Chang'an was the capital of the Han Dynasty, located near the modern town of Xi'an in Shaanxi Province. The rulers of Chang'An set the explorer Zhang Qian out on his way westward.
Founded about 200 BC, Chang'an was the capital for the Sui and Tang dynasty leaders, and was destroyed in AD 904. Important structures still intact in the site include a pounded earth wall enclosing an area of some 84 square kilometers, and the Temple of Heaven. The Temple of Heaven, a circular p was built of pounded earth in the 15th century AD.
In 1970, a Tang Dynasty collection of jade artifacts called the Hejiacun Hoard was discovered at Chang'An, including this fabulous agate vessel.
Chang'an is considered the eastern terminus of the Silk Road.
