Xi'an

Japanese: 西安 - せいあん

A sub-provincial city (a prefecture-level city with autonomy equivalent to a province) in central Shaanxi Province, China, and the capital of the province. Its abbreviation is Hao. Formerly known as Chang'an and Xijing, it is one of the six great ancient capitals along with Beijing, Nanjing, Luoyang, Kaifeng, and Hangzhou. In addition to Kyoto and Nara, with which it has deep historical ties, it has sister city partnerships with Funabashi and Obama. It has a population of 8,156,600, with a city district population of 6,821,300 (2015). It has jurisdiction over 11 city districts, including Chang'an and Huyi, and two counties, including Lantian (as of 2017).

It is located almost in the center of the plain formed by the Wei River, a tributary of the mid-stream Yellow River, and is blessed with stable natural conditions, including fertile alluvial soil made of loess, moderate temperature (annual average 14.1°C), and precipitation (annual 561 mm).

[Motohide Akiyama, Editorial Department, January 19, 2018]

history

This was the area where agricultural civilization developed earliest in China. There are many Neolithic ruins in the surrounding area, but the most famous is the Banpo ruins in the eastern suburbs of the city, known as a representative site of the Yangshao culture. The Zhou dynasty, which formed a primitive state based in this area, advanced eastward to the Central Plains in the 11th century BC, defeating the Yin dynasty and becoming the largest power in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. The centers of this power were Fengjing and Haojing, built on either side of the Lishui River in the western suburbs of the city. Later, the Qin dynasty also established Xianyang here, which was succeeded by Chang'an of the Western Han dynasty, and became the central city of ancient China.

Even during the period when the country was divided into the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Chang'an became the capital of the Northern Dynasties, including the Former Qin, Later Qin, and Northern Zhou dynasties, and it became the center of the country again during the Sui and Tang dynasties. However, as the center of economic gravity shifted south, Chang'an, although a political and cultural center, lacked an economic base, and so after the turmoil of the Five Dynasties and into the Northern Song dynasty, the capital was moved to Kaifeng along the Grand Canal on the North China Plain, and Chang'an subsequently became a regional city, but it remained a central city with a special status supported by tradition.

After Xi'an Prefecture was established in the Ming Dynasty, it came to be generally known by that name. After that, Xi'an City was established in 1928, and was renamed Xijing City in 1933, but was changed back to Xi'an City in 1943. The Xi'an Incident that occurred in 1936 was an important event in the history of negotiations between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.

The city flourished most during the Tang Dynasty, when a rectangular capital city stretching 9.7 km from east to west and 8.7 km from north to south was built, with the imperial city (the emperor's office) and the capital (the emperor's residence) located in the central north, and the rest of the city divided into over 110 districts by orderly running streets from east to west and north to south. Within the city, magnificent buildings such as the mansions of the royal family and nobles, government offices, temples, and Taoist temples stood, and cities were established on the east and west sides, and commerce and handicrafts flourished in the surrounding areas. At its peak, the city and suburbs combined had a population of one million. During the Tang Dynasty, cultural artifacts from the west were brought to Chang'an via the Silk Road, and Chang'an was a major international city at the eastern end of the road. Many people visited from Japan, and Chang'an became a model for ancient Japanese urban planning. However, during the conflicts at the end of the Tang Dynasty, most of the capital was left in ruins, and only a small castle grounds centered around the former imperial palace remained. During the Ming Dynasty, Xi'an City was built on this foundation, and this is the prototype of today's Xi'an.

[Motohide Akiyama January 19, 2018]

Industry and Transportation

It is the economic and trade center of the northwestern region, and was designated an inland open city in 1992. In the past, the city's industrial structure was heavily dependent on heavy industry and defense industry, but since the 1990s, it has been attracting foreign capital and transforming its industrial structure by establishing the Xi'an High-Tech Industrial Development Zone (Hi-tech Zone) for the IT industry, the Xi'an Economic and Technological Development Zone, the Xixian New Area for artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnology, the Xi'an Yanliang National Aviation High-Tech Industrial Base for the aircraft industry, and the Xi'an National Civil Aerospace Industrial Base for space development. It is also a junction connecting the economic zones of western and central China, and is served by the Longhai Line, Ningxi Line (Nanjing-Xi'an), Zhengxi Line (Zhengzhou-Xi'an), and the Xibao High-Speed Railway (Xi'an-Baoji). A subway opened in 2011.

