Qiánzhōu

Qianzhou lies on the northern edge of the Guanzhong plain, south of Mount Liang. The prefecture takes its name from Qianling, the great Tang mausoleum in the mountain where Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian were buried together. Stone figures line the approaches to the tomb, a reminder of the imperial court that once ruled from nearby Chang'an. Fengtian County was established near the mausoleum in 684, and Qianzhou was founded at its seat in 895. Under the Yuan the county was absorbed into the prefecture. The Ming placed Qianzhou under Xi'an Prefecture, and in 1725 the Qing raised it to a prefecture directly under the provincial government.