Songzhou or Song Prefecture () 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 ...

centering on modern

Shangqiu Shangqiu ( zh, ), Postal romanization, 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 ...

Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

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 ...

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

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, 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 Fiv ...

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 founding emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned from 960 until his death in 976. Formerly a distinguished milita ...

had stationed in Songzhou for many years.

Geography

The administrative region of Songzhou in 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 ...

is in the border area of modern eastern

, northern

Anhui Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...

and southwestern

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

. 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, who built the garden around 154 BC centered in the area of nowaday ...

and

Suiyang District Suiyang District () is one of the two districts of the city of Shangqiu, Henan, China. The district was established in 1997. "Suiyang" is a historical name of the Shangqiu city. Administrative divisions , this district is divided to 4 subdistrict ...

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 province, People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of Ch ...

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 **

Xiayi County Xiayi County () is a county of the prefecture-level city of Shangqiu, Henan, Henan province, China, People's Republic of China, bordering Anhui, Anhui province to the northeast and southwest. It has a population of about 1.11 million. Adminis ...

* Under the administration of

Heze Heze (), formerly known as Caozhou, is the westernmost prefecture-level city in Shandong province, China, bordering Jining to the east and the provinces of Henan and Anhui to the west and south respectively.The total area is 12238.62 square kilo ...

, 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 A prefecture-lev ...

** Cao County * Under the administration of

Suzhou Suzhou is a major prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. As part of the Yangtze Delta megalopolis, it is a major economic center and focal point of trade and commerce. Founded in 514 BC, Suzhou rapidly grew in size by the ...

, Anhui: **

Dangshan County Dangshan County () is a county in the far north of Anhui Province, China. It is under the administration of Suzhou city. It is famous for fruits (pear, peach, plum and watermelon). Administrative divisions Dangshan County administers 13 towns an ...

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