"Yuanhe County Maps (Volume 1 and 2)" - A Complete Collection of Ancient Chinese Geographical Compendia

Author: Li Jifu (Tang Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: The Yuanhe Gazetteer of Commanderies and Counties is one of the earliest and most complete regional general gazetteers in China, comprising 40 volumes. It has a comprehensive system, thorough collection, and organizes its content based on 10 circuits and 47 towns, with prefectures, counties, and districts as subheadings. The records typically trace back to the three dynasties and extend to the Tang Dynasty, including the Yuanhe era, with systematic and complete narratives. It extensively cites previous scholarly works, with over 100 references, and more importantly, it documents the transformation of nature through human efforts and explains the geographical forms of military strategies, making it also a geographically significant book with military implications.
Li Jifu of the Tang Dynasty, styled Hongxian, was a native of Zanhuang County, Zhao State (now part of Hebei Province). The Yulan Gazetteer of Commanderies and Counties was compiled by Li Jifu. Born in the first year of the Qianyuan era of Emperor Xizong (758 AD) and died in the ninth year of the Yuanhe era of Emperor Xianzong (814 AD). The Biography of Li Jifu in the Old Book of the Tang Dynasty describes him as "fond of learning and skilled in writing," "extremely knowledgeable, especially in the historical records of the Tang Dynasty, and often praised for his balanced and comprehensive approach to chronological changes." He authored works such as A Brief History of the Six Dynasties, Essentials of Administrative Offices, The Ten Circuits Map of Yuanhe, A Revised Shuijing Zhu, and The Yulan Gazetteer of Commanderies and Counties, but only the Yulan Gazetteer has survived, while the others are long lost.
The Yulan Gazetteer of Commanderies and Counties was written during the Yuanhe era of Emperor Xianzong (806–820 AD), a period marked by the division of the empire into regional military commands. According to Tang Dynasty administrative divisions, the empire initially implemented a two-tier system of prefectures and counties. During the Zhenguan era, the empire was divided into 10 circuits: Guannan Circuit, Henan Circuit, Hedong Circuit, Hebei Circuit, Shannan Circuit, Longyou Circuit, Huainan Circuit, Jiangnan Circuit, Jiannan Circuit, and Lingnan Circuit. By the Kaiyuan era, Guannan Circuit was split into Jingji Circuit, Henan Circuit was split into Dujji Circuit, Shannan Circuit was divided into Shannan East, Shannan South, and Shannan West, and Jiangnan Circuit was divided into Jiangnan East, Jiangnan West, and Qizhong Circuit, resulting in 15 circuits. However, circuits were merely supervisory regions and did not constitute a first-tier administrative division. The prefectural magistrates remained subordinate to the central government. After the An Lushan Rebellion, some regional military commands "larger controlled over ten prefectures and smaller over three," effectively forming a first-tier administrative division above prefectures and counties. Li Jifu, in The Yulan Gazetteer of Commanderies and Counties, based his work on the 10 circuits of the Zhenguan era.
After the mid-Tang Dynasty, Longyou Circuit was occupied by the Tibetan Empire, but it was still listed last to show the ambition to "recover lost territories." According to the then-existing situation, it was divided into 47 military commands, with the population, chronological changes, mountains, rivers, historical sites, and tribute of each prefecture, county, and district described in order. Each military command had a map at the beginning, hence the title The Yulan Gazetteer of Commanderies and Counties. However, after the Southern Song Dynasty, the maps were lost, and the title was shortened to The Yulan Gazetteer of Commanderies and Counties.
In the history of general gazetteers since the Wei and Jin dynasties, The Yulan Gazetteer of Commanderies and Counties is not only the earliest preserved but also one of the best written. The General Preface to the Siku Quanshu compiled in the early Qing Dynasty states: "Geographical maps and records from the Sui and Tang dynasties were mostly scattered and lost; the only one that survives today is this book, which is the earliest and has the best system. Although later works were gradually improved, none surpassed its scope."
