Our 2008 China Eclipse Trip - Page 39

Tianshan Temple in Yiwu

Hami was called Kunmo in ancient times and Yiwulu in the Han Dynasty. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the office of the Yihe prefectural General was set up here. During the Northern Wei, the prefecture of Yiwu was established. During the Sui Dynasty, Yiwu Prefecture and Rouyuan Town had their seats established in Hami. During the Tang Dynasty, the prefecture of Xiyi was set up and later on it was renamed Yizhou Prefecture. During the Yuan Dynasty, it was called Hamili and was administered by Gansu Province. During the reign of the Ming Dynasty Emperor Yongle, the Hami Fortress was established. In 1759, the twenty-fourth year of the Qing Dynasty Emperor Qianlong,, Hami Prefecture was founded and in 1884, the tenth year of the Qing Emperor Guangxu, it was upgraded to the level of a prefecture directly under the administration of the central government. In 1913, the second year of the Republic of China, it was re-established as a county.