Ba Commandery

Ba Commandery 巴郡
Former subdivision of Qin dynasty → Western Han → Eastern Han → Shu Han → Western Jin → Southern dynasties
316 BCE–589 CE
Capital	Jiangzhou 江州 (modern Chongqing)
Historical era	Imperial China
• Annexed by the Qin from the Ba state	316 BCE
• Abolished during the Sui dynasty reforms	589 CE
Today part of	Eastern Sichuan and western Chongqing

Ba Commandery (巴郡) was a historical commandery of imperial China established in 316 BCE after the Qin conquest of the Ba kingdom. It was one of the earliest Chinese administrative units in southwestern China and covered the upper Yangtze River basin in present-day eastern Sichuan and western Chongqing. Ba Commandery existed under successive dynasties from the Qin to the Sui dynasty, when it was dissolved and reorganized into prefectures.

History

Qin and Han dynasties

Ba Commandery was created by the Qin dynasty after the annexation of the independent Ba (state) and its capital at Jiangzhou (now Chongqing). It was retained by the Western Han, which further developed it as a military and administrative hub along the upper Yangtze.

According to the Book of Han, Ba governed 17 counties at its peak. A 2 CE census recorded 107,397 households and 431,541 individuals, making it one of the most populous commanderies in the southwest.

Key counties included:

• Jiangzhou 江州 – capital, at modern Chongqing
• Quren 渠人 – upstream along the Yangtze
• Ba 巴 – historic Ba heartland, likely near present-day Fengjie
• Fuling 涪陵 – downstream trade port
• Zhong 周 – near modern Zhong County
• Badong 巴東 – on the Yangtze’s eastern reach

The commandery played a vital role in trade and military logistics. It was the main grain-supplying region for Han campaigns into the southwest and a staging post for contact with tribal regions in modern Guizhou and Yunnan.

Eastern Han

Ba Commandery remained important during the Eastern Han and was part of Yizhou Province. Rebellions by tribal groups in the Wuling and Quren areas were frequent, but the commandery remained loyal to the Han government.

By the late Eastern Han, counties such as Fuling and Quren were flourishing river ports. The commandery was also a source of recruits for Han armies sent to quell uprisings in southern China.

Three Kingdoms period

After the collapse of the Han dynasty, Ba became a critical commandery under Shu Han, ruled by Liu Bei and later Zhuge Liang. The commandery supplied Shu’s armies with food, troops, and boats for river campaigns.

In 217 CE, Ba served as a rear base during Liu Bei’s campaign to seize Hanzhong Commandery from Cao Cao. The counties along the Yangtze, including Jiangzhou and Fuling, became major military logistics centers.

Several famous Shu generals and officials came from or served in Ba Commandery, including Huang Quan and Wang Ping. Ba also helped defend Shu's eastern border with Eastern Wu after tensions rose between the two allies in the 220s.

Jin and Southern dynasties

After the conquest of Shu by Cao Wei in 263 CE, Ba was incorporated into the Wei and later Western Jin administrative system. It remained under Yizhou Province, but many of its counties were reorganized or merged due to population loss during the wars of the 3rd century.

By the time of the Eastern Jin and Southern dynasties, Ba Commandery had shrunk significantly. Some of its territories were split into new units such as Baxi Commandery and Dangqu Commandery. However, Jiangzhou remained a provincial capital and economic center.

Sui dynasty and abolition

In 589 CE, the Sui dynasty abolished the commandery system and converted Ba Commandery into Chongzhou (later known as Chongqing Prefecture). The name Ba survived in local toponyms and historical records, and Ba culture remained a symbol of the region's distinct identity.

Culture

Ba Commandery preserved elements of the ancient Ba state’s customs, including musical traditions, bronze drum use, and distinctive burial styles. Han-era tombs in the region show a fusion of Han and native Ba cultural traits.

Economy

Ba was rich in timber, rice, salt, and fish. It was a key supplier of raw materials to Shu Han and controlled shipping routes on the upper Yangtze. State-operated workshops in Jiangzhou and Quren produced boats, weapons, and iron tools.

Archaeology

• Han tombs in Chongqing and Fuling contain painted bricks with scenes of daily life and military expeditions
• Bronze drum fragments and ritual weapons with Ba motifs have been recovered from Quren and Zhong counties
• Inscriptions from the Shu Han period document military dispatches and grain levies from Jiangzhou

See also

• Ba (state)
• Yizhou Province
• Baxi Commandery
• Shu Han

Bibliography

• Ban Gu. Book of Han.
• Fan Ye. Book of Later Han.
• Chen Shou. Records of the Three Kingdoms.
• Fang Xuanling (ed.). Book of Jin.
• Tan Qixiang (ed.). Historical Atlas of China.
• de Crespigny, Rafe. Southwest Borderlands under the Three Kingdoms. ANU Press, 2012.