Tianshui Commandery ( zh, 天水郡), known as Hanyang Commandery ( zh, 漢陽郡) during the Eastern Han dynasty, was a historical
commandery of China in eastern
Gansu. The modern city of
Tianshui
Tianshui is the second-largest city in Gansu Province, China. The city is located in the southeast of the province, along the upper reaches of the Wei River and at the boundary of the Loess Plateau and the Qinling Mountains. As of the 2020 cen ...
receives its name from the commandery.
History
The commandery was established from lands of
Longxi and
Beidi
The Di or Beidi (Northern Di) were various ethnic groups who lived north of the Chinese (''Huaxia'') realms during the Zhou dynasty. Although initially described as nomadic, they seem to have practiced a mixed pastoral, agricultural, and hunti ...
commanderies in 114 BC. In 2 AD, the commandery had 16 counties: Pingxiang (平襄), Jiequan (街泉), Rongyidao (戎邑道), Wangyuan (望垣), Hanjian (罕幵), Mianzhudao (綿諸道), Ayang (阿陽), Lueyangdao (略陽道), Ji (冀), Yongshi (勇士), Chengji (成紀),
Qingshui (清水), Fengjie (奉捷), Long (隴), Huandao (豲道) and Langan (蘭干). The total population was 261,348 (60,370 households). The name was changed to Hanyang in 74 AD. The Eastern Han census in 140 AD documented a popolation of 130,138 (27,423 households), and the number of counties was 13.
The name "Tianshui" was restored during the
. In 280 AD, it administered 6 counties and the population was 8,500 households. During the
Northern Wei, it was split into Tianshui and Hanyang commanderies.
During the
Sui and
Tang dynasties, Tianshui Commandery was an alternative name for
Qin Prefecture. The commandery administered 6 counties, and had a population 52,130 households.
['']Book of Sui
The ''Book of Sui'' (''Suí Shū'') is the official history of the Sui dynasty. It ranks among the official Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China. It was written by Yan Shigu, Kong Yingda, and Zhangsun Wuji, with Wei Zheng as the lead au ...
'', Chapter 29.
References
{{Han dynasty provinces
Commanderies of the Qin dynasty
Commanderies of the Han dynasty
Commanderies of the Jin dynasty (266–420)
Commanderies of the Northern dynasties
Commanderies of the Sui dynasty