Editing Lelang Commandery (section)

===Han dynasty===
[[File:Basket from Lo-lang.jpg|thumb|260px|A scene of historic paragons of [[filial piety]], Chinese painted artwork on a [[Lacquerware|lacquered]] basketwork box, excavated from an Eastern-Han tomb in Lelang Commandery.]]
In 108 BC, [[Emperor Wu of Han|Emperor Wu]] of the [[Han dynasty]] conquered the area under [[Ugeo of Gojoseon|King Ugeo]], a grandson of [[Wiman of Gojoseon|King Wiman]]. The Emperor set up Lelang, [[Lintun Commandery|Lintun]], [[Xuantu Commandery|Xuantu]] and [[Zhenfan Commandery|Zhenfan]], known as the [[Four Commanderies of Han]] in the northern [[Korean peninsula]] and [[Liaodong peninsula]]. The ''[[Book of Han]]'' records Lelang belonged to [[Youzhou]], located in northwestern [[Gojoseon]] consisted of 25 [[prefecture]]s, 62,812 houses, and the population was 406,748.<ref>前漢書卷二十八地理志第八 "樂浪郡，武帝元封三年開。莽曰樂鮮。屬幽州。戶六萬二千八百一十二，口四十萬六千七百四十八。有雲鄣。縣二十五：朝鮮，讑邯，浿水，水西至增地入海。" [[:s:zh:漢書/卷028下|Wikisource: the Book of Han, volume 28-2]]</ref>{{sfn|Barnes|2001|p=40}} Its capital, then the prefecture of Joseon (朝鮮縣, 조선현), was located at modern [[Pyongyang|P'yŏngyang]]. ([[Rakrang-guyok|Rakrang]] 樂浪/락랑, a district in central P'yŏngyang today, is named after Lelang.)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-bHkI4cEc1QC&q=chinese+official's+tombs+dotted+around+modern+pyongyang+contained+paintings&pg=PA8|title=BRADT TRAVEL GUIDE NORTH KOREA, THE|author=ROBERT WILLOUGHBY|year=2008|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides|isbn=978-1-84162-219-4|page=7|access-date=2011-01-09}}</ref>

After Emperor Wu's death, Zhenfan and Lintun were abolished and Xuantu was moved to [[Liaodong]]. Some prefectures of the abolished commanderies were incorporated into Lelang. Lelang after the consolidation is sometimes called "Greater Lelang commandery". Since Lelang became too large, the Defender of the Southern Section (南部都尉) was set up to rule the seven prefectures which formerly belonged to Zhenfan. Before that, the Defender of the Eastern Section (東部都尉) was set up to rule former Lintun's seven prefectures.

Immigrants mainly from [[Yan (state)|Yan]] and [[Qi (state)|Qi]] settled in the former [[Gojoseon]] lands and brought with them [[Chinese culture]]. Among them, the Wang clan, whose ancestor is said to have fled there from Qi in the 2nd century BC, became powerful.

While the Han dynasty was taken over by [[Wang Mang]], Wang Tiao (王調) started a rebellion and tried to secede from China. In 30 AD, the rebellion was stopped by Wang Zun (王遵), whom [[Emperor Guangwu of Han|Emperor Guangwu]] appointed as governor. The Han dynasty reasserted its authority over Lelang in the late 1st and 2nd centuries.{{sfn|Barnes|2001|p=40}} However, the shortage of human resources caused by the turmoil resulted in the abolishment of the seven eastern prefectures. The administration was left to the [[Eastern Ye|Dongye]] natives, whose chiefs were conferred as marquises.

At the end of the [[Eastern Han dynasty]], [[Gongsun Du]], appointed as the Governor of [[Liaodong]] in 184, extended his semi-independent domain to the Lelang and Xuantu commanderies. His son [[Gongsun Kang]] separated the southern half from the Lelang commandery and established the [[Daifang commandery]] sometime between 204 and 220.{{sfn|Barnes|2001|p=40}} As a result, the Lelang commandery reverted to its original size.