Hangzhou or Hang Prefecture (589–1129) was a '' zhou'' (prefecture) in

imperial China The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the '' Book of Documents'' (early chapte ...

located in modern northern

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, around modern

Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...

. The prefecture was called Yuhang Commandery from 607 to 621 and from 742 to 758. Hang Prefecture was the capital of the

Wuyue Wuyue (; ), 907–978, was an independent coastal kingdom founded during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907–960) of Chinese history. It was ruled by the Haiyan Qian clan (海盐钱氏), whose family name remains widespread in t ...

kingdom (907–978), inside which it was known as Xi Prefecture (Western Prefecture), and during its last years of the kingdom, as Qiantang Prefecture. Hang Prefecture sat at the head of the

Hangzhou Bay Hangzhou Bay, or the Bay of Hangzhou (), is a funnel-shaped inlet of the East China Sea, bordered by the province of Zhejiang and the municipality of Shanghai, which lies north of the Bay. The Bay extends from the East China Sea to its head a ...

, which opens to the

East China Sea The East China Sea is an arm of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. It covers an area of roughly . The sea’s northern extension between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula is the Yellow Sea, separated b ...

. It was also the southern terminus of the Grand Canal and the eastern terminus of the

Qiantang River The Qiantang River, formerly known as the Hangchow River and alternatively romanised as the Tsientang River, is a river in East China. An important commercial artery, it runs for through Zhejiang, passing through the provincial capital Hangz ...

. During the

Northern Song Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a r ...

(960–1127) it was the capital of

Liangzhe Circuit Liangzhe Circuit (997–1160s) was one of the major circuits during the Song dynasty (960–1279). Its administrative area corresponds roughly to modern Zhejiang, Shanghai, and southern Jiangsu (the portion east of Changzhou, between Lake Tai and ...

. In 1129 it became

Lin'an Prefecture Lin'an Prefecture (1129–1277) was after 1138 the capital of the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279). With over one million people by 1276, it was the most populous city in the world. Lin'an Prefecture was located in modern northern Zhejiang aroun ...

, which would become the capital of the

Southern Song The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. ...

(1127–1279) in 1138.

Counties

For most of its history, Hang Prefecture administered the following 7–9 counties (縣), some of whose names changed frequently:

History

During Sui and the Sui–Tang transition (589–622)

In 587, the southern Chen dynasty (557–589) created Qiantang Commandery (錢唐郡), which administered four counties. When the northern

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 ...

(581–618) conquered the Chen dynasty in 589, Qiantang Commandery was renamed to Hang Prefecture. In 606, the

City Walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

were built. In 607,

Emperor Yang of Sui Emperor Yang of Sui (隋煬帝, 569 – 11 April 618), personal name Yang Guang (), alternative name Ying (), Xianbei name Amo (), also known as Emperor Ming of Sui () during the brief reign of his grandson Yang Tong, was the second emperor of ...

renamed hundreds of prefectures. Hang Prefecture was renamed to Yuhang Commandery. In 609, the Grand Canal was completed. During the

transition from Sui to Tang The transition from Sui to Tang (613–628) was the period of Chinese history between the end of the Sui dynasty and the start of the Tang dynasty. The Sui dynasty's territories were carved into a handful of short-lived states by its officials, ...

, the warlord

Shen Faxing Shen Faxing (died AD 620) was an official of the Chinese Sui dynasty who, after Emperor Yang was killed in a coup led by the general Yuwen Huaji in 618, seized the area of present-day Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu and declared himself the ...

first held Yuhang Commandery in the confusion following the assassination of Emperor Yang in 618. In 620, he was defeated by the warlord

Li Zitong Li Zitong (died 622 CE) was an agrarian leader who claimed the title of emperor in the aftermaths of the death of Emperor Yang of Sui at the hands of the general Yuwen Huaji in 618. After Yuwen vacated the city of Jiangdu (, in modern Yangzhou, ...

, who took over his territory.