The content of The Yulan Gazetteer of Commanderies and Counties is extremely rich. As a national-scale geographical general gazetteer, it provides systematic descriptions of the chronological changes of administrative divisions and geography. Under each prefecture and county, it often traces back to the three dynasties or the records in Yu Gong, and extends to the Tang Dynasty. Notably, the records of regional changes during the Southern and Northern Dynasties are particularly valuable. The official histories of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, except for The Book of Song, The Book of Southern Qi, and The Book of Wei, lack geographical records; The Geographical Records of the Sui Dynasty mentions the five dynasties of Liang, Chen, Northern Qi, Zhou, and Sui, but the records before the Sui Dynasty are brief; The Commentary on the Waterways of the States is a geographical masterpiece from the Northern Wei period, but it is primarily focused on waterways, making The Yulan Gazetteer of Commanderies and Counties' accounts of this period crucial.
Under each county in The Yulan Gazetteer of Commanderies and Counties, there are brief descriptions of chronological changes, relocation of county seats, and famous historical sites, along with necessary annotations. For example, all three counties of Jingzhao Prefecture—Wannian, Chang'an, and Xianyang—have places called Xiliuying. The Yulan Gazetteer notes under Wannian County: "Xiliuying is thirty li northeast of the county, traditionally said to be where General Zhou Yafu stationed his troops. However, according to historical records, Yafu's camp was twenty li southwest of Xianyang, so the location here is incorrect." Under Chang'an County, it states: "Xiliuyuan is thirty-three li southwest of the county, a separate Xiliuyuan, not where Yafu camped." Additionally, Chang'an County records the ruins of the Qin Dapang Palace, the Han Changle Palace, the Han Weiyang Palace, and the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. All these provide important references for studying historical administrative changes and the locations of famous historical sites.
For unclear issues, the book does not make arbitrary conclusions but adopts a cautious approach. For instance, in Volume 2 of Jingzhao Prefecture, Xingping County (now Xingping County, Shaanxi Province), the records of the ancient city of Mawei state: "Mawei was fortified here to avoid danger, but the dynasty of its construction remains unclear." Similarly, in Volume 9 of Shen Prefecture, Yiyang County (now Xinyang City, Henan Province), the records of Pingjing Pass state: "This pass existed in the past, but its founding dynasty is unknown." These reflect the author's pragmatic and scientific attitude.
In terms of physical geography, the book also contains extremely rich data. Under each county, it records the directions of nearby mountain ranges, the courses of waterways, and the distribution of lakes. While most official histories since Ban Gu's Geographical Records in the Han Dynasty include brief mentions of these, the records in The Commentary on the Waterways of the States are more detailed. However, no books on this subject have survived from the Northern Wei to the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, the preserved data in The Yulan Gazetteer of Commanderies and Counties is also invaluable. The book records over 550 waterways and more than 130 lakes and ponds. It not only documents well-known large rivers and lakes but also small rivers and marshes. For example, in Volume 11 of Mi Prefecture, Gaomi County (now Gaomi County, Shandong Province), there is a record of Yian Marsh: "It measures forty li in circumference, abundant in deer and reeds." Another example is in Volume 18 of Ding Prefecture, Wangdu County (now Wangdu County, Hebei Province), the Yangcheng Pond: "It measures thirty li in circumference, with reeds, lotus, and other aquatic plants thriving." Additionally, there are descriptions of various topographical features. For instance, in Volume 1 of Jingzhao Prefecture, Wannian, Chang'an, and Sanyuan counties all record the "yuans" (plateaus) of the Loess Plateau, such as Bi Yuan, Bailu Yuan, Xiliu Yuan, Menghou Yuan, Feng Yuan, and Tianqi Yuan. Volume 4 of Ling Prefecture, Mingsha County (now Zhongning County, Ningxia Province), includes records of deserts: "When people and horses pass through this sand, they make sounds along the way, different from other sands, hence the name 'Mingsha.'" Volume 30 of Chen Prefecture, Luxi County (now Luxi County, Hunan Province), describes karst landscapes: "The mountains here are as high as ten thousand feet, with Panhu Cave in the mountains capable of holding tens of thousands of people." All these provide invaluable data for studying historical changes in waterways, lakes, and natural environments.
