Youzhou (幽州) is a historical place name in northern China. From the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty in 106 BC to the Five Dynasties period in the 10th century AD, Youzhou generally referred to the prefecture around modern-day Beijing and parts of Hebei Province. The prefectural capital was for most of this period was the City of Ji (蓟城).
During the Sixteen Kingdoms period, however, when more than a dozen small kingdoms ruled northern China, several kingdoms named administrative divisions within their domain Youzhou.[1] When Liu Yuan ruled the kingdom of Former Zhao, the Youzhou of Former Zhao was based in Lishi in modern-day Shanxi Province.[1] When Liu Yao ruled the kingdom, the Youzhou of Later Zhao was moved to Beidi in present-day Yao County of Shaanxi Province.[1] The Youzhou of the Southern Yan was based in Liaocheng, Shandong Province and the Youzhou of the Xia was based in modern-day Hanggin Banner of Inner Mongolia.[1] At one time in the 4th century AD, there were four Youzhous in northern China, in Northern Yan, Southern Yan, Xia and Northern Wei.[1] Of these, the Youzhou of the Northern Wei was the original and remained so into the Sui and Tang Dynasties.[1] In 938, Youzhou was one of the Sixteen Prefectures ceded by the Later Jin Dynasty to the Khitans. Under Khitan control, Youzhou was renamed Nanjing, or the southern capital of the Liao Dynasty. From then on, the place name "Youzhou" disappeared from the map of China.