From The Mainland To The Border Counties - Yangzhou City And Economy In The Song Dynasty

Yangzhou is one of the important cities along the Yangtze river and the Grand Canal. There was a obvious contrast about the rise and fall of Yangzhou city and regional economy,during the periods of Tang and Song dynasties.Yangzhou’s relative decline caused by the changes in the political landscape and the geographical factors plays a basic and crucial role. The change of political situation during Tang and Song dynasties lead to the strengthening centralization and weaken of the local power which showed a trend of smaller local administrative zones.Political geographical changes is an internal indispensable factor,which affected Yangzhou in the Tang and Song dynasties.Compared with the Tang dynasty heyday,the administrative zones of Yangzhou in Song dynasties was more smaller,this change weakened the position of Yangzhou city and it’s regional economic status during the Song dynasty. With the changes of the political pattern,Yangzhou become the forefront of the regime of north-south confrontation zone from the mainland.The change of the military and political geography pattern changed Yangzhou city’s properties as well as the region’s strategic position, make the Southern Song dynasty period compared with the Northern Song dynasty period, it’s economic society had a different style. The development and evolution of Yangzhou city and it’s economy during the Song dynasty was under the background of the two.In terms of city, the Northern Song dynasty period did not pay much attention to the construction of local city. Yangzhou city carried on the Later Zhou Dynasty’s Zhou Xiaocheng scale, there was no much change,which was in tune with the strengthening centralization and weaken the general trend of the local power.But during the Southern Song dynasty period, the number and scale of the construction of the Yangzhou city, were far more than the Northern Song period, and Emperor Xiaozong period was the most prominent, the Tri-cities pattern of Yangzhou during the Song dynasty was formed in his time.This was a reflection of attributes and the strategic position of Yangzhou city in the Southern Song dynasty, at the same time,it’s also reflected the characteristics of political orientation of Xiaozong, and can be regarded as a kind of action of "Xiaozonghuifu" in the local society.Compared with Tang dynasty,the economy of Yangzhou was declined, but under the macro understanding, there are three points need to pay special attention:First,in a relatively peaceful environment during the Song dynasties, economy of Yangzhou is showed a trend of gradual recovery and development. Even as the border in Southern Song dynasty period, Yangzhou’s population is still growing,even more than the level of the Northern Song dynasty. This is an important symbol of national economic and social development.Second, correspond to the relative decline of Yangzhou’s economy, The growth ofZhenzhou’ economic status in Song dynasty had a historical process, not a into the song more than Yangzhou, even didn’t take a place of Yangzhou’s economic status. The predecessor of Zhenzhou was a town of Yangzhou, only to the Zhenzong periodas,it came to be a series of county administrative zones. For the objective evaluation of Yangzhou’s economic conditions during the Song dynasty,this distinction has a practical significance.Three, the Southern Song and Northern Song dynastis, profound changes in the military and political geography environment had happend, such changes affected the multiple aspects of Yangzhou’s economic and social. If focus on the distinction between the official and private, during the Northern Song dynasty, people who live in Yangzhou,,the free participating degree about the development of society and economy was much higher; The Southern Song dynasty, the official regulation of Yangzhou economy move more frequently, and the role of businessmen in Yangzhou’s economic recovery and development of society was more conspicuous.