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

imperial China The history of China spans several millennia across a wide geographical area. Each region now considered part of the Chinese world has experienced periods of unity, fracture, prosperity, and strife. Chinese civilization first emerged in the Y ...

located in modern northern

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, around modern

Hangzhou Hangzhou, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...

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

Wuyue Wuyue (; ) was a Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic state of China and one of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period#Ten Kingdoms, Ten Kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of History of China, Chinese history. It wa ...

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 is a funnel-shaped inlet of the East China Sea on the middle eastern coast of Mainland China, bordered by the province of Zhejiang to the west and south, and the municipality of Shanghai to north. The bay extends westwards to its ...

, which opens to the

East China Sea The East China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. China names the body of water along its eastern coast as "East Sea" (, ) due to direction, the name of "East China Sea" is otherwise ...

. 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 Postal Map Romanization, or Tsientang River, is a rivers of China, river in East China. An important commercial artery, it runs for through Zhejiang, passing through the provincial c ...

. During the

Northern Song The Song dynasty ( ) was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Ten Kingdoms, endin ...

(960–1127) it was the capital of Liangzhe Circuit. 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 ar ...

, which would become the capital of the

Southern Song The Song dynasty ( ) was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Ten Kingdoms, ending ...

(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 The Chen dynasty (), alternatively known as the Southern Chen (南陳 / 南朝陳) in historiography, was a Dynasties in Chinese history, Chinese imperial dynasty and the fourth and last of the Northern and Southern dynasties#Southern dynasties, ...

(557–589) created Qiantang Commandery (錢唐郡), which administered four counties. When the northern

Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty ( ) was a short-lived Dynasties of China, Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 581 to 618. The re-unification of China proper under the Sui brought the Northern and Southern dynasties era to a close, ending a prolonged peri ...

(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 such as curtain walls with to ...

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 (), was the second emperor of the Sui dynasty of China. Emperor Yang's original name was Yang Ying, but he was rena ...

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), or simply the Sui-Tang transition, was the period of History of China, Chinese history between the end of the Sui dynasty and the start of the Tang dynasty. The Sui dynasty's territories were carved i ...

, 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 th ...

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, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

(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), becoming the first female rebel leader ...

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

Huang Chao Huang Chao (835 – July 13, 884) was a wealthy Chinese salt trader and soldier who is primarily known for instigating the Huang Chao Rebellion. In 878, he proclaimed himself emperor and the establishment of a new Qi dynasty. Huang Chao's re ...

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 correspo ...

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

Kaifeng Prefecture Kaifeng ( zh, s=开封, p=Kāifēng) 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 most known for having been the Chin ...

(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) ...

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 ...

). 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 China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of ...

(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 Wuy ...

(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, ...

(975).

During the Song dynasty (978–1129)

The inventor

Bi Sheng Bi Sheng (972–1051) was a Chinese artisan and engineer during the Song dynasty (960–1279), who invented the world's first movable type. Bi's system used fired clay tiles, one for each Chinese character, and was invented between 1039 and 1048 ...

was active in Hang Prefecture, as was

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

. 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 sometim ...

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

Zhao Gou } Emperor Gaozong of Song (12 June 11079 November 1187), personal name Zhao Gou, courtesy name Deji, was the tenth emperor of the Chinese Song dynasty and the first of the Southern Song dynasty, ruling between 1127 and 1162 and retaining power as ...

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

Prefects

Source:

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 of the Tang dynasty, chancellor during th ...

, 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 ca ...

, 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 of the Tang dynasty, chancellor briefly during the reign of Emperor Suzong of Tang, Emperor Suzong—although he was commissioned by ...

, 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 historian, poet, and politician during the Tang dynasty. Li was a trusted advisor and close friend to Emperor Suzong of Tang ...

, 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; , Mandarin Chinese, Mandarin pinyin ''Bǎi Jūyì''; 772–846), courtesy name Letian (樂天), was a Chinese musician, poet, and politician during the Tang dynasty. Many of his poems concern his career o ...

, 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), courtesy name Xiwen (), was an accomplished statesman, writer, scholar, and reformer of the northern Song dynasty. After serving multiple regional posts and at the imperial court for over two de ...

, 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 Cai Xiang () (1012–1067) was a Chinese calligrapher, politician, structural engineer, and poet.Ci hai bian ji wei yuan hui (辞海编辑委员会）. Ci hai （辞海）. Shanghai: Shanghai ci shu chu ban she （上海辞书出版社）, 19 ...

, 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 who lived during the Song dynasty (960–1279). He exceled in numerous fields including but not limited to mathematics, astronomy, 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 ( zh, t=, s=苏轼, p=Sū Shì; 8 January 1037 – 24 August 1101), courtesy name Zizhan (), art name Dongpo (), was a Chinese poet, essayist, calligrapher, painter, scholar-official, literatus, artist, pharmacologist, and gastronome wh ...

, 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