[Jun Zhou January 19, 2018]

Culture and Tourism

As the starting point of the Silk Road and the capital of many ancient Chinese dynasties, it is rich in historical sites. Among them, the Mausoleum of the First Emperor and the Terracotta Army, where thousands of life-sized ceramic figurines (ceramic human and animal grave goods) were excavated, are world-famous and were registered as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 1987 (World Cultural Heritage). In addition, Xingjiao Temple, known for the stupa containing the remains of Xuanzang, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda of Ci'en Temple, the Small Wild Goose Pagoda of Xunpuku Temple, the Weiyang Palace ruins of Chang'an City of the Han Dynasty, and the Daming Palace ruins of Chang'an City of the Tang Dynasty were registered as World Cultural Heritage sites in 2014 as components of the Silk Road: Trade Route Network of the Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor. The ruins of the Epang Palace of the First Emperor and the Qinglong Temple, which was visited by Kukai, are also famous. The beautiful natural scenery of the Qinling Mountains, including Mount Li, is also an important tourist resource.

There are also many educational and cultural facilities, including higher education institutions such as Xi'an Jiaotong University, Northwestern University, and Northwestern Polytechnical University, as well as the Banpo Ruins Museum, Shaanxi Provincial History Museum, Guanzhong Folk Art Museum, and the Xi'an Forest of Stone Steles Museum, which houses a collection of stone monuments.

Traditional arts such as the local Qinqiang opera, the shadow puppet theatre, and the paper cutting craft, Senshi, are thriving in the city. In the city centre, traditional streetscapes remain, including the old brick city walls and the 600-year-old wooden Bell and Drum Tower. There is also a Huimin district, where Muslims such as Hui and Uighurs live, lined with restaurants serving halal cuisine.

[Jun Zhou January 19, 2018]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

中国、陝西(せんせい)省中部の副省級市（省と同程度の自主権を与えられた地級市）で、同省の省都。略称は鎬(こう)。旧称長安、西京。北京(ペキン)、南京(ナンキン)、洛陽(らくよう)、開封(かいほう)、杭州(こうしゅう)と並んで六大古都に数えられる。歴史的に関係の深い京都市、奈良市のほか、船橋市、小浜市と友好都市提携を結んでいる。人口815万6600、市轄区人口682万1300（2015）。長安、鄠邑(こゆう)など11市轄区、藍田(らんでん)など2県を管轄する（2017年時点）。

　黄河(こうが)中流の一支流である渭河(いが)の形成する平野のほぼ中央にあり、肥沃な黄土による沖積土壌、適度な温度（年平均14.1℃）、降水量（年561ミリメートル）などの安定した自然条件に恵まれている。

［秋山元秀・編集部　2018年1月19日］

歴史

中国でもっとも早く農耕文明が発達した土地であった。周辺には多くの新石器時代遺跡があるが、とくに著名なものは市東郊にある半坡遺跡(はんぱいせき)で、仰韶文化(ぎょうしょうぶんか)の代表遺跡として知られている。この地域を基盤に原始国家を形成した周は、紀元前11世紀には中原(ちゅうげん)に東進して殷(いん)を破り、黄河中・下流域で最大の勢力となったが、その中心となったのが市西郊の澧水(れいすい)を挟んで建てられた豊京(ほうけい)と鎬京(こうけい)であった。その後、秦(しん)もここに咸陽(かんよう)を置き、前漢の長安に引き継がれ、古代中国の中心都市となった。

　長安は南北朝分裂期においても、前秦、後秦、北周など北朝の国都となり、隋(ずい)、唐代にはふたたび全国の中心となった。しかし経済の重心が南に移行するとともに、長安は政治・文化の中心ではあっても経済基盤に欠けたため、五代の混乱期を経て北宋(ほくそう)になると、都は華北(かほく)平原の大運河に沿う開封に置かれ、以後長安は地方都市となったが、伝統に支えられた特殊な地位をもつ中心地であった。

