This paper examines the profound spatial transformation of educational establishments in Xi'an from the late Qing Dynasty (c. 1900) to the end of the Republican period (1949). This half-century witnessed an unprecedented shift in the hierarchical system and geographical distribution of schools

driven by educational modernization

political upheaval

and urban expansion. By employing a multi-temporal spatial analysis focused on the urban core and its immediate periphery at four critical junctures—1911

1931

1939

and 1949—this study meticulously traces the evolving distribution patterns and geographical structures. It argues that the evolution of educational space was a complex process characterized by the inheritance of traditional urban patterns

innovation spurred by new policies

disruption caused by warfare

and reconfiguration influenced by demographic and economic changes. The findings illuminate the intricate relationship between educational development

urban space

and broader socio-political forces in the modernization of a major Chinese city.