The Research On The Evolvement Of Ancient Luoyang City Form

This dissertation surveys the spatial formation and evolvement of the ancient capital of Luoyang, including its formation, development, peak and decline. The author attributes the process of the spatial formation and evolvement to a combination of such factors as politics, economics, history and geography— the capital as a spatial entirety.Focusing on the most essential four questions(selection of the capital site, establishment of the political nucleus, control over the capital's social system, and construction of the capital' s economic center) that have to be settled by every ruler in history, and on the three frames of the spatial mode in all ancient capitals(palace city, Li system as the social managing system and market), the author elaborates on the spatial formation and evolvement of Luoyang from the history geographical perspective, aiming to reveal the mechanism beneath the ruling power's allocation of the capital space.The contents are as follows:Chapter One reviews Luoyang's organizational system. On the basis of the previous researchers' definition of the ancient capital and related researches' findings in modern politics, the author proposes specific standards measuring and judging this ancient capital, and points out there had been a co-existence of many equally important capitals within it. After a research on the specific periods different dynasties founded their capitals in Luoyang, a new conclusion can be drawn that through out the ancient history, altogether 14 dynasties founded their capitals in Luoyang, such as Xia, Shang, Western Zhou, Eastern Zhou, Western Han, Eastern .Han, Wei, Western Jin, Northern Wei, Sui, Tang, Later Liang, Later Tang and Later Jin, and 12 dynasties established accompanying capitals there, such as Shang, Xinmang, Later Zhao, Northern Zhao, Sui, Tang, Later Liang, Later Jin, Later Han, Later Zhou, Song and Jin. The former lasted 1693 years; the latter, 498 years. The total is 2191 years. This sets a clear span for the studies of the space of Luoyang.Chapter Two analyzes the causes and processes the ancient dynasties founded their capitals in Luoyang. After an all-round careful study of the "center of the world" theory by Zhougong, the author considers it the first theory in ancient China on theplan of the selection of capital sites. Its geographical, political, economic and cultural notions resulted in many dynasties' inclination to choosing Luoyang as capital. This theory gives positive evidence on the foundation, inviolability and rationality of the unique idea of choosing Luoyang as capital. The massive overwhelming and expanding power of this theory also influenced the space layout of the ancient capital, from which had evolved a system of choosing the central place to establish palaces, which had long been a guide line for ancient rulers to decide on the locations of the palace city, palaces, etc.. Most of the various later ideas on choosing a capital are the development and supplement to this theory.Chapter Three focuses on the formation of the ancient capital space. Through the inspection on palace city, the author argues that the earliest capital in China appeared in the form of palace cities, i.e., capitals were the earliest cities. At least during the pre-historical period, palace cities were in their infancy. With the establishment of Xia Dynasty, the formation of a country, palace city as the form of the earliest city was originally formed in Xia's capital, Erlitou. Later, during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, as Shang city in Yanshi and palace cities in Zhou Dynasty formed the city-like palace cities, the basic formation of palace cities was established. As the establishment of the palace cities was in the process in which the rulers established and strengthened their reign, controlled and manipulated the whole country, as it was the result of effective control over the programming of the capital city, undoubtedly palace cities will be the carrier of ruling dynasties which greatly embodies the material structure of the capital's political function. Therefore, the layout of its spatial formation reflects political changes. The palace city, the political nucleus of the ancient capital, is the starting point of its spatial development and the antitype space after Luoyang was chosen as the capital city.Chapter Four mainly discusses the influence of palace cities on the development of capital space. While constructing a capital, rulers always followed a principle that the palace city should be built first, i.e., all the other building constructions should be centered on the palace city. Specific political and cultural connotation was infused into the construction of palace cities, which occupied a central position in the organization of the capital space, which was the starting point from which other capitals' locations were being oriented. The formation of the capital's organizational system, and its middle axes are all directly related with the development of the capital cities.