The history map of Southern Yizhou’s Prefectural Governor Department in the Western Han Dynasty of China

Map reference

The history map of Southern Yizhou’s Prefectural Governor Department in the Western Han Dynasty of China

发布时间：2016-10-24 11:29:00 UTC

类别：Qin and Han Dynasties Historical Maps

Map Introduction

Yi Province during the Western Han Period

The Yi Province Inspectorate (established in 106 BCE) was the highest supervisory institution established by the Western Han Dynasty in the southwestern region. The historical evolution of its southern part can be divided into three stages:

Institutional Establishment and Functional Evolution During the Western Han period, the Yi Province Inspectorate initially governed areas including present-day Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, and the Hanzhong Basin in Shaanxi. Its administrative seat was located at Luo County (present-day Guanghan, Sichuan). As one of the thirteen inspectorates, its primary function was supervising local administrations, not directly managing specific administrative affairs.

Adjustments in Administrative Divisions During the Eastern Han period (after 188 CE), after Liu Yan became the Governor of Yi Province, he moved the administrative seat to Mianzhu (in 191 CE). He was later succeeded by his son, Liu Zhang. After Liu Bei took control of Yi Province in 214 CE (the 19th year of the Jian'an era), the seat was finally established at Chengdu. This process marked the transition of the inspectorate from a purely supervisory body into a formal administrative region, although the southern boundary largely retained the geographical scope of the original Yi Province Inspectorate.

Ethnic and Economic Influence In the late Western Han period, southern Yi Province (modern Yunnan and Guizhou) became a significant area of activity for the Southwestern Yi peoples. According to the Book of Han · Treatise on Geography, the Yi Province Commandery administered 24 counties, covering regions such as Dianchi and Yeyu. These areas were not only centers for the tea trade but also maintained connections with the Central Plains via the Southwestern Yi routes. During the Eastern Han period, control over the Nanzhong region in southern Yi Province was further strengthened through improvements to the road network. However, this did not fundamentally alter its essential nature and functions as initially established.

Map Source

TThe history map of Southern Yizhou’s Prefectural Governor Department in the Western Han Dynasty of China is sourced from The Historical Atlas of China, Volume 2(2)—Maps of the Western Han Dynasty, published by SinoMaps Press on October 1, 1982, with Tan Qixiang as its author.

The Historical Atlas of China is an atlas focusing primarily on the historical administrative divisions and territories of China throughout its dynasties, compiled under the chief editorship of Tan Qixiang. The entire work spans from the primitive society to the end of the Qing dynasty, organized into 8 volumes and 20 sections according to historical periods, containing a total of 304 maps (not including illustrations). All maps juxtapose historical and modern geography. The compilation of this atlas began in the 1950s, it was seriously disturbed during the cultural revolution. The internal edition was published in 1975 but contained numerous errors. Publication of Volumes 1-8 occurred successively starting in 1982. The Historical Atlas of China is a rare and valuable resource for studying the historical administrative divisions of China.

Map link ： The history map of Southern Yizhou’s Prefectural Governor Department in the Western Han Dynasty of China

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