Ning Prefecture
zhou (prefecture) in imperial China centering on modern Ning County, Gansu, China
Ningzhou or Ning Prefecture (寧州) was a zhou (prefecture) in imperial China centering on modern Ning County, Gansu, China. It existed from 554 to 1913.
Geography
The administrative region of Ningzhou in the Tang dynasty is in modern northeastern Gansu bordering Shaanxi. It probably includes parts of modern:
Under the administration of Qingyang:
Ning County
Zhengning County
References
Shi Weile, ed. (2005). Zhongguo Lishi Diming Da Cidian (中国历史地名大词典) [Large Dictionary of Chinese Historical Place Names] (in Chinese). China Social Sciences Press. p. 841. ISBN 7-5004-4929-1.
“Ning Prefecture” enters the record as zhou (prefecture) in imperial China centering on modern Ning County, Gansu, China. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Ning, Prefecture and zhou can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Ning Prefecture” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Ning, Prefecture and zhou provides the most credible route into that argument.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 21, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q10955562. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1913 and 2005.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Ning Prefecture”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Ning Prefecture primary sources, Ning Prefecture archive and Ning research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Ning Prefecture”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Ning Prefecture” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.