Zhangye Commandery

Zhangye Commandery 張掖郡
Former subdivision of Western Han → Eastern Han → Cao Wei → Western Jin → Northern dynasties
111 BCE–589 CE
Capital	Zhangye 張掖 (near modern Ganzhou District, Zhangye)
Historical era	Imperial China
• Created during the Hexi Corridor campaign of Emperor Wu	111 BCE
• Abolished during the Sui dynasty prefectural reform	589 CE
Today part of	Western Gansu (centered on modern Zhangye)

Zhangye Commandery (張掖郡) was an imperial Chinese commandery situated in the western Hexi Corridor, between the Qilian Mountains and the Gobi Desert. 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 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.

County	Chinese	Approximate modern location	Notes
Zhangye (seat)	張掖	Ganzhou District, Zhangye	seat and granary centre
Gaotai	高臺	Gaotai County	irrigation farming
Shandan	山丹	Shandan County	garrison colony
Linze	臨澤	Linze County	oasis trade station
Liangguan	良官	Minle County	military outpost
Juyan	居延	Jinta or Ejina region	beacon station at frontier
Xihai	西海	Near Qinghai Lake	short-lived county; later removed

Han dynasty

Emperor Wu of Han conquered the Hexi Corridor from the Xiongnu 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 after the conquest of Liang Province. 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’s northern campaign, tribal unrest along the Hexi corridor threatened Wei’s hold on Zhangye. Wei general Guo Huai led defensive reinforcements to Shandan and reorganized the frontier militia.

Zhangye remained a major tax base and supply depot for Wei campaigns in Liang and Shu.

Jin and Northern dynasties

Under the Western Jin (280), Zhangye governed six counties and about 22 000 households. During the Jin civil wars (310s), Zhangye fell briefly under the rule of the Former Liang regime. In 327, Governor Zhang Jun of Former Liang declared semi-autonomy and used Zhangye as a military rear base and minting center. Later regimes including Northern Liang and Northern Wei retained Zhangye as a provincial centre under “Cool West Prefecture” (涼州).

The commandery survived administrative reshuffling until 589, when the Sui dynasty 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.

See also

• Hexi Corridor
• Silk Road
• Dunhuang Commandery
• Jiuquan Commandery
• Former Liang