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 measurement, Chinese units (市制 Pinyin: Shìzhì, city standard) are the units used in Imperial China, and are still used. ... The distance between two points is the length of a straight line segment between them. ... The metre, or meter, is a measure of length, approximately equal to 3. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ... The metre, or meter, is a measure of length, approximately equal to 3. ... This article is about the unit of measure known as the yard. ...

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. The Qin Dynasty (Chinese: 秦朝; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chin Chao) (221 BC - 206 BC) was preceded by the Zhou Dynasty and followed by the Han Dynasty in China. ... Han commanderies and kingdoms AD 2. ... The Han Dynasty (Traditional Chinese characters: 漢朝, Simplified Chinese characters: 汉朝, pinyin Hàncháo 202 BC - AD 220) followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. ... A dynasty is a family or extended family which retains political power across generations, or more generally, any organization which extends dominance in its field even as its particular members change. ...

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. Northern Wei Buddha Maitreya, 443 AD. A Buddhist stela from the Northern Wei period, build in the early 6th century. ... The Western Qin (Simplified Chinese character: 西秦, Traditional Chinese character: 西秦, pinyin Xīqín (385-400, 409-431)) was a state of Xianbei ethnicity during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China. ... The Sānguó Zhì (Chinese 三国志, or 三國誌), variously translated as Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms, Records of the Three States and Records of the Three Kingdoms, was the official and authoritative historical text on the Three Kingdoms Period compiled by Chen Shou during the Jin Dynasty (265-420). ...

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). The Book of Liang (Ch: 梁書, Liangshu), was compiled under Yao Silian 姚思廉 in 635. ... Ideogram for Wa, formed by the radical for person (on the left), and the phonetic element Wa on the right (itself represented by a rice plant in the upper part and a woman in the lower part). ... Kyushu region, Japan Kyushu (九州 kyÅ«shÅ«) is the third largest island of Japan and most southerly and westerly of the four main islands. ... The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. ... The Tsushima Islands are situated wholly in the Korea Strait, East and South-east of the Korean Peninsula and between the Japanese mainland due west of the Kanmon Strait which divides Honshu from Kyushu, and which also connects Korea / Tsushima straits to the Inland Sea. ...

In the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) the li was approximately 323 metres. For the band, see Tang Dynasty (band). ...

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". This article is about the unit of measure known as the yard. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ...

The li is also used in Korea, where it represents approximately 393 metres (429 yards). Korea (Korean:한국, Hanguk, or 조선, Chosun or Joseon) is a civilization and geographical area situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia, bordering China (PRC) to the northwest and Russia to the northeast, with Japan situated to the southeast across the Korea Strait. ... This article is about the unit of measure known as the yard. ...

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: [1]
• Hulsewé, A. F. P. 1961. "Han measures." T'oung pao Archives, Vol. XLIX, Livre 3, pp. 206-207.