Xianyang

A prefecture-level city on the north bank of the Wei River in central Shaanxi Province, China. It governs 10 counties, including 3 city districts, Qian, and Sanyuan, and acts as the governing agent for 1 county-level city (as of 2016). Its permanent population is 4,972,400 (2015). During the Warring States period, Duke Xiaogong of Qin (reigned 361-338 BC) built the first capital in the east of the current city center, and since then, it has prospered as the capital of Qin. In particular, when Shi Huang unified the world (221 BC), he relocated 120,000 wealthy households from all over the country here, and also built palaces here that imitated the palaces of the feudal lords he had defeated, and had the wives and concubines of the feudal lords live there, so the number of palaces is said to have risen to 270. Furthermore, Shi Huang built the Epang Palace on the south bank of the Wei River and tried to connect it to the palace in Xianyang by crossing the Wei River via the Ge Dao, but after the fall of the Qin Dynasty, both the palace in Xianyang and the Epang Palace were burned down by Xiang Yu. It is said that the Epang Palace burned for three months.

The current city centre dates back to the Ming dynasty, and is home to thriving industries such as chemicals, machinery, food processing, building materials, pharmaceuticals and textiles. Xi'an Xianyang International Airport is located about 13km north of the city.

[Shiro Sekio, Editorial Department, July 19, 2017]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、陝西(せんせい)省中部、渭河(いが)の北岸にある地級市。3市轄区、乾(けん)、三原(さんげん)など10県を管轄し、1県級市の管轄代行を行う（2016年時点）。常住人口497万2400（2015）。戦国時代、現在の市街の東方に秦(しん)の孝公（在位前361～前338）が初めて都城を築いて以来、秦の国都として繁栄した。とくに始皇帝は天下を統一する（前221）と、全国の富豪12万戸をここに移住させ、また自分が破った諸侯の宮殿を模倣した宮殿をここに建造して、諸侯の妻妾(さいしょう)たちを住まわせたので、宮殿の数は270に上ったという。さらに始皇帝は、渭河の南岸にも阿房宮(あぼうきゅう)を造営し、閣道(かくどう)を渭河に渡して咸陽の宮殿と連絡させようとしたが、秦が滅びると、咸陽の宮殿、阿房宮ともに項羽(こうう)によって焼き払われた。このとき阿房宮は3か月間にわたり燃え続けたという。

　現在の市街は明(みん)代からのもので、化学や機械、食品加工、建築材料、製薬、紡績などの工業が盛ん。市街の北約13キロメートルに西安(せいあん)咸陽国際空港がある。

［關尾史郎・編集部　2017年7月19日］

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