Songzhou or Song Prefecture () 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 ...

centering on modern

Shangqiu Shangqiu (), alternately romanized as Shangkiu, is a city in eastern Henan province, Central China. It borders Kaifeng to the northwest, Zhoukou to the southwest, and the provinces of Shandong and Anhui to the northeast and southeast respectively ...

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

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 ...

. It existed (intermittently) from 596 to 1006. The

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an 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. The Song conquered the rest ...

was named after this prefecture because its founder

Emperor Taizu of Song Emperor Taizu of Song (21 March 927 – 14 November 976), personal name Zhao Kuangyin, courtesy name Yuanlang, was the founder and first emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned from 960 until his death in 976. Formerly a distinguish ...

had stationed in Songzhou for many years.

Geography

The administrative region of Songzhou in 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 ...

is in the border area of modern eastern

, northern

Anhui Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the East China region. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze River ...

and southwestern

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

. It probably includes parts of modern: * Under the administration of

, Henan: ** Shangqiu:

Liangyuan District Liangyuan District () is one of the two districts of the city of Shangqiu, Henan province. The name Liangyuan, or "the garden of Liang", follows from the name Prince Xiao of Liang Liu Wu (刘武) (–144 BC), posthumous name, posthumo ...

and

Suiyang District Suiyang District () is one of the two districts of the city of Shangqiu, Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou ...

Minquan County Minquan County () is a county in the east of Henan province, China, bordering Shandong province to the east. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Shangqiu and is located at its northwest corner and is its northernmost cou ...

** Sui County **

Ningling County Ningling County () is a county under the prefecture-level city of Shangqiu, in the east of Henan, Henan province, China, People's Republic of China. Administrative divisions As 2012, this county is divided to 5 towns and 9 townships. ;Towns ;Town ...

Zhecheng County Zhecheng County () is a county under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Shangqiu, in the east of Henan province, People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. ...

Yucheng County Yucheng County () is a county located in the east of Henan province, People's Republic of China, affiliated to Shangqiu City, it is 47.5 kilometers wide from east to west, 67.6 kilometers long from north to south, with an area of 1485 square kilo ...

Xiayi County Xiayi County () is a county of the prefecture-level city of Shangqiu, Henan province, People's Republic of China, bordering Anhui province Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part ...

* Under the administration of

Heze Heze, formerly known as Caozhou, is the westernmost prefecture-level city in Shandong province, China, it borders Jining to the east and the provinces of Henan and Anhui to the west and south respectively. History Caozhou was at the center ...

, Shandong: **

Shan County Shan County or Shanxian () is a county in the southwest of Shandong province, China, bordering the provinces of Anhui to the southeast and Henan to the southwest. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Heze Heze, for ...

Cao County Cao County or Caoxian () is a county in Heze City in southwestern Shandong Province, China. It borders Henan Province to the west. History Bo, one of the capitals of the Shang dynasty, lay in what is now Cao . Prior to the Boxer Rebellion, C ...

* Under the administration of

Suzhou Suzhou (; ; Suzhounese: ''sou¹ tseu¹'' , Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Soochow, is a major city in southern Jiangsu province, East China. Suzhou is the largest city in Jiangsu, and a major economic center and focal point of trade ...

, Anhui: **

Dangshan County Dangshan County () is a county in the far north of Anhui, Anhui Province, China. It is under the administration of Suzhou, Anhui, Suzhou city. It is famous for fruits (pear, peach, plum and watermelon). Administrative divisions Dangshan County a ...

References

* Prefectures of the Sui dynasty Prefectures of the Tang dynasty Prefectures of the Song dynasty Prefectures of Later Liang (Five Dynasties) Prefectures of Later Tang Prefectures of Later Jin (Five Dynasties) Prefectures of Later Han (Five Dynasties) Prefectures of Later Zhou Shangqiu Former prefectures in Henan Former prefectures in Anhui Former prefectures in Shandong {{China-hist-stub