Yuanfeng jiuyu zhi 元豐九域志 "Treatise of the Nine Regions from the Yuanfeng reign-period (1078-1085)" is an imperial geography from the Northern Song period 北宋 (960-1126). It was compiled on imperial order by Wang Cun 王存 (1023-1101), Zeng Zhao 曾肇 (1047-1107) and Li Dechu 李德芻. The latter has also written a geographical treatise on local administration called Yuanfeng junxian zhi 元豐郡縣志.
The imperial geography comprises 10 juan, including descriptions covering the four capitals (sijing 四京), the 23 provinces (lu 路 "circuits") and administration units beyond imperial territory (huawaizhou 化外州), like the native prefectures (jimizhou 羈縻州) of aboriginal tribes in the southwest. Below the circuit (provincial) level each prefecture is described, the geographical circumstances, household numbers, the main local products, the historical development of the location, and garrisons.
The Yuanfeng jiuyu zhi is the most detailed geographic description of every region of the Song empire. A modern reprint was published by the Zhonghua Book Company 中華書局 in 1984.
1 | The four capitals (Si jing 四京) Eastern Capital 東京 Kaifeng 開封府 Western Capital 西京 Henan 河南府 Southern Capital 南京 Yingtian 應天府 Northern Capital 北京 Daming 大名府 Circuits of Jingdong-Dong 京東東路 Jingdong-Xi 京東西路 Jingxi-Nan 京西南路 Jingxi-Bei 京西北路 |
2 | Circuits of Hebei-Dong 河北東路 Hebei-Xi 河北西路 |
3 | Circuits of Shaanxi 陜西路 Military Prefecture Yongxing 永興軍路 Qingfeng 秦鳯路 |
4 | Circuit of Hedong 河東路 |
5 | Circuits of Huainan-Dong 淮南東路 Huainan-Xi 西路淮南 Liang-Zhe 兩浙路 |
6 | Circuits of Jiangnan-Dong 江南東路 Jiangnan-Xi 江南西路 Jinghu-Nan 荊湖南路 Jinghu-Bei 荊湖北路 |
7 | Circuits of Chengdu Prefecture 成都府路 Zizhou 梓州路 |
8 | Circuits of Lizhou 利州路 Kuizhou 夔州路 |
9 | Circuits of Fujian 福建路 Guangnan-Dong 廣南東路 Guangnan-Xi 廣南西路 |
10 | Abolished prefectures (shengfei zhoujun 省廢州軍) prefectures outside of "civilization" (huawai zhou 化外州) indirectly administered prefectures (jimi zhou 覊縻州) |