Heng Prefecture borrowed its name from an
earlier prefecture around
Datong in
Shanxi that was established under the
Northern Wei in 493. In 578, the
Northern Zhou created this second Heng Prefecture as part of a reorganization of
Ding Prefecture. to avoid
naming taboo upon the ascension of the new
emperor Li Heng (
posthumously remembered as
Emperor Muzong). Under the late Tang, it was part of the territory of the
Chengde jiedushis and, during the
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Era, it was part of the briefly independent
Kingdom of Zhao. The
Later Jin reëstablished the prefecture again in 924 but it was again renamed Zhen Prefecture under the
Later Han. The Tang Heng Prefecture had a population of 54,543 living in 26,113 households during the 639 census and a population of 342,134 living in 54,633 households during the 742 census. ==See also==