Xian History, China

The history of Xian, China has been recorded in the form of many wars and cultural events. As one of the oldest cities in China, Xian holds a past torn between many cultural ups and treacherous downs. There have major archaeological findings that can place the history of Xian as far back as 500,000 years ago. The history of Xian can be traced all the way back to the 11th century BCE, when it became a major cultural and industrial hub of China. This came about by the formation of the Zhou dynasty. After the period classified as the Warring Sates Period, China was united under the Qin Dynasty and peace was established.

During this period the first wall in Xian was formed. The building process started in 194 BCE and finished four years later in 190 BCE. Once completed, the wall was an amazing 25.7 km long and 12-16 km thick. This famous wall enclosed an enormous area of 36 km. In the same year the wall was completed, an imposing warlord, Dong Zhou, moved the government in order to avoid a conflict with opposing warlords. This event brought about hundreds of years of fights and conflicts to the region, until the Sui Dynasty once again united China. During this period, Xian became the biggest city in the world.

The next uprising began in 904 as residents were forced from their homes and made to move to a new capital city. This left most of the city unoccupied until the Ming Dynasty was established in the 1300's. In 1370, a new wall was formed to protect a much smaller city of only 12 kilometer's in diameter. During this period, it was also surrounded by a moat for additional protection. This wall is still in place today.

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