Taiyuan Commandery ( zh, 太原郡) was a commandery of China 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 ...

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...

. It was located in modern central

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...

province. The commandery was established by the Qin state in 248 BC, after Qin general Meng Ao attacked Taiyuan, then part of the State of Zhao, and annexed 37 Zhao cities including Yuci (榆次), Xincheng (新城) and Langmeng (狼孟). The seat was Jinyang (晉陽, near modern

Taiyuan Taiyuan (; ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; also known as (), ()) is the capital and largest city of Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China. Taiyuan is the political, economic, cultural and international exchange center of Shanxi Province ...

city), a former capital of Zhao. In early Western Han dynasty, the territory was successively part of the Han Kingdom of King Xin, and the kingdoms of Dai and Taiyuan. In 114 BC, Taiyuan was once again administered directly as a commandery. In 2 AD, the commandery administered 21 counties, namely Jinyang, Junren (葰人),

Jiexiu Jiexiu is a county-level city in the central part of Shanxi Province, China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Jinzhong and is located in the latter's western confines. Notable sites in and around Jiexiu include M ...

(界休), Yuci (榆次), Zhongdu (中都), Yuli (于離), Cishi (茲氏), Langmeng (狼孟), Wu (鄔), Yu (盂), Pingtao (平陶),

Fenyang Fenyang (), formerly as Fenyang County () before 1996, is a county-level city under the administration of Lüliang prefecture-level city, in Shanxi Province, China. Fenyang is located in the wide valley of the Fen River, some 20-plus kilometers w ...

(汾陽), Jingling (京陵), Yangqu (陽曲), Daling (大陵),

Yuanping Yuanping is a county-level city under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Xinzhou, in north-central Shanxi Province, China. History The territory of present-day Yuanping was held by Zhao during the Warring States Period of Chine ...

(原平), Qi (祁), Shang'ai (上艾), Lüchi (慮虒), Yangyi (陽邑), and Guangwu (廣武). The population was 680,488, or 169,863 households. By 140 AD, the number of counties had decreased to 16, and the population to 200,124, or 30,902 households. In 280 AD, after the unification of

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 ...

, the commandery had 13 counties (Jinyang, Yangqu, Yuci, Yuli, Yu, Langmeng, Yangyi, Daling, Qi, Pingtao, Jingling, Zhongdu, Wu) and 14,000 households. The commandery was abolished in 583 during early Sui dynasty. In Sui and Tang dynasties, Taiyuan Commandery became an alternative name of Bing Prefecture (并州), and later, Taiyuan Prefecture (太原府). In 742 AD, the commandery had a population of 778,278, or 128,905 households in 13 counties.'' New Book of Tang'', Chapter 39.

References

Commanderies of the Han dynasty Commanderies of the Jin dynasty (266–420) Commanderies of the Northern dynasties Commanderies of the Sui dynasty {{China-stub