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

Chang'an Chang'an (; zh, t=長安, s=长安, p=Cháng'ān, first=t) is the traditional name of the city now named Xi'an and was the capital of several Chinese dynasties, ranging from 202 BCE to 907 CE. The site has been inhabited since Neolithic time ...

Han dynasty

In early

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

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

Cao Wei to Sui dynasty

In the

Cao Wei Wei () was one of the major Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic states in China during the Three Kingdoms period. The state was established in 220 by Cao Pi based upon the foundations laid by his father Cao Cao during the end of the Han dy ...

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, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

, Jingzhao was a superior prefecture () created in 713 AD by converting Yong Prefecture (). It lay north of the Qin Mountains in

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

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

(), Fanchuan (), Hu (), Lantian (), Xianyang (), Jingyang (), Yueyang (), Gaoyang (), Xingping (), Lintong (), Liquan (), Wugong (), and Qianyou (). The name was used until

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...

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

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

, it adopted the current name

Xi'an Xi'an is the list of capitals in China, capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populou ...

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