Zhangye Commandery (張掖郡) was an imperial Chinese commandery situated in the western

Hexi Corridor The Hexi Corridor ( ), also known as the Gansu Corridor, is an important historical region located in the modern western Gansu province of China. It refers to a narrow stretch of traversable and relatively arable plain west of the Yellow River's O ...

, between the Qilian Mountains and the

Gobi Desert The Gobi Desert (, , ; ) is a large, cold desert and grassland region in North China and southern Mongolia. It is the sixth-largest desert in the world. The name of the desert comes from the Mongolian word ''gobi'', used to refer to all of th ...

. Established in 111 BCE following the Han conquest of the region, it functioned as a vital military and agricultural hub, securing Han control over the Silk Road route to the Western Regions. It remained in continuous use through the Han and Three Kingdoms periods until it was abolished by the

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 ...

in 589 CE.

Geography and counties

According to the ''Book of Han'', Zhangye Commandery administered seven counties; by 2 CE, it recorded 29 720 households and 117 993 individuals.Ban Gu. ''Book of Han'', Geography Treatise.

Han dynasty

Emperor

Wu of Han Emperor Wu of Han (156 – 29 March 87BC), born Liu Che and courtesy name Tong, was the seventh emperor of the Han dynasty from 141 to 87 BC. His reign lasted 54 years – a record not broken until the reign of the Kangxi Emperor more than ...

conquered the Hexi Corridor from the

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of Nomad, nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese historiography, Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, t ...

during the campaigns of 121–111 BCE. Zhangye Commandery was created in 111 BCE to hold the western corridor and manage trade and security on the northern Silk Road. It was named for its symbolic role in “extending the arm of China westward” (張臂西通). Zhangye became a key supply base for garrisons in Dunhuang and Loulan. Han settlers dug extensive canal networks to cultivate wheat, millet, and beans. Official records from the Han “Colonial Commandant Office” (戍卒都尉) at Shandan mention thousands of soldier-farmers assigned to maintain grain reserves and raise cavalry remounts. From the 1st century CE, Qiang and Wuhuan bands frequently raided the corridor; Zhangye’s border towers were reinforced with rammed-earth walls. In 75 CE, Administrator Wei Kang sponsored the construction of a stupa to pacify local tribes, reflecting early Buddhist influence entering via the oasis.

Three Kingdoms period

Following the collapse of the Han dynasty in 220 CE, Zhangye passed into the hands of

Cao Wei Wei () was one of the major Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic states in China during the Three Kingdoms period. The state was established in 220 by Cao Pi based upon the foundations laid by his father Cao Cao during the end of the Han dy ...

after the conquest of

Liang Province Liang Province or Liangzhou () was a province in the northwest of ancient China, in the approximate location of the modern-day province of Gansu. It was bordered in the east by Sili Province. History Establishment The province was first c ...

. The commandery was governed by the “Colonel of the Western Passes” (西域都尉), who controlled trade caravans, registered envoys from the Western Regions, and supervised Han–Xiongnu relations. In 228 CE, during

Zhuge Liang Zhuge Liang () (181September or October 234), also commonly known by his courtesy name Kongming, was a Chinese statesman, strategist, and inventor who lived through the End of the Han dynasty, end of the Eastern Han dynasty ( 184–220) and t ...

’s northern campaign, tribal unrest along the Hexi corridor threatened Wei’s hold on Zhangye. Wei general

Guo Huai Guo Huai (died 23 February 255), courtesy name Boji, was a Chinese military general of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He started his career towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty under the warlord Cao Cao a ...

led defensive reinforcements to Shandan and reorganized the frontier militia.Chen Shou. ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', vol. 15, Biography of Guo Huai. Zhangye remained a major tax base and supply depot for Wei campaigns in Liang and Shu.

Jin and Northern dynasties

Under the

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 ...

(280), Zhangye governed six counties and about 22 000 households.Fang Xuanling et al. ''Book of Jin'', Geography Treatise. During the Jin civil wars (310s), Zhangye fell briefly under the rule of the

Former Liang The Former Liang (; 301–376) was a dynastic state, and one of the Sixteen Kingdoms, in Chinese history. It was founded by Zhang Shi of the Han Chinese Zhang family. Its territories included present-day Gansu and parts of Ningxia, Shaanxi, Qing ...

regime. In 327, Governor

Zhang Jun Zhang may refer to: Chinese culture, etc. * Zhang (surname) (張/张), common Chinese surname ** Zhang (surname 章), a rarer Chinese surname * Zhang County (漳县), of Dingxi, Gansu * Zhang River (漳河), a river flowing mainly in Henan * ''Zha ...

of Former Liang declared semi-autonomy and used Zhangye as a military rear base and minting center. Later regimes including

Northern Liang The Northern Liang (; 397–439) was a Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic state of China and one of the Sixteen Kingdoms in Chinese history. It was ruled by the Juqu (沮渠) family of Lushuihu ethnicity, though they are sometimes categorized ...

and

Northern Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei ( zh, c=北魏, p=Běi Wèi), Tuoba Wei ( zh, c=拓跋魏, p=Tuòbá Wèi), Yuan Wei ( zh, c=元魏, p=Yuán Wèi) and Later Wei ( zh, t=後魏, p=Hòu Wèi), was an Dynasties of China, impe ...

retained Zhangye as a provincial centre under “Cool West Prefecture” (涼州). The commandery survived administrative reshuffling until 589, when the

abolished commanderies and converted Zhangye into Gan Prefecture (甘州).

Economy

Zhangye’s economy relied on oasis irrigation, horse breeding, and caravan taxation. Grain grown in the Gaotai delta supported military colonies, while Buddhist temples in Linze and Shandan attracted donors from the merchant class. A Sogdian merchant guild is attested in Zhangye by late Northern Wei times.

Archaeology

* Excavated Han beacon towers west of Zhangye show mudbrick layering and date-marked timber posts. * Burial sites at Shandan include stone tombs with Han-style mingqi (spirit objects), bronze mirrors, and Di-style animal fittings. * Wall fragments from a granary compound near Linze include inscriptions of grain tax registers from the 1st century CE.

References

{{Reflist