Luoyang - History

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History of Luoyang

Luoyang gained prominence when it replaced Xi'an (Sian) as the capital of ancient China during the Eastern Zhou (Chou) dynasty (770-256 BC). The city was the capital again during the Eastern (Later) Han dynasty (AD 25-220), and in 494 the Northern Wei dynasty (386-534) moved its capital here from Datong and made it a major center of Buddhism. In 605, Luoyang became the capital of the Sui dynasty (581-618), once more replacing Xi'an. It continued to be important as the eastern capital (secondary to Xi'an) under the Tang (T'ang) emperors (618-907) and entered a long period of decline after the Song emperors (960-1279) moved the capital east to Kaifeng. Luoyang was renamed Honanfu (commonly called Honan) during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) and regained its older name in 1912. While Nanjing (Nanking) was threatened (1932) by Japanese attack, Luoyang served as capital of Nationalist China. It was developed as an industrial center after 1949. Population (1995 estimate) 1,370,000