Historic city · Scenic area · Shaanxi
Hanzhong
汉中
Where the Han dynasty took its name, between the Qinling and the Daba
Hanzhong is a prefecture-level city in southern Shaanxi, in a fertile basin of the upper Han River between the Qinling and Daba mountains. Liu Bang ruled from here as King of Han before founding the Han dynasty, which gave its name to the Han Chinese; the tomb of the envoy Zhang Qian at Chenggu is part of the Silk Roads World Heritage site.
Key facts
Overview
Hanzhong feels more like Sichuan than like the rest of Shaanxi: rice rather than wheat, a humid subtropical climate, and a dialect close to Sichuanese. Its basin has always been the key to the routes between the Wei valley and the Sichuan Basin, and the ancient plank roads cut into the Qinling cliffs — the Baoxie, Tangluo and Ziwu roads — made it one of the most fought-over places in Chinese history.
In spring the valley floor turns yellow with rapeseed flowers. The mountains of Yang county are home to the crested ibis, a bird that was thought extinct in the wild until seven were found there in 1981.
Names and nicknames
汉家发祥地
“birthplace of the Han”
Because the dynastic name Han derives from the kingdom of Hanzhong.
西北小江南
“little Jiangnan of the north-west”
For its rice paddies, rapeseed fields and mild, humid climate.
History
In 206 BCE Xiang Yu made Liu Bang King of Han, with his seat at Nanzheng in Hanzhong; from here Liu Bang broke out to conquer Guanzhong and found the Han dynasty. During the Three Kingdoms Hanzhong was the base for Zhuge Liang's northern campaigns, and he was buried at Mount Dingjun in Mian county. The Han-dynasty inscriptions carved at the Stone Gate tunnel on the Baoxie road are among the treasures of Chinese calligraphy.
206 BCE
Liu Bang becomes King of Han
His kingdom's name became the name of the dynasty he founded in 202 BCE.
114 BCE
Death of Zhang Qian
The envoy whose missions opened contacts with Central Asia was buried in his home town of Chenggu.
66
Stone Gate tunnel
One of the earliest known road tunnels was cut through rock on the Baoxie road; its later cliff inscriptions are now in the Hanzhong Museum.
234
Zhuge Liang buried at Mount Dingjun
The Shu Han chancellor asked to be buried in Hanzhong, the base of his campaigns.
1981
Crested ibis rediscovered
Seven wild birds found in Yang county became the founders of the recovered population.
Landmarks
Museum
Guhantai and Hanzhong Museum
古汉台
Terrace traditionally identified as Liu Bang's palace site, housing the museum with the Stone Gate inscriptions.
Historic site
Tomb of Zhang Qian
张骞墓
In Chenggu county; a component of the Silk Roads World Heritage site.
Historic site
Wuhou Tomb
武侯墓
Zhuge Liang's tomb at the foot of Mount Dingjun in Mian county, among old cypresses.
Historic site
Platform of the Appointed General
拜将坛
The platform where, by tradition, Liu Bang appointed Han Xin commander of his army.
Neighbourhoods
Hantai
汉台区
The central district on the north bank of the Han River.
Qingmuchuan
青木川古镇
Old market town in Ningqiang county on the borders of Gansu and Sichuan.
Food
Hanzhong rice noodles
汉中面皮
Steamed rice sheets cut into wide strips and dressed with chilli oil, vinegar and garlic; also eaten hot.
Vegetable tofu
菜豆腐
Soft tofu set with fermented vegetable water and cooked with greens, eaten with rice.
Culture
Hanzhong's culture blends Guanzhong and Sichuan. Its Three Kingdoms sites draw readers of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and local rituals honour Zhuge Liang and Cai Lun, the inventor of paper, who was enfeoffed as Marquis of Longting in Yang county and is buried there.
Getting around
- Hanzhong station is on the Xi'an–Chengdu high-speed line through the Qinling; the older Yangpingguan–Ankang railway runs along the Han valley.
- Hanzhong Chenggu Airport serves domestic routes.
Day trips
Crested ibis reserve, Yang county
朱鹮梨园
Rice fields and wooded hills where the crested ibis feeds and nests.
Tomb and shrine of Cai Lun
蔡伦墓祠
In Longting, Yang county, with a paper-making demonstration.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Hanzhong Municipal People's Government — Hanzhong Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Seventh National Population Census communiqués — National Bureau of Statistics of China (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor — UNESCO World Heritage Centre (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Hanzhong — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)
More cities in Shaanxi
- Xi'an西安Capital · Historic city · Cultural centreChang'an, imperial capital of Qin, Han and Tang
- Xianyang咸阳Historic cityCapital of Qin and valley of the Han and Tang imperial tombs
- Baoji宝鸡Historic city · Industrial centreHomeland of the Zhou and Qin, city of bronzes
- Yan'an延安Historic city · Cultural centreLoess Plateau city of the Communist Party's wartime base