Pingyi ( zh, 馮翊), also known as Zuo Pingyi ( zh, 左馮翊), was a historical region of China located in modern

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), N ...

province. In early

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

, the administrator of an area to the east of the capital

Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin ...

was known as ''Zuo Neishi'' (左內史), and the region was also known by the same name. In 104 BC, ''Zuo Neishi'' was renamed ''Zuo Pingyi'' ("assisting the capital on the left"). In Western Han, the area administered 21 counties: Gaoling (高陵), Yueyang (櫟陽), Didao (翟道), Chiyang (池陽), Xiayang (夏陽), Ya (衙), Suyi (粟邑), Gukou (谷口), Lianshao (蓮勺), Fu (鄜), Pinyang (頻陽), Linjin (臨晉), Chongquan (重泉), Heyang (郃陽), Duiyu (祋祤), Wucheng (武城), Chenyang (沈陽), Huaide (褱德), Zheng (徵), Yunling (雲陵), Wannian (萬年), Changling (長陵), Yangling (陽陵) and Yunyang (雲陽). Over the course of Eastern Han dynasty, 9 counties (Yueyang, Didao, Gukou, Fu, Wucheng, Chenyang, Zheng, Yunling, Huaide) were abolished, and two more (Changling and Yangling) were transferred to the neighboring Jingzhao. In 2 AD, the region had a population of 917,822 in 235,101 households,''

Book of Han The ''Book of Han'' or ''History of the Former Han'' (Qián Hàn Shū,《前汉书》) is a history of China finished in 111AD, covering the Western, or Former Han dynasty from the first emperor in 206 BCE to the fall of Wang Mang in 23 CE. ...

'', Chapter 28. while the census in 140 AD recorded a population of 145,195 in 37,090 households.''

Book of Later Han The ''Book of the Later Han'', also known as the ''History of the Later Han'' and by its Chinese name ''Hou Hanshu'' (), is one of the Twenty-Four Histories and covers the history of the Han dynasty from 6 to 189 CE, a period known as the Lat ...

'', Chapter 109. In

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' <

Middle Chinese

: *''ŋjwei^C'' < Commandery In the Middle Ages, a commandery (rarely commandry) was the smallest administrative division of the European landed properties of a military order. It was also the name of the house where the knights of the commandery lived.Anthony Luttrell and ...

(馮翊郡). 8 counties were administered by the commandery by late

Western Jin Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

. It was further divided during the Northern Dynasties, and in early Sui, the remaining Pingyi Commandery was merged into Tong Prefecture (同州). In Sui and Tang dynasties, Pingyi Commandery was an alternative name for Tong Prefecture. It administered 7 counties including Pingyi,

Hancheng Hancheng () is a city in Shaanxi Province, People's Republic of China, about 125 miles northeast of Xi'an, at the point where the south-flowing Yellow River enters the Guanzhong Plain. It is a renowned historic city, containing numerous historic ...

(韓城), Heyang, Chaoyi (朝邑), Chengcheng (澄城), Pucheng (蒲城), Xiagui (下邽) and Baishui (白水). In 742, the population was 385,560 in 58,561 households.''

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 37.

References

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

See also

References