Donglai Commandery ( zh, 東萊郡) was a historical Chinese commandery on the

Jiaodong Peninsula The Shandong (Shantung) Peninsula or Jiaodong (Chiaotung) Peninsula is a peninsula in Shandong Province in eastern China, between the Bohai Sea to the north and the Yellow Sea to the south. The latter name refers to the east and Jiaozhou. G ...

, existing from Han dynasty to Tang dynasty. Donglai Commandery was likely established during

Emperor Jing of Han Emperor Jing of Han (Liu Qi (劉啟); 188 BC – 9 March 141 BC) was the sixth emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty from 157 to 141 BC. His reign saw the limiting of the power of the feudal kings/princes which resulted in the Rebellion of the Sev ...

's reign on the lands of Jiaodong Commandery. In late Western Han dynasty, its territory included 17 counties and marquessates, namely Ye (掖), Chui (腄), Pingdu (平度), Huang (黃),

Linqu Linqu County () is a county, originally known as "Pianyi", located in the southwest of Weifang and the middle of Shandong Peninsula, Shandong Province, China. Linqu also has the name Zhuxu County. It covers an area of and governs 937 villages whic ...

(臨朐), Qucheng (曲成),

Muping Muping District (), formerly also known as Ninghai or Ninghaichow, is a district administered by the prefecture-level city of Yantai, Shandong province, People's Republic of China, and is the easternmost county-level division The administr ...

(牟平), Dongmu (東牟), Zang (脏), Yuli (育犁), Changyang (昌陽), Buye (不夜), Dangli (當利), Luxiang (盧鄉), Yangle (陽樂), Yangshi (陽石), and Xuxiang (徐鄉). In 140 AD during Eastern Han, the number of counties and marquessates was 13, including Huang, Muping, Jian (惤), Qucheng, Ye, Dangli, Dongmu, Changyang, Luxiang, Gelu (葛盧), Changguang (長廣), Qianzou (黔陬), and Buqi (不其), the last three of which were formerly part of Langya Commandery. During the Jian'an Era of early 3rd century, Qianzou was transferred to the newly established Chengyang Commandery. Also during Jian'an Era, Changguang Commandery was established on the territory of Donglai and

Beihai Beihai (; Postal romanization: Pakhoi) is a prefecture-level city in the south of Guangxi, People's Republic of China. Its status as a seaport on the north shore of the Gulf of Tonkin has granted it historical importance as a port of internation ...

, covering 6 counties, although by 213 AD the commandery would have been dissolved, and the counties merged back into their respective original commanderies. Changguang Commandery was later restored in 277 AD. In 280 AD, after the unification of Jin dynasty, Donglai administered 6 counties. After the Disaster of Yongjia, the commandery was successively ruled by

Later Zhao The Later Zhao (; 319–351) was a dynasty of the Sixteen Kingdoms in northern China. It was founded by the Shi family of the Jie ethnicity. The Jie were most likely a Yeniseian people and spoke next to Chinese one of the Yeniseian languages.Vov ...

Former Yan The Former Yan (; 337–370) was a dynastic state ruled by the Xianbei during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China. Initially, Murong Huang and his son Murong Jun claimed the Jin dynasty-created title "Prince of Yan," but subsequently, in 352, ...

Former Qin The Former Qin, also called Fu Qin (苻秦), (351–394) was a dynastic state of the Sixteen Kingdoms in Chinese history ruled by the Di ethnicity. Founded by Fu Jian (posthumously Emperor Jingming) who originally served under the Later ...

and

Southern Yan The Southern Yan (; 398–410) was a Xianbei-led dynastic state during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China. Its territory roughly coincided with modern Shandong. Its founder Murong De was a son of Murong Huang and brother of Murong Jun and Muron ...

, until it was conquered by Liu Yu of the Liu Song dynasty.

Northern Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei (), Tuoba Wei (), Yuan Wei () and Later Wei (), was founded by the Tuoba (Tabgach) clan of the Xianbei. The first of the Northern and Southern dynasties#Northern dynasties, Northern dynasties ...

conquered the region during Emperor Ming of Song's reign. The commandery was eventually abolished in early

Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and layi ...

.'' Book of Sui'', Chapter 30. In Sui and

Tang Tang or TANG most often refers to: * Tang dynasty * Tang (drink mix) Tang or TANG may also refer to: Chinese states and dynasties * Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) b ...

dynasties, Donglai Commandery became the alternative name of Lai Prefecture. In 692, several counties were separated to form the new Deng Prefecture, later also known as Dongmu Commandery. In 742, the commandery's reduced territory covered 4 counties: Ye, Changyang, Jimo and Jiaoshui (膠水, formerly Changguang).''

New Book of Tang The ''New Book of Tang'', generally translated as the "New History of the Tang" or "New Tang History", is a work of official history covering the Tang dynasty in ten volumes and 225 chapters. The work was compiled by a team of scholars of the So ...

'', Chapter 38.

Population

References

{{Han dynasty provinces Commanderies of the Han dynasty Commanderies of the Jin dynasty (266–420) Commanderies of the Southern dynasties Commanderies of the Northern dynasties Commanderies of the Sui dynasty