kingdom · China, Tibet and Mongolia

Former Liang

320 CE – 376 CE · capital Guzang

The Hexi Corridor state of the Zhang family, Chinese governors loyal in name to the Jin, which kept learning and trade alive in the far north-west for decades.

Origins

Zhang Gui, a Chinese official, was appointed governor of Liang province in 301 and governed from Guzang (modern Wuwei, Gansu). After the fall of the Western Jin his family ruled independently; the state is conventionally dated from 320, when Zhang Mao took over after his brother's assassination.

Rule and society

The Zhang rulers usually acknowledged the Jin emperors in the south and avoided imperial titles, governing as Chinese administrators. The Hexi Corridor became a refuge for scholars and refugees from the chaos to the east, and the state profited from Silk Road trade. In 327 Zhang Jun set up Gaochang commandery in the Turpan basin.

Decline and legacy

In 376 the Former Qin ruler Fu Jian sent an army and Zhang Tianxi surrendered, taking a post at the Qin court. After the Fei River battle he fled to the Eastern Jin. Hexi later passed to a series of Liang states, including Later Liang (386-403) and Northern Liang.

Connections (2)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Former Liang. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/former-liang
MLA
“Former Liang.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/former-liang. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Former Liang.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/former-liang.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Former Liang’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/former-liang (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