Li (unit)
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The li (里 lǐ) is a Chinese unit of distance, until recently usually considered to be about 576 metres, but is now standardised at a half a kilometre or 500 metres (547 yards).
In ancient times, during the Qin, the li was 360 paces, or about 576 metres (古代以三百六十步為一里). During the Former Han (206 BCE-8 CE) and Later Han (25-220 CE) Dynasties the li was standardised at 415.8 metres.
During the Wei (386–550) and Western Qin (385–431) dynasties, and in the Sanguo Zhi (History of the Three Kingdoms) (circa 300), the li was approximately 77 meters.
The Liang Shu (History of Liang Dynasty) (635) describes the statelet of Wo (in Kyushu, Japan) as being 2,000 li (150 kilometres) across the sea from the Korean Peninsula with an island in the middle (Tsushima Island).
In the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) the li was approximately 323 metres.
As can be seen, although the Central Government has at times standardised its value, the li has been extremely variable over the years and from region to region, ranging from just under 80 metres to just under 580.
In modern times, the measure has been the standardised to 500 metres (or approximately 547 yards.) In Chinese, a kilometre is called a 公里 gōnglǐ using a prefix meaning "public" or "metric".
The li is also used in Korea, where it represents approximately 393 metres (429 yards) (but the name must be wrong, because Korean words can't begin with an "L").
In Japan people instead use the ri (里). 1 ri = 3927.2 m.
References
- Hill, John E. 2003. "Annotated Translation of the Chapter on the Western Regions according to the Hou Hanshu." 2nd Draft Edition. See under "Measurements" at: [link]
- Hulsewé, A. F. P. 1961. "Han measures." T'oung pao Archives, Vol. XLIX, Livre 3, pp. 206-207.
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