Qiemi 且彌

The state of Qiemi 且彌 was located in the valley of Yuda 于大谷 in the eastern part of the Tianshan Range 天山 in the territory of modern Fukang 阜康, Xinjiang, and thus in the area of the new northern route of the Silk Road.

Qiemi was divided into the proper Qiemi or Western Qiemi 西且彌, and Eastern Qiemi 東且彌, which was located in the valley of Duixu 兑虛谷. During the Former Han period 前漢 (206 BCE-8 CE), Western Qiemi had a population of 1,900 persons, Eastern Qiemi was populated by the same number of people. During the Later Han period 後漢 (25-220 CE), Eastern Qiemi had 3,000 inhabitants. The King of Western Qiemi was aided by a Marquis (hou 侯), a left and right general and a left and right Master of the Cavalry (qijun 騎君), the King of Eastern Qiemi by a Marquis and a left and right Commander-in-chief (duwei 都尉). The people of Qiemi often lived in tents and were pastoral nomads, but some of them also worked the fields.

At the beginning of the Han period, Qiemi was controlled by the steppe federation of the Xiongnu 匈奴, before it became subject to the Han Protectorate of the Western Territories (Xiyu duhufu 西域都護府). In the late 2nd century CE Qiemi was conquered by Rear Cheshi 車師後部. Western Qiemi again gained independence during the Northern Wei period 北魏 (386-534).