Shangluo () is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Shaanxi province, People's Republic of China, bordering Henan to the northeast and Hubei to the southeast. Part of the Shannan region of the province, it is located in the eastern part of t ...

(), Shang (), and Yinpan () – were added from other commanderies.

Cao Wei to Sui dynasty

In the

Cao Wei Wei (Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' < Middle Chinese: *''ŋjwei^C'' <

dynasty, Jingzhao became a regular commandery, and it governor was known as "grand administrator" (). In 583, the commandery was abolished. In 607, however, the commandery system was restored and Yong Prefecture () was renamed Jingzhao Commandery.

Tang dynasty and after

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...

, Jingzhao was a superior prefecture () created in 713 AD by converting

Yong Prefecture Yong may refer to: *Yong (), Chinese character for "permanence", unique in that the character contains eight strokes common to Chinese characters; see Eight Principles of Yong *Yong (), Chinese character for "use" or "function"; in Neo-Confucianis ...

(). It lay north of the Qin Mountains in

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), Ning ...

with

as its core. A census taken in 742 AD reported a total of 362,921 households (population: 1,960,188), while a census taken ca. 813 AD reported only 241,202 households. Chang'an was destroyed during the fall of Tang dynasty. However, the name "Jingzhao" was restored in the

Later Tang Tang, known in historiography as the Later Tang, was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China and the second of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Chinese history. The first three of the Later Tang's four ...

dynasty. In Song dynasty, the prefecture administered 13 counties:

(), Fanchuan (), Hu (), Lantian (),

Xianyang Xianyang () is a prefecture-level city in central Shaanxi province, situated on the Wei River a few kilometers upstream (west) from the provincial capital of Xi'an. Once the capital of the Qin dynasty, it is now integrated into the Xi'an metr ...

(), Jingyang (), Yueyang (), Gaoyang (),

Xingping Xingping () is a city located in the center part of Shaanxi province, China. It has been a city since 1993, with a total area of 496 square kilometers and a population of 620,000. The annual average temperature is and its annual precipitation o ...

(), Lintong (), Liquan (), Wugong (), and Qianyou (). The name was used until

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongols, Mongol-led Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Division of the M ...

when the prefecture became Anxi Circuit () and later Fengyuan Circuit (). In

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

, it adopted the current name

Xi'an Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...

References

{{Han dynasty provinces Prefectures of the Tang dynasty 713 establishments States and territories established in the 710s Commanderies of the Jin dynasty (266–420) History of Xi'an Commanderies of the Northern dynasties