In terms of economic geography, each prefecture and county has a section on "tribute and taxes," a feature pioneered by The Yulan Gazetteer of Commanderies and Counties. Tribute goods mostly include local specialties, such as famous handicraft products, minerals, and medicinal herbs; taxes were paid in cotton and silk. For example, under Jingzhao Prefecture in Volume 1, it records: "Kaiyuan Tribute: hemp mats, white bark of the earthnut plant, sour jujube seeds; Taxes: cotton and silk." Under each county, there are records of local water conservancy facilities, mining, and other economic data. For instance, in Volume 1 of Jingzhao Prefecture, Liquan County (now Liquan County, Shaanxi Province) records the irrigation of the Zheng and Bai canals; Volume 16 of Xiang Prefecture, Ye County (now Linzhang County, Hebei Province) records Simen Bao and Shi Qi diverting the Zhang River to irrigate fields; Volume 11 of Mi Prefecture, Fuliang County (now Anqiu County, Shandong Province) records the Yu River embankment for irrigation, noting that "remnants of the embankment and rice fields still exist"; Volume 3 of Yuan Prefecture, Pinggao County (now Guyuan County, Ningxia Province) records the number of horses in the northern frontier pastures; Volume 4 of Yan Prefecture, Yanshi County (now Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province) records the salt lakes; Volume 3 of Yan Prefecture, Fushi County (now Yumen City, Gansu Province) records oil mines; Volume 14 of Wei Prefecture, Feihu County (now Laiyuan County, Hebei Province) records the cast bronze coins by the Sanhe, describing the author's personal efforts in restoring copper smelting and coin production. There are also numerous records of copper, silver, and iron mines.
A distinctive feature of The Yulan Gazetteer of Commanderies and Counties in recording population is its inclusion of population figures from different eras. The geographical records of population began with The Geographical Records in the Han Dynasty, but The Han Records only listed the population in the second year of Emperor Yuanshou of the Western Han Dynasty (2 AD). The Yulan Gazetteer of Commanderies and Counties records both the population of the Kaiyuan era and the Yuanhe era, providing important evidence for studying population changes before and after the An Lushan Rebellion.
Of course, The Yulan Gazetteer of Commanderies and Counties also has many shortcomings, such as overly brief descriptions of the chronological changes of some prefectures and counties. Due to incomplete data, the records often appear fragmented and disorganized, giving the impression of being pieced together. Moreover, Li Jifu, the author of The Yulan Gazetteer of Commanderies and Counties, was a member of the feudal ruling class. During Emperor Xianzong's reign, he was promoted twice to Vice Director of the Chancellery and Chief Councillor, holding the position of prime minister. His purpose in compiling The Yulan Gazetteer of Commanderies and Counties was entirely to consolidate feudal rule. As he stated in the preface: "Throughout history, there have been dozens of works on geography. Some focus on the ancient past, often neglecting the present and relying on folklore, which is often unreliable and lacks accuracy. Others embellish prefectures and states while listing figures, or consult tombs and spirits, deviating from the essence and neglecting the foundation. As for the foundations of earth, mountains, rivers, and the advantages and disadvantages of defense, all are based on geography, yet they are often omitted. How can such works assist the wise ruler in controlling the empire's lifeline and governing the fate of all living beings, securing the advantages of land and territory, and demonstrating the principles of geographical constraints?" His meticulous study of geography and the compilation of The Yulan Gazetteer of Commanderies and Counties aimed to help the emperor better understand the empire's geography to achieve the goal of "controlling the empire's lifeline and governing the fate of all living beings."
Nevertheless, the book preserves a vast amount of valuable data, providing concise descriptions of the geographical changes, mountains, rivers, and products of various regions. In terms of writing style, it greatly influenced the Taiping Xuya Ji of Yue Shi in the Song Dynasty, as well as the Yitong Zhi of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Therefore, it is widely praised as the pioneer of China's general gazetteers, and this praise is well-deserved.