Zangke Commandery

Zangke Commandery (牂柯郡) was an imperial Chinese commandery located in present-day western Guizhou and eastern Yunnan. It was established in 135 BCE during the reign of Emperor Emperor Wu of Han following the Han Empire’s annexation of the Yelang polity. As one of the earliest commanderies in the southwest, Zangke played a major role in the administration, trade, and military campaigns of the frontier region until it was abolished by the Sui dynasty in 589 CE.

According to the Book of Han, Zangke initially administered seven counties. A 2 CE census reported 16,175 households and 72,325 individuals.^[1]

Zangke Commandery was established after the Han defeat of the Yelang confederation. The name "Zangke" referred to the upper reaches of the Hongshui River, which drained the region. The capital was set at Qielan (且蘭), close to the political center of the former Yelang kingdom. Han administrators introduced imperial law, garrisons, and roads into the mountainous region.

The local economy included cattle herding, copper mining, and trade in salt and lacquer. Han military colonies (tuntian) were set up near Panshui to support mining and settlement. The Di and Bo peoples of the highlands were partially integrated but retained tribal autonomy in the hills.

Zangke remained relatively stable during the early Eastern Han, though there were occasional uprisings. By the end of the Han dynasty, it was considered one of the five commanderies of the southwestern circuit.

In the early 3rd century, during the Three Kingdoms period, Zangke was contested between Shu Han and local tribal leaders. In the 220s, the local elite Yong Kai (雍闓) rejected Shu control and declared allegiance to Eastern Wu. Wu officially appointed him Administrator of Zangke, though Shu maintained garrisons in the region.^[2]

In 225 CE, Zhuge Liang launched his southern campaign to pacify the Nanzhong region. Zangke was retaken by Shu Han forces, and Yong Kai was killed. Afterward, Shu restructured the southwest by detaching parts of Zangke’s western territory to form Yunnan Commandery and consolidating local control.

Under the Western Jin dynasty (280 CE), Zangke was incorporated into Ningzhou and governed five counties. The Jin court appointed both Han officials and tribal chiefs as administrators, creating hereditary titles such as "Chief of the Bo" (播侯) and "Peacekeeper of the Di."

During the Southern dynasties period, Zangke’s territory contracted, and much of it came under de facto tribal rule. The Cuan clan, based in central Yunnan, gained influence over parts of Zangke by the 5th century.

In 589 CE, the Sui dynasty abolished Zangke Commandery as part of its national administrative reform. The region was reorganized into new prefectures including Qianzhou (黔州) and Bozhou (播州), forming the foundation of Tang-era governance in the Guizhou plateau.

Zangke produced copper, salt, cattle, and lacquer. The commandery was a key link in overland trade between Sichuan and the Dian/Yunnan region. Oxen from Zangke were prized as tribute animals in the Han and Jin courts.

• Han-era tombs near Zunyi yield bricks stamped 牂柯太守, along with bronze cowrie containers.
• Dian-style drums and bronze weapons found in Fuling and Bishui indicate continued indigenous craftsmanship under Han administration.
• Inscriptions at Qielan from the Shu period commemorate irrigation repairs and military roadworks.

• Yelang
• Nanzhong
• Zhuge Liang’s southern campaign
• Yunnan Commandery
• Bozhou Tusi