Jin Prefecture, also known by its Chinese name Jinzhou, was a prefecture of imperial China. Its seat—also known as Jinzhou—was at Xicheng (modern Ankang, Shaanxi).
Jin Prefecture | |||||||||
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Chinese | 金州 | ||||||||
Literal meaning | Golden Prefecture | ||||||||
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Jin was created from Eastern Liang Prefecture (東梁州, Dōngliángzhōu) in AD 554 under the Western Wei Dynasty.[1] Its name—the "gold" or "golden" prefecture—derives from the placer deposits along the Yue or Moon River[citation needed] still exploited to this day.[2]
Under the Sui, it was renamed Xicheng Commandery (西城郡, Xīchéngjùn). Under the Tang, it was renamed Ankang Commandery (安康郡, Ānkāngjùn).[1] It held 53,029 people in 14,091 households in 639 and 57,929 people in the same number of households in 742.[1]
Jin Commandery in the Tang dynasty lay around modern Ankang, Shaanxi. It probably includes parts of modern Ankang, Hanyin, Xunyang, and Shiquan.[3]