　明(みん)代に西安府が置かれてからは一般にはその名でよばれるようになった。以後、1928年に西安市が設置され、1933年に西京市と改称されたが、1943年にもとの西安市に改められた。1936年に発生した西安事件は国共交渉史上の重要な事件であった。

　その歴史のなかで都市がもっとも繁栄したのは唐代で、東西9.7キロメートル、南北8.7キロメートルにわたる長方形の都城が築かれ、中央北部に皇城（皇帝の執務処）と京城（皇帝の居処）が置かれ、そのほかは東西南北に整然と走る街路により110余の坊に区画されていた。その中には王侯貴族の邸宅、官庁、寺院、道観などの壮麗な建物がそびえていたほか、東西に市が置かれ、付近では商業、手工業が栄えた。最盛期には城内と郊外をあわせて100万の人口があったといわれる。唐代にはシルク・ロードを通じて西方の文物がもたらされ、長安はその東端にあたる一大国際都市であった。日本からも多くの人が訪れ、長安は日本古代の都市計画のモデルになった。しかし唐末の争乱のなかで都の大部分は廃墟(はいきょ)となり、わずかにかつての皇城を中心とした小規模な城郭が残されるだけであったが、明代にこれを基礎に西安府城が築かれ、これが今日の西安の原型となっている。

［秋山元秀　2018年1月19日］

産業・交通

西北地区の経済、貿易の中心地で、1992年内陸開放都市に指定された。かつては重工業と国防産業に依存する偏重した産業構造であったが、1990年代以降、IT産業などの西安ハイテク産業開発区（高新区）、西安経済技術開発区、人工知能（AI）やバイオテクノロジーなどの西咸新区、航空機工業の西安閻良(えんりょう)国家航空ハイテク産業基地、宇宙開発を中心とする西安国家民用航天産業基地を次々と設置し、外資の誘致と産業構造の転換を進めている。中国西部と中部の経済圏を結びつける接点でもあり、隴海(ろうかい)線、寧西線（南京―西安）、鄭西(ていせい)線（鄭州(ていしゅう)―西安）、高速鉄道の西宝旅客専用線（西安―宝鶏(ほうけい)）などが通じる。2011年には地下鉄が開業した。

［周　俊　2018年1月19日］

文化・観光

シルク・ロードの起点であるとともに、古代中国の諸王朝が都を置いたことから、旧跡が豊富である。なかでも、始皇帝陵と数千体の等身大の陶俑(とうよう)（陶製の人間や動物を模した副葬品）が出土した兵馬俑坑は世界的に名高く、1987年ユネスコ（国連教育科学文化機関）により世界遺産の文化遺産に登録された（世界文化遺産）。また、玄奘(げんじょう)の遺骨を納めた舎利塔で知られる興教寺や慈恩寺大雁塔(だいがんとう)、薦福寺(せんぷくじ)小雁塔、漢長安城未央宮(びおうきゅう)遺跡、唐長安城大明宮(たいめいきゅう)遺跡は、2014年に「シルク・ロード：長安‐天山(てんざん)回廊の交易路網」の構成資産として、世界文化遺産に登録されている。始皇帝の阿房宮遺跡、空海(くうかい)が訪れた青龍寺も有名。名勝としては驪山(りざん)をはじめ、秦嶺(しんれい)山脈の美しい自然が広がり、これらも重要な観光資源となっている。

　教育・文化施設も多く、西安交通大学、西北大学、西北工業大学などの高等教育機関や、半坡遺跡博物館、陝西省歴史博物館、関中民俗芸術博物院、石碑を収蔵する西安碑林博物館などがある。

　地方劇の秦腔(しんこう)や影絵芝居の皮影(ひえい)、切紙細工の剪紙(せんし)など、伝統芸術が盛ん。市中心部にはれんが造りの古城壁や600年の歴史をもつ木造建築の鐘鼓楼(しょうころう)など、伝統的な街並みが残る。また、回族やウイグルなどイスラム教徒が居住する回民街があり、清真料理（ハラール料理）の食堂が建ち並ぶ。

［周　俊　2018年1月19日］