Hedong (Shanxi)

Hedong, meaning "east of the river", is a historical name for the region of south-western Shanxi east of the great southward bend of the Yellow River, and in Tang and later times for most of Shanxi. It was a Qin and Han commandery, rich in salt from the lake at Yuncheng. Under the Tang the Hedong military governorship, centred on Taiyuan, became a power base for the Shatuo Turks, whose leaders founded several of the Five Dynasties.