During Tang and Wuyue (622–978)

The

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

(618–907) did not occupy the prefecture until December 611, when the Tang army under Li Fuwei destroyed Li Zitong's defense in Yuhang. The Tang renamed Yuhang Commandery to Hang Prefecture. In 653, the woman rebel leader

Chen Shuozhen Chen Shuozhen (; died 653) was a Tang dynasty woman from Muzhou (in modern Chun'an, Zhejiang), who led a peasant uprising in 653. During the rebellion, she declared herself Empress Wenjia (文佳皇帝),''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 199. becoming ...

attacked Hang Prefecture and took Yuqian. In the late Tang dynasty, the rebel

Huang Chao Huang Chao (835 – July 13, 884) was a Chinese smuggler, soldier, and rebel, and is most well known for being the leader of a major rebellion that severely weakened the Tang dynasty. Huang was a Salt in Chinese history, salt smuggler before ...

briefly occupied Hang Prefecture twice, first in 878 and later in 880. In the late 870s, local militias were formed to resist the rebel Wang Ying, and among the soldiers were Hang Prefecture natives Dong Chang and

Qian Liu Qian Liu (10 March 852Academia Sinica Chinese-Western Calendar Converter

. In 882, warlord

Liu Hanhong Liu Hanhong (劉漢宏) (died 887?Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 256.According to the ''Zizhi Tongjian'', Liu Hanhong was captured and executed in the 12th month of the lunar year that roughly correspon ...

, who was based in neighboring Yue Prefecture, wanted to take over Hang Prefecture from Dong Chang. He was soundly defeated by Dong Chang's force led by Qian Liu. In 886, Dong Chang promised Hang Prefecture to Qian Liu if he could destroy Liu Hanhong; Qian Liu did just that, capturing Liu Hanhong and taking over his territory. In 887, Qian Liu took over Hang Prefecture while Dong Chang went to Liu Hanhong's former base in Yue Prefecture. (Qian Liu later attacked and killed Dong Chang in 896.) Qian Liu began a series of massive construction projects in Hang Prefecture in 890. These include the fortification of city walls and the construction of a dam to control the

. After the Tang dynasty collapsed in 907, Qian Liu remained independent throughout the ensuing

Five Dynasties period The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), from 907 to 979, was an era of political upheaval and division in 10th-century Imperial China. Five dynastic states quickly succeeded one another in the Central Plain, and more than a dozen concu ...

, even though like before he continued to pay tributes to the imperial courts in

Kaifeng Prefecture Kaifeng () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and is best known for having been the Chinese capital during the Nort ...

(or

Henan Prefecture Henanfu or Henan Prefecture, also known as Luoyang, was a '' fu'' (superior prefecture) in imperial China in modern Henan, China, centering on modern Luoyang. It existed (intermittently) from 713 to 1913. During the Later Tang dynasty (923–937) i ...

during

Later Tang Tang, known in historiography as the Later Tang, was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China and the second of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Chinese history. The first three of the Later Tang's four e ...

). During the

kingdom, many Buddhist pagodas were built in Hang Prefecture. These include

Baochu Pagoda Baochu Pagoda () is a pagoda in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China. Known as one of the landmarks of the West Lake, it is located just north of the lake on top of Precious Stone Hill (宝石山, bǎoshíshān). Its small base supports seven ...

(963),

Liuhe Pagoda Liuhe Pagoda (), literally Six Harmonies Pagoda, is a multi-story Chinese pagoda in southern Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China. It is located at the foot of Yuelun Hill, facing the Qiantang River. It was originally constructed in 970 by the Wuyu ...

(970), and

Leifeng Pagoda Leifeng Pagoda is a five story tall tower with eight sides, located on Sunset Hill south of the West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. Originally constructed in the year AD 975, it collapsed in 1924 but was rebuilt in 2002. Since then, it ha ...

(975).

