Liaodong Commandery ( zh, 遼東郡) was a
commandery in imperial China that existed from the
Warring States period
The Warring States period () was an era in ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the Qin wars of conquest ...
to the
Northern dynasties. It was located in modern
Liaoning, to the east of the
Liao River.
The commandery was created by the
state of Yan on its northern border during the Warring States period. In
Western Han dynasty, It administered 18 counties, including
Xiangping (襄平), Xinchang (新昌), Wulü (無慮), Wangping (望平), Fang (房), Houcheng (候城), Liaodui (遼隊), Liaoyang (遼陽), Xiandu (險瀆), Jujiu (居就), Gaoxian (高顯), Anshi (安市), Wuci (武次), Pingguo (平郭), Xi'anping (西安平), Wen (文), Fanhan (番汗), and Dashi (沓氏). In 2 AD, the population was 272,539, in 55,972 households. In Eastern Han, 11 counties remained, including Xiangping, Xinchang, Wulü, Wangping, Houcheng, Anshi, Pingguo, Xi'anshi, Wen, Fanhan and Dashi. In 140 AD, the population was 64,158 households. During the reign of
Emperor Xian, management of
Buyeo
Buyeo or Puyŏ ( Korean: 부여; Korean pronunciation: u.jʌ or 扶餘 ''Fúyú''), also rendered as Fuyu, was an ancient kingdom that was centered in northern Manchuria in modern-day northeast China. It is sometimes considered a Korean ...
affairs was transferred from
Xuantu Commandery to Liaodong. In the
dynasty, Xiangping in Liaodong became the seat of an office known as the "Colonel of the
Dongyi" (東夷校尉), which was in charge of the military and relationships with the local peoples. In early
Western Jin, the territory became the Liaodong Principality (遼東國). In 280 AD, the commandery had 8 counties, and a population of 5,400 households. A number of new commanderies was established in the region throughout the
Sixteen Kingdoms
The Sixteen Kingdoms (), less commonly the Sixteen States, was a chaotic period in Chinese history from AD 304 to 439 when northern China fragmented into a series of short-lived dynastic states. The majority of these states were founded by ...
and
Northern dynasties periods, and by the time of
Northern Wei, Liaodong only consisted of 2 counties, namely Xiangping and Xinchang. It was eventually dissolved during
Northern Qi.
['']Book of Sui
The ''Book of Sui'' (''Suí Shū'') is the official history of the Sui dynasty. It ranks among the official Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China. It was written by Yan Shigu, Kong Yingda, and Zhangsun Wuji, with Wei Zheng as the lead au ...
'', Chapter 30.
References
{{Han dynasty provinces
Commanderies of the Han dynasty
Commanderies of the Qin dynasty
Commanderies of the Jin dynasty (266–420)
Commanderies of the Northern dynasties