Wang Anshi Reform From The Perspective Of Historical Geography

Wang Anshi reform was one of the most significant reforms in ancient China.From the perspective of space, this thesis is to research the regional differentiation ofpolicies in implementing the reform measures, and what was affected byenvironmental difference. Furthermore, threaded by new laws in the reform, thisthesis aims to study regional development and corresponding measures by thegovernment, especially to analyze the man-land relationship in 11th century's China.This thesis is divided into 5 chapters, which are respectively devoted to discussion ongeographical factors in Qingmiao law, Shiyi law, Baojia law, Mianyi law andirrigation law, which are the five most influential and representative characters inWang's reform. In discussing the five laws, this thesis shall approach them from onetypical historical geographical situation respectively. These five chapters are thusdevoted to five historical geographical problems. chapter 1 discusses the formation ofthe duplex administrative region system in North Song; chapter 2 is about the featuresof countrywide Shiyiwu's regional distribution; chapter 3 talks about how the originand garrison of soldiers impact combat capability; chapter 4 analyzes how the reformon Corvee system causes the abolishment of counties on a large scale, as well as theepochal features of administrative regions' adjustment in middle of North Song;chapter 5 is on the different results of water project construction, with the case ofemigrants from Hebei and development in Nanyang basin.11th century's China was in mid North Song. After about one hundred years'development, different regions were not only shaped with different economic andhuman geographical features, yet each region were confronted with different problems.Reformative measures in that epoch were applied in every region of Song dynasty.Correspondingly, the peculiarity of each region amplified or constrained the effects ofthose measures. Besides that, with the promotion of new measures, new humangeographical landscapes were brought into every region. The human-land relationshipreflected by interactions between regional geography and political movements is whatthis thesis wants to expose. In spite of the fact that in the traditional agriculturalsociety of North Song, transportation and communication was very limited, thepromotion and application of new laws still showed efficiency and good control overwhole country of North Song imperial administration. However different the distancebetween the capital and each region was, and to whatever extent the reform wassuccessive, every region executed the laws effectively. From the whole process ofWang's reform, intensity of centralization in North Song is sufficiently demonstrated.