Changsha Commandery

Changsha Commandery
長沙郡
Changsha Commandery 長沙郡
Former subdivision of Qin → Western Han → successive Chinese dynasties
210 BCE–589 CE
Capital	Linxiang (臨湘, ruins in present-day Changshaʼs Wangcheng / Yuelu area)
Historical era	Imperial China
• Carved from Qianzhong Prefecture after the Qin conquest of Lingnan	210 BCE
• Disestablished	589 CE
Today part of	central-eastern Hunan (seat within modern Changsha)

Changsha Commandery (長沙郡) was the first imperial Chinese commandery in Hunan. Established by the late Qin dynasty (210 BCE) and abolished when the Sui dynasty ended the commandery tier (589 CE), it governed the lower Xiang River basin and the eastern slopes of the Nan Mountains. Its seat, Linxiang, lay on the west bank of the Xiang within modern Changsha; earthworks and bricks stamped **長沙宮** mark the site.

Predecessor kingdom

During early Western Han the territory was granted to King Wu Rui as the semi-autonomous Changsha Kingdom (長沙國). When the Wu-Rui line ended in 157 BCE, the kingdom was dissolved and reverted to direct rule as Changsha Commandery.^[2]

Geography and administrative layout

The Book of Han lists 18 counties; a 2 CE census records 71 802 households (354 280 people).^[2] By 140 CE warfare and migration had reduced this to 12 counties and c. 41 000 households.^[3]

Principal Western-Han counties:

History

Qin and Western Han (210 BCE – 9 CE)

After the Qin conquest of Lingnan, Changsha Commandery was founded to secure the Xiang valley. Under the Western Han, the former Changsha Kingdom became the direct-ruled commandery, prospering on rice, iron and lacquer.

Xin interlude and Eastern Han (9–220 CE)

Wang Mang renamed it Bo-Chang Commandery (舶長郡). The Eastern-Han court restored the old name, but repeated Yao uprisings (94 CE, 140 CE) disrupted river traffic.^[3]

Warlord era and Three Kingdoms (208–280 CE)

Administrator	Tenure & allegiance	Notes
Han Xuan	≤ 208 – 209 CE — under Liu Biao	Defended Linxiang with general Huang Zhong.^[4] Surrendered to Liu Bei in 209 CE.
(name lost)	209–215 CE — under Liu Bei	First Shu-side civil governor unrecorded.
Transfer to Eastern Wu	215 CE	Lu Su brokered the cession of Changsha, Lingling, and Guiyang Commandery to Sun Quan.
Sun Ben	215 CE — Eastern Wu	Brief tenure; died same year.^[5]
Wei Teng	230s CE — Eastern Wu	Strengthened river stockades; dredged canals.^[5]

After 215 Sun Quan split off six southern counties to create Lingling Commandery, leaving twelve centred on Linxiang.

Western Jin and Six Dynasties (280 – 589 CE)

280 CE — Western Jin reunified China; ten counties, 32 000 households.^[6]
Refugees during the Yongjia chaos brought registers to 55 300 households by 464 CE (Liu-Song).
Under the Liang dynasty (502–557) Linxiangʼs brick walls were rebuilt; the site gained the by-name "South Changsha" when newer prefectural seats shifted slightly north-east.

In 589 CE Emperor Wen abolished commanderies; Changsha Commandery merged into Hengzhou Prefecture.

Archaeology and legacy

Excavations in Changshaʼs Wangcheng and Yuelu districts reveal Han layers of stamped bricks, granaries and ironworks. Bronze mirrors inscribed "Xiang-River envoy" (湘使) recall lingering Chu ritual culture. Linxiangʼs ruins remained a pilgrimage focus for the cult of Qu Yuan throughout the Tang–Song era.

Notes

^ 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”.
^ ^a ^b Fan Ye, Book of the Later Han (《後漢書》) 113, “Geographical Treatise”.
^ Chen Shou, Records of the Three Kingdoms (《三國志》) 54, biography of Huang Zhong; cf. vol. 40 annotation from Jiang Biao Zhuan on Han Xuanʼs surrender.
^ ^a ^b Chen Shou, Records of the Three Kingdoms 46, “Wu Chronicles 2”.
^ Fang Xuanling et al., Book of Jin (《晉書》) 15, “Geographical Treatise”.

Bibliography

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.
Liu Yao-gui, "Re-examining Linxiang, Capital of Han-Changsha," *Hunan Archaeology Quarterly*, 2024.