During the Song dynasty (978–1129)

The inventor

Bi Sheng Bi Sheng (; 972–1051 AD) was a Chinese artisan, engineer, and inventor of the world's first movable type technology, with printing being one of the Four Great Inventions. Bi Sheng's system was made of Chinese porcelain and was invented betwee ...

was active in Hang Prefecture, as was

Shen Kuo Shen Kuo (; 1031–1095) or Shen Gua, courtesy name Cunzhong (存中) and pseudonym Mengqi (now usually given as Mengxi) Weng (夢溪翁),Yao (2003), 544. was a Chinese polymathic scientist and statesman of the Song dynasty (960–1279). Shen wa ...

. In December 1120, rebel

Fang La Fang La (; died 1121) was a Chinese rebel leader who led an uprising against the Song dynasty. In the classical novel ''Water Margin'', he is fictionalised as one of the primary antagonists and nemeses of the 108 Stars of Destiny. He is sometime ...

took Hang Prefecture and held it until March 1121. In March 1129,

Zhao Gou Emperor Gaozong of Song (12 June 1107 – 9 November 1187), personal name Zhao Gou, courtesy name Deji, was the tenth emperor of the Song dynasty and the first of the Southern Song period, ruling between 1127 and 1162 and retaining power as ret ...

fled the north and arrived with his followers in Hang Prefecture.

Prefects

Tang dynasty

Note: From 742 to 758 Hang Prefecture was known as Yuhang (Commandery). *Shuang Shiluo (雙士洛), 620s *Dugu Yishun (獨孤義順), 620s *Shi Lingqing (史令卿), 620s *Yang Xingju (楊行矩), 620s *Li Hongjie (李弘節), 628?–? *Yuan Shenwei (元神威), 630s? *Liu Chuxian (柳楚賢), 639?–640? *Pan Qiuren (潘求仁), 640–? *Xue Wanche (薛萬徹), 644?–645? *Cui Yuanjiang (崔元獎), 694–? *Li Ziyi (李自挹), 690s *Pei Quan (裴惓), 704–706/707? *

Song Jing Song Jing (宋璟) (663 – November 21, 737), formally Duke Wenzhen of Guangping (廣平文貞公), was a Chinese politician during the Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as the chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Ruizong and ...

, 706/707–709? *

Liu Youqiu Liu Youqiu () (655 – December 6, 715Volume 211 of ''Zizhi Tongjian'' recorded that Liu died on the ''jiashen'' day of the 11th month of the 3rd year of the Kaiyuan era of Tang Xuanzong's reign. This date corresponds to 6 Dec 715 on the Gregorian ...

, 714–715 *Xue Zimian (薛自勉), ? *Wei Cou (韋湊), 722–? *Huangfu Zhong (皇甫忠), 722–723 *Yuan Renjing (袁仁敬), 725–? *Zhang Shouxin (張守信), 746–748 *Li Limu (李力牧), 750–? *Li Chuyou (李處祐), 750–? *Yan Sunzhi (嚴損之), 750–? * Liu Yan, 756–757 *

Cui Huan Cui Huan (崔渙) (died January 14, 769) was a Chinese politician during the Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor briefly during the reign of Emperor Suzong—although he was commissioned by Emperor Suzong's father Emperor Xuanzong, not Emperor ...

, 757–? *Hou Lingyi (侯令儀), 759–760 *Zhang Boyi (張伯儀), 765–767 *Liu Xian (劉暹), 767–? *Du Ji (杜濟), 773–777 *Yuan Quanrou (元全柔), 780–781 *

Li Bi Li Bi or Li Mi (; 722 – April 1, 789), courtesy name Changyuan (), formally the Marquess of Ye County (), was a Chinese political strategy, political and military strategist, military strategist during the Tang dynasty. Li was a trusted advisor ...

, 781–784 *Yin Liang (殷亮), 785–? *Fang Rufu (房孺復), 788–? *Yu Shao (于邵), 792–? * Li Qi, 794–797 *Pei Changdi (裴常棣) *Lu Ze (陸則) *Su Bian (蘇弁), 803–805 *Han Gao (韓皋), 805–? *Zhang Gang (張綱), 805–? *Du Zhi (杜陟), 807–? *Yang Ping (楊憑), early 9th century *Lu Yuanfu (盧元輔), 813–815 *Yan Xiufu (嚴休復), 817–? *Yuan Yu (元藇), 820–? *

Bai Juyi Bai Juyi (also Bo Juyi or Po Chü-i; ; 772–846), courtesy name Letian (樂天), was a renowned Chinese poet and Tang dynasty government official. Many of his poems concern his career or observations made about everyday life, including as g ...

