Chang'an

See also: Changan, Cháng'ān, and Ch'ang-an

English

Alternative forms

• Ch'ang-an, Changan

Etymology

From the atonal Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 長安／长安 (Cháng'ān).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃɑŋˌɑn/, /ˈt͡ʃæŋˌæn/

Proper noun

Chang'an

1. (historical) An ancient capital of various Chinese empires, located within present-day Xi'an.
   • 2020 May 11, Ligaya Mishan, “Eating in Xi’an, Where Wheat and Lamb Speak to China’s Varied Palette”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 11 May 2020‎^[2]:

     The Chinese government started laying intercity high-speed track in 2005, and today, its network is the longest and most heavily relied upon of any nation’s. Six hours are enough to devour the over 900 miles from Shanghai to Xi’an, the landlocked capital of Shaanxi Province in China’s central northwest, standing on the bones of the imperial city of Chang’an. In the seventh and eighth centuries A.D., this was the center of not only China but the globe — the eastern origin of the trade routes we call the Silk Road and the nexus of a cross-cultural traffic in ideas, technology, art and food that altered the course of history as decisively as the Columbian Exchange eight centuries later. A million people lived within Chang’an’s pounded-earth walls, including travelers and traders from Central, Southeast, South and Northeast Asia and followers of Buddhism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, Nestorian Christianity and Manichaeism. All the while, Shanghai was a mere fishing village, the jittery megapolis of the future not yet a ripple on the face of time.

   • 2020 September 29, The Information Office of Xi'an Municipal Government, “Spellbinding Xi`an: Where Ancient and Modern Collide”, in Reuters‎^[3], archived from the original on 11 November 2020, Paid Content:

     At the height of its prominence during the Tang dynasty (618-907), Xi’an, then known as Chang’an, was one of the world’s largest and most populous cities, although its history actually stretches back more than 6,500 years to the Neolithic period. […]
     Since Han dynasty diplomat Zhang Qian blazed a trail westward from Chang’an more than 2,000 years ago, trade and traditions from around the world have flowed along the Silk Road, shaping Xi’an’s uniquely cosmopolitan culture.

2. A district and former county of Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
   • 2023 August 13, “At least 4 dead after landslide in north China’s Xi’an”, in EFE‎^[4], archived from the original on 19 November 2023‎^[5]:

     This aerial photo shows the site of the mud slide in Weiziping Village of Luanzhen Township on the outskirts of Chang’an District, Xi’an of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province 12 August 2023. […]
     The landslide occurred on Friday night in Weiziping village in Chang’an district shortly after heavy rains and floods in the province.
     Two houses in Chang’an were washed away and nearby roads, bridges, power supply facilities were damaged.

Derived terms

• Chang'an Avenue

Translations

Xi'an as a former imperial Chinese capital — see also Xi'an

• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 長安／长安 (coeng⁴ on¹)

  Mandarin: 長安／长安 (zh) (Cháng'ān)

• Latin: Changanum n, Sina f
• Marathi: छांगआन (chāṅgaān)

Further reading

• Chang'an, Changan, Ch'ang-an, Chang-an at Google Ngram Viewer
• Saul B. Cohen, editor (2008), “Chang'an”, in The Columbia Gazetteer of the World‎^[6], 2nd edition, volume 1, New York: Columbia University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 724, column 3