Hancheng () is a city 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), N ...

Province, People's Republic of China, about 125 miles northeast of

Xi'an Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by other names, is the capital of Shaanxi Province. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong Plain, the city is the third most populous city in Western China, after Chongqi ...

, at the point where the south-flowing

Yellow River The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the sixth-longest river system in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Ha ...

enters the

Guanzhong Plain Guanzhong (, formerly romanised as Kwanchung) region, also known as the Guanzhong Basin, Wei River Basin, or uncommonly as the Shaanzhong region, is a historical region of China corresponding to the crescentic graben basin within present-day ...

. It is a renowned historic city, containing numerous historic mansions and streets as well as over 140 protected historical sites that range from the Tang to the Qing dynasties. As of 2005, it has a population of around 385,000 people.

History

Brown-glazed Jar with Design of Three Fish

In ancient times, Yu the Great bored a tunnel in the nearby Mount Longmen (Dragon Gate Mountain) to alleviate the frequent flooding that occurred in the area, which led to the area being called ''Dragon Gate'' (). During the

Western Zhou The Western Zhou ( zh, c=, p=Xīzhōu; c. 1045 BC – 771 BC) was a royal dynasty of China and the first half of the Zhou dynasty. It began when King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty at the Battle of Muye and ended when the Quanrong n ...

Dynasty, the area was bestowed on the Han Marquises. During the Spring and Autumn period, the area was under the administration of the State of Jin and became known as ''Hanyuan'' () or "Land of the Hans." In the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the Qin wars of conquest ...

, the area belonged to the

State of Wei Wei (; ; Old Chinese: *') was one of the seven major states during the Warring States period of ancient China. It was created from the three-way Partition of Jin, together with Han and Zhao. Its territory lay between the states of Qin and ...

and was called ''Shaoliang'' (). Towards the end of the Warring States Period, the State of Qin conquered and designated the area as ''Xiayang County'' (). In the Sui Dynasty, the area received its present name of Hancheng. In 1983, Hancheng County became Hancheng City. In 1986, the city was named a ''National Historic and Cultural City'' () and,

Administrative divisions

As 2019, Hancheng City is divided to 3 subdistricts and 6 towns. ;Subdistricts * Xincheng Subdistrict () * Jincheng Subdistrict () ;Towns

Climate

Economy

Hancheng has the biggest power plant in western China, generating over 2,400,000 kW.

Culture

The famed Chinese historian Sima Qian was born in Hancheng in the

Han Dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

and buried nearby.

References

External links

Hancheng government website

Cities in Shaanxi {{Shaanxi-geo-stub