, 822–824 *Li Yougong (李幼公), 826–? *Cui Shan (崔鄯), 828–? *Lu Yi (路異), 832–? * Yao He, 835–838? *

Li Zongmin Li Zongmin (李宗閔) (died 846?''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 248.), courtesy name Sunzhi (損之), was a Chinese politician of the Tang Dynasty, serving twice as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Wenzong. He was considered one of the leading fi ...

, 838–?, 843–? *Li Zhongmin (李中敏), 840 *Pei Yizhi (裴夷直), 840–841 *Li Yuan (李遠), 858–? *Cui Juan (崔涓), 859–? *Cui Yanzeng (崔彦曾), 861–? *Lu Shenzhong (路審中), 881 * Dong Chang, 881–886 *

Qian Liu Qian Liu (10 March 852Academia Sinica Chinese-Western Calendar Converter

, 887–907

Wuyue

*Sun Zhi (孫陟)

Song dynasty

*Fan Min (范旻), 978 *Zhai Shousu (翟守素), 979–982 *Li Jining (李繼凝), 980s *Liu Zhixin (劉知信), 989–993 *Wang Huaji (王化基), 993–995 *Wei Yu (魏羽), 995–997 *Zhang Quhua (張去華), 997–999 *Zhang Yong (張詠), 999–1002 *Song Taichu (宋太初), 1002 *Wang Zhonghua (王仲華), 1002–1003 *Xue Ying (薛暎), 1003–1007 *Wang Ji (王濟), 1007–1010 *Qi Lun (戚綸), 1010–1014 *Xue Yan (薛顔), 1014–1016 *Ma Liang (馬亮), 1016 *

Wang Qinruo Wang Qinruo ( 962 – 22 December 1025), courtesy name Dingguo, was an official in China's Northern Song Dynasty. He was the chancellor from 1017 to 1019 during Emperor Zhenzong's reign and from 1023 to 1025 during Emperor Renzong's reign. Wang ...

, 1019–1020 *Wang Sui (王隨), 1021–1022 *Li Ji (李及), 1022–1023 *Zhou Qi (周起), 1023–1026 *Hu Ze (胡則), 1026–1028 *Li Zi (李諮), 1028–1029 *Zhu Xun (朱巽), 1029–1030 *Chen Congyi (陳從易), 1030–1031 *Zhang Guan (張觀), 1031–1033 *Hu Ze (2nd appointment), 1033–1034 *Zheng Xiang (鄭向), 1034–1036 *Yu Xianqing (俞獻卿), 1036–1038 *Liu Zhi (柳植), 1038–1039 *Sima Chi (司馬池), 1039–1040 *Zhang Ruogu (張若谷), 1040–1041 *Zheng Jian (鄭戩), 1041–1042 *Jiang Tang (蔣堂), 1042–1043 *Yang Xie (楊偕), 1043–1045 *Fang Xie (方偕), 1045–1047 *Jiang Tang (2nd appointment), 1047–1049 *

Fan Zhongyan Fan Zhongyan (5 September 989 – 19 June 1052) from Wu County of Suzhou (Jiangsu Province, China), courtesy name Xiwen (), ratified as the Duke of Wenzheng () posthumously, and conferred as Duke of Chu () posthumously, was a Chinese poet, po ...

