Lingling Commandery
| Lingling Commandery 零陵郡 | |
|---|---|
| Former subdivision of Western Han → successive Chinese dynasties | |
| 111 BCE–589 CE[1] | |
| Capital | Lingling (零陵, ruins under Yongzhou’s Lingling District) |
| Historical era | Imperial China |
• Created in the Lingnan reorganisation of Emperor Wu | 111 BCE |
• Disestablished | 589 CE[1] |
| Today part of | south-western Hunan (seat beneath modern Yongzhou) |
Lingling Commandery (零陵郡) occupied the upper middle Xiang River and the northern outlet of the Nanling Mountains. Founded in 111 BCE, it endured—with frequent boundary shifts—until the commandery tier was abolished by the Sui dynasty in 589 CE.
Geography and administrative layout
[edit]The *Book of Han* lists 15 counties at foundation; the 2 CE census registers 52 265 households (254 608 inhabitants).[2] By 140 CE unrest had reduced this to nine counties and about 28 400 households.[3]
Principal Western-Han counties
- Lingling ✪
- Liyang
- Leiyang
- Qiyang
- Xinning
- Dao
- Yongxing
- Lanli
- Lanshan
- Yunyang
- Guiyang (removed 26 BCE)
- Chenxi (later to Wuling)
Stone beacon platforms on Nanling crests guarded copper, timber, and salt caravans descending to the Xiang valley.
History
[edit]Western & Eastern Han (111 BCE – 220 CE)
[edit]Lingling was carved from the southern tier of Changsha Commandery in 111 BCE. Han colonists opened the Dao-River copper lodes and cut the Lingling–Leiyang Canal to skirt Nanling rapids.[2] Under Wang Mang it was briefly renamed Xiangyang Commandery; Eastern-Han authorities restored the original name.
Late Eastern Han and the warlord era
[edit]Governor Liu Biao appointed Liu Du as Administrator; Liu Du’s son Liu Xian commanded the Dao-River fleet.[4] In winter 208 / spring 209 Liu Bei advanced south after Red Cliffs; Liu Du capitulated, bringing Lingling under Liu Bei.
Cession to Eastern Wu (215 CE)
[edit]In 215 the mediator Lu Su brokered a partition of southern Jing Province: Liu Bei ceded Lingling, Changsha, and Guiyang Commandery to Sun Quan. Sun Quan’s cousin Sun Ben became acting Administrator but died the same year; he was succeeded by Wei Teng, who fortified river stockades and repaired Nanling passes.[5]
Western Jin and the Six Dynasties (280 – 589 CE)
[edit]- 280 CE — Western Jin reunified China; *Jin Shu* lists six counties and 16 700 households.[6]
- During the Eastern Jin period (317 – 420) Dao and Xinning were detached to the new Daozhou, while Yongle County was added on the northern frontier.
- Under the Liu-Song and Southern Qi dynasties the commandery shrank to four counties with roughly 19 000 households.
- The Liang dynasty (502 – 557) merged Lingling with Guiyang, then reinstated it in 552 after local revolts.
In 589 CE Emperor Wen abolished commanderies; Lingling became the core of Daozhou Prefecture, ending seven centuries of commandery administration.
Notable administrators
[edit]| Name | Years in office | Affiliation | Key actions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liu Du | ≤ 208 – 209 | Jing Province under Liu Biao | Capitulated to Liu Bei after the Red-Cliffs campaign. |
| Sun Ben | 215 | Eastern Wu | Installed after the Lu Su accord; died later the same year. |
| Wei Teng | 230s | Eastern Wu | Re-fortified Nan-ling passes and expanded river stockades. |
| Xiao Zixian (蕭子顯) | 548 – 550 | Liang dynasty | Compiled an early *Gazetteer of Lingling* while serving as administrator. |
Archaeology and legacy
[edit]Han–Jin tombs at Yongzhou’s Binjiang site yield bronze tallies stamped “Lingling Office.” South of Dao, stretches of the stone-paved “Five-Pass Road” survive from Wei Teng’s fortification programme. Lingling’s martial image lingers in local folklore praising Liu Du’s naval musters.
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Wei Zheng et al., Book of Sui (《隋書》) 31, “Geographical Treatise II”.
- ^ a b Ban Gu, Book of Han (《漢書》) 28, “Geographical Treatise”.
- ^ Fan Ye, Book of the Later Han (《後漢書》) 113, “Geographical Treatise”.
- ^ Chen Shou, Records of the Three Kingdoms (《三國志》) 36, biographies of Liu Du and Liu Bei.
- ^ Chen Shou, Records of the Three Kingdoms 46, “Wu Chronicles 2” (administrations of Sun Ben and Wei Teng).
- ^ Fang Xuanling et al., Book of Jin (《晉書》) 15, “Geographical Treatise”.
Bibliography
[edit]- Ban Gu, Book of Han.
- Fan Ye, Book of the Later Han.
- Chen Shou, Records of the Three Kingdoms.
- Fang Xuanling, ed., Book of Jin.
- Wei Zheng, ed., Book of Sui.
- Huang Xing-tao. “Administrative Evolution of Lingling Commandery.” *Journal of Southern China History*, 2023.