kingdom · Central Asia and the Steppe

Kingdom of Dayuan

200 BCE – 300 CE (approx.) · capital Ershi

The ancient kingdom of the Ferghana valley, famed in China for its 'heavenly horses', which provoked the Han dynasty's longest-range war.

Origins

Dayuan, the Chinese name for the farming people of the Ferghana valley, was described by the envoy Zhang Qian around 128 BCE as a land of over 70 walled towns and several hundred thousand people. Its population may have included descendants of Greek settlers from Alexander's era, though this is debated.

Rule and society

The people grew rice, wheat and grapes, made wine and bred tall, fast horses that the Han court prized as 'blood-sweating' heavenly horses. A king ruled with nobles from the capital Ershi. In 104 BCE Dayuan refused to supply horses, and Emperor Wu sent the general Li Guangli, who after two campaigns besieged Ershi in 102 BCE, forcing the nobles to kill their king Wugua and hand over horses.

Decline and legacy

Dayuan remained a tributary of the Han for a time and appears in Chinese records into the 3rd century CE. Thereafter Ferghana was ruled by local dynasties that became the later Principality of Ferghana, still noted for its horses.

Connections (1)

  • Kingdom of Dayuan paid tribute to Han Dynasty101 BCE – 30 BCE

More states of Central Asia and the Steppe →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Dayuan. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-dayuan
MLA
“Kingdom of Dayuan.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-dayuan. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Dayuan.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-dayuan.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Dayuan’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-dayuan (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