Sanfu huangtu 三輔黃圖

Sanfu huangtu 三輔黃圖 "Yellow [i.e. imperial] maps of the three metropolitan areas", also called Xijing huangtu 西京黃圖 "Yellow maps of the Western Capital", is a local geography of the ancient capital region around Chang'an 長安 (modern Xi'an 西安, Shaanxi). The book was compiled by an unknown author during the Southern and Northern dynasties period 南北朝 (300~600) or probably somewhat earlier. Sun Xingyang 孫星衍 (1753-1818) and Song Liankui 宋聯奎 (1870-1951) rate it as a book compiled during the Later Han period 後漢 (25-220), Chao Gongwu 晁公武 (1105-1180) as a book compiled during the Liang 梁 (502-557) or Chen period 陳 (557-589).

The original book was one juan long and later rearranged in 6 or 2 juan, depending on the edition. The book includes a lot of geographical terms used from the Jin 晉 (265-420) to the Tang periods 唐 (618-907) which demonstrates that it was, after the first version was finished, changed or enlarged.

The first part of the Sanfu huangtu is a chronological overview of the three metropolitan commanderies or areas (sanfu 三輔), namely the capital commandery Jingzhao 京兆 and the commanderies Fengyi 馮翊 and Fufeng 扶風, their political administration, a description of Xianyang 咸陽 (modern Xianyang, Shaanxi), the capital of the Qin dynasty 秦 (221-206 BCE), and of Chang'an, the capital of the Han dynasty 漢 (206 BCE-220 CE).

In the second juan, the nine markets of Chang'an are described, the eight quarters and nine districts, as well as the various streets and the imperial palaces of the Han. The third juan is dedicated to the more important buildings of the Changle Palace 長樂宮, Weiyang Palace 未央宮, Jianzhang Palace 建章宮, the Northern Palace 北宮 and the Ganquan Palace 甘泉宮.

The fourth juan describes the gardens and ponds, the fifth juan terraces and pavillions, the Biyong Hall 辟雍, the Mingtang Hall 明堂, the National University (taixue 太學) and the ancestral temples, and the sixth juan various administrative institutions, warehouses and arsenals. For each building, the Sanfu huangtu provides information about its location, the shape, its history and stories around them. There is also some scattered information about earlier buildings of the region like the Lingtai Terrace 靈臺 and the Terrace Gardens 臺囿 from the Zhou period 周 (11th cent.-221 BCE), as well as about buildings outside the city, like the Rihua Palace 日華宮 and the Yaohua Palace 曜華宮 of Liang 梁.

The Sanfu huangtu is included in the reprint series Siku quanshu 四庫全書 and Guanzhong congshu 關中叢書. There are also two other editions by Bi Yuan 畢沅 (1730-1797) and by Sun Xingyan. There is a modern edition and commentary by Chen Zhi 陳直, the Sanfu huangtu jiaozheng 三輔黃圖校證, and one by He Qinggu 何清谷 called Sanfu huangtu jiaozhu 三輔黃圖校注.