Urban Planning in the Tang Dynasty: Exploring the Map of Chang'an

Now better known as Xi'an, Chang'an was the capital of China during the Tang dynasty and, at its peak, one of the largest cities in the world. Recently, I have been reading a novel set in Chang'an. The descriptions of bustling streets and diverse communities left me wondering: What was it like to live in an ancient Chinese city?

A Map of Chang'an. Note the distinctive grid layout and the wards that formed the basic unit of the urban topology (Ma et al.)

Looking at a map of Chang'an, the first thing you'll notice is the grid layout. Chang'an is divided into 108 wards, each mirroring the municipal plan on a smaller scale. Life in Chang'an was heavily regulated, and the wards reflected the level of control officials had over the population. Each ward had gates that opened and closed to enforce curfews during the nighttime. Soldiers would patrol the streets at night, and a number of carefully situated drum towers announced the time throughout the day.

Chinese cities today still exhibit some of these characteristics. Unlike their Western counterparts, most Chinese cities revolve around gated communities (小区). This means that Chinese cities tend to have much lower densities of road networks, as internal roads within gated communities are often not considered.

Another unmissable feature is Zhuque Street, Chang'an's prominent central axis. It connects Mingde Gate to the Imperial City, which houses the key administrative institutions of the Chinese state. This design feature is common in capital cities worldwide, creating an imposing and grand atmosphere that draws attention to symbols of power like palaces and monuments. Modern Beijing still has a central axis that joins the Temple of Heaven in the South with the Forbidden City and, finally, the Olympic Forest Park in the North.  

Located at the end of the Silk Road, Chang'an attracted merchants from places as far as Arabia. Its two largest markets — the West Market and East Market — became amalgams of different cultures. The West Market emphasized foreign goods, whereas the East Market showcased domestic products like jade and silk. Interestingly, the Chinese expression for "things" — 东西 — literally translates to "east west". Some say that this expression came from the two markets of Chang'an, where one would be able to find virtually any item that existed in the ancient world.

Over 1000 years have passed, but many of the planning traditions in Chang'an continue to influence Chinese urban design. So, while my small investigation into Chang'an's urban planning sheds some light on urban life for people during the Tang dynasty, it also helps me better understand the city I live in today.

Bibliography

City Life in Tang | Encyclopedia.Com. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/city-life-tang. 

Ma, Zhaoyi, et al. ‘Representation of the Spatio-Temporal Narrative of The Tale of Li Wa李娃传’. PLOS ONE, edited by Riccardo Gallotti, vol. 15, no. 4, Apr. 2020, p. e0231529. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231529.