chídào

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  2. top of the aat hierarchies
  3. Objects Facet
  4. Built Environment (hierarchy name)
  5. Open Spaces and Site Elements (hierarchy name )
  6. open spaces
  7. [open spaces by function]
  8. transportation spaces
  9. roads
  10. [roads by location or context]
  11. chídào
Scope note
The term chidao, literally “speed” and “way” (Kroll 2015, 51, 79), was first used in the Qin dynasty (221-206 BCE) to refer to national expressways for the emperor's tours and military affairs. The roadways were first established in the Warring States Period (475-221 BCE); in the Qin dynasty, the First Emperor (Qin Shihuang) expanded them from Xianyang to all parts of the country. New roads were built during the Han, Sui, and Ming Dynasties. Chidao were very wide and were divided into three lanes, with the middle lane being exclusively used by the emperor. After the Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 CE), chidao had two meanings. (1) Chidao located near the imperial palace were strongly associated with imperial authority and the term was gradually used interchangeably with “middle road” (zhongdao 中道), “imperial road” (yudao 禦道), and “defensive road” (yulu 禦路). (2) Between cities and counties, the military and transportation functions of chidao were emphasized. During the Ming and Qing dynasties and into the twentieth century, the term chidao was used generally to refer to common roadways (Ban 1962, 2242, 2888; Wei 1974, 68; Zhu 1984, 705; Wang 2012).
chídào
Accepted term: 10-Mar-2025