, 1049–1050 *Zhang Fangping (張方平), 1050–1051 *Lü Zhen (呂溱), 1051–1053 *Ding Yongsun (丁永孫), 1053 *Li Dui (李兌), 1053 *Sun Gai (孫沔), 1054–1056 *He Zhongli (何中立), 1056–1057 *Mei Zhi (梅摰), 1057–1058 *Tang Xun (唐詢), 1058–1060 *Shi Changyan (施昌言), 1060–1062 *Shen Gou (沈遘), 1062–1064 *Wang Qi (王琪), 1064–1065 * Cai Xiang, 1065–1066 *Hu Su (胡宿), 1066–1067 *Lü Zhen (2nd appointment), 1067 *Zu Wuze (祖無擇), 1067–1069 *Zheng Xie (鄭獬), 1069–1070 *Zhao Bian (趙抃), 1070–1071 *Shen Li (沈立), 1071–1072 *Chen Xiang (陳襄), 1072–1074 *Yang Hui (楊繪), 1074 *Shen Qi (沈起), 1074–1076 *

Su Song Su Song (, 1020–1101), courtesy name Zirong (), was a Chinese polymathic scientist and statesman. Excelling in a variety of fields, he was accomplished in mathematics, Chinese astronomy, astronomy, History of cartography#China, cartography, ...

, 1076–1077 *Zhao Bian (2nd appointment), 1077–1079 *Deng Runfu (鄧潤甫), 1079–1081 *Zhang Shen (張詵), 1081–1085 *Pu Zongmeng (蒲宗孟), 1085–1087 *Yang Hui (2nd appointment), 1087–1088 *Xiong Ben (熊本), 1088–1089 *

Su Shi Su Shi (; 8 January 1037 – 24 August 1101), courtesy name Zizhan (), art name Dongpo (), was a Chinese calligrapher, essayist, gastronomer, pharmacologist, poet, politician, and travel writer during the Song dynasty. A major personality of ...

, 1089–1091 *Lin Xi (林希), 1091–1092 *Wang Cun (王存), 1092–1094 *Chen Xuan (陳軒), 1094–1096 *Han Zongdao (韓宗道), 1096–1097 *Li Cong (李琮), 1097–1098 *Lin Xi (2nd appointment), 1098–1099 *Feng Ji (豐稷), 1099–1100 *Lü Huiqing (呂惠卿), 1100–1101 *Gong Yuan (龔原), 1001 *Chen Xuan (2nd appointment), 1101–1102 *Zou Hao (鄒浩), 1102 *Lü Huiqing (2nd appointment), 1102 *Jiang Zhiqi (蔣之奇), 1102–1103 *Yuwen Changling (宇文昌齡), 1103–1105 *Zhong Chuan (鍾傳), 1105 *Wang Ning (王寧), 1105 *Zeng Xiaoguang (曾孝廣), 1105 *Lü Huiqing (3rd appointment), 1106–1107 *Zeng Xiaoyun (曾孝藴), 1107 *Zhu Yan (朱彦), 1107–1108 *Wang Huanzhi (王渙之), 1108–1109 *Xi Zhen (席震), 1109 *Cai Ni (蔡薿), 1109 *Zhang Shangying (張商英), 1110 *Liu Kui (劉逵), 1110 *Zhang Ge (張閣), 1110–1111 *Pang Yinsun (龐寅孫), 1111–1114 *Dong Zhengfeng (董正封), 1114–1115 *Li Yan (李偃), 1115–1116 *Zhao Meng (趙㠓), 1116–1119 *Zhao Ting (趙霆), 1119–1120 *Zeng Xiaoyun (2nd appointment), 1121 *Yu Yi (虞奕), 1121 *Cai Ni (2nd appointment), 1121–1122 *Weng Yanguo (翁彦國), 1122–1125 *Tang Ke (唐恪), 1125–1126 *Weng Yanguo (2nd appointment), 1126 *Mao You (毛友), 1126 *Ye Mengde (葉夢得), 1126–1127 *Qian Boyan (錢伯言), 1127 *Shiqi Fu (侍其傅), 1127–1128 *Kang Yunzhi (康允之), 1128–1129

References

* * * * * {{Liangzhe Circuit 589 establishments 6th-century establishments in China 1129 disestablishments in Asia 12th-century disestablishments in China Prefectures of the Sui dynasty Prefectures of the Tang dynasty Prefectures of Wuyue Liangzhe West Circuit History of Hangzhou Former prefectures in Zhejiang