Compared with cities such as Chang'an (now Xi'an), Luoyang and Beijing, which have all been capitals for long periods, Sichuan is a distant, remote place with rugged terrain which makes it difficult of access. In ancient times it was a separate country, and from the Han dynasty onwards it became one of the main places to which Chinese emperors banished "dissidents."
過去相較於長期被作為首都的長安、洛陽、北京，四川天遠地偏，地形險峻，出入困難，古來自成一國，秦漢之後，更儼然成為中國帝王流放「異議份子」的重要之所。