Qingzhou (ancient China)

Qing Province
A conjectural reconstruction of the Nine Provinces of ancient Chinese geography
Chinese
Hanyu Pinyin	Qīngzhōu
Literal meaning	Grue Province
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Qīngzhōu

Qingzhou or Qing Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China dating back to c. 2070 BCE that later became one of the thirteen provinces of the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE). The Nine Provinces were first described in the Tribute of Yu chapter of the classic Book of Documents, with Qingzhou lying to the east of Yuzhou and north of Yangzhou. Qingzhou's primary territory included most of modern Shandong province except the southwest corner.

The territory takes its name from the Tribute of Yu wherein Yu the Great wrote: "Between the sea and Mount Tai there is only Qingzhou". In around 5,000 BCE the area was the cradle of Dongyi culture. During the Xia and Shang dynasties, it was home to the Shuangjiu (, Shuǎngjīu), Jize (, Jìzé), and Pangboling (, Pángbólíng) clans and the state of Pugu.

Following the Duke of Zhou's c. 1040 BCE successful campaign against the Dongyi states allied with the revolting Three Guards and the rebellious Shang prince Wu Geng, the captured territory of Pugu was granted to Jiang Ziya as the marchland of Qi.