Chang 'an is a very nice name. Why did the ancients change it to Xi 'an?

When it comes to China's two ancient capitals, Chang 'an and Luoyang are indisputable. Now Luoyang is also called Luoyang, but Chang 'an has become "Xi 'an". You know, Chang 'an is a world-class ancient capital, and it is also known as the four ancient civilizations in the world with Rome in Italy, Athens in Greece and Cairo in Egypt. Literally, "Chang 'an" contains more historical and cultural details than the word "Xi 'an". But why should such a beautiful and meaningful name be renamed "Xi 'an"? And who changed it?

First of all, let me talk about the origin of "Chang 'an". Chang 'an area existed as a national capital as early as the Western Zhou Dynasty. Tanjing and Haojing were built by Zhou Wenwang and Zhou Wuwang respectively. In 350 BC, in the twelfth year of Qin Xiaogong, in order to meet the needs of Qin's development after Shang Yang's political reform, Qin established a new capital, Xianyang, which is located in the northwest of Chang 'an. After winning the final victory of the Chu-Han dispute, Liu Bang saw the disadvantages and fate of Xiang Yu's returning home in clothes and building his capital in his hometown, so he could not make his capital in his hometown, Pei County.

Because of the superior geographical position in Guanzhong area, Liu Bang turned his attention to this "800-Li Qinchuan", and Xianyang City is a good choice. But in front of Liu Bang, Xianyang had been burned by Xiang Yu, and the short life of Qin Dynasty made Liu Bang feel uncomfortable. Finally, at the suggestion of Sean, Liu Bang decided to build a new capital in Chang 'an Township, not far southeast of Xianyang, which is the famous Chang 'an City. Xiao He presided over the construction of Chang 'an City, which in itself means "long-term stability". The name of the palace "Weiyang Palace" is also a beautiful implication.

However, Liu Bang's good wish for Dahan's long-term stability has not been realized. On and off for more than 400 years, Dahan still died. However, Chang 'an City continued until the Sui and Tang Dynasties before it once again ushered in its glory. Chang 'an City in the Tang Dynasty is far more brilliant than Chang 'an City in the Han Dynasty, as can be seen from the recent popularity of The Longest Day in Chang 'an. At that time, Chang 'an was the largest city in the world, with none. However, Zhu Wen, a military commander in the late Tang Dynasty, usurped the land of the Tang Dynasty and set it on fire.

After Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, he sent Xu Da and other famous soldiers to lead the northern expedition and expel Yuan. After Xu Da captured Fengyuan Road, Zhu Yuanzhang was overjoyed and changed Fengyuan Road to "Xi 'an House", which is the origin of the name "Xi 'an". Although "Anxi" and "xi 'an" are just reversed, their meanings are quite different. "Anxi" means "stabilizing the west" and is a process; "Xi 'an" means "western stability", which is a result. In order to keep the west stable for a long time, Zhu Yuanzhang made his second son Zhu Shang a vassal here.

Although it was renamed "Xi 'an" in the Ming Dynasty, at that time, there was still hope to change it back to "Chang 'an". Like other founding emperors, Zhu Yuanzhang once considered moving the capital, and Xi 'an was his first choice. To this end, he also specially sent Crown Prince Zhu Biao to inspect, so as to realize his wish after his succession in the future. Unfortunately, Zhu Biao fell ill soon after returning from this business trip and never got up again. With the untimely death of Zhu Biao, Zhu Yuanzhang's idea of moving the capital to Xi 'an was dismissed, and Chang 'an lost the opportunity to change its name.