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Northern Song Tokyo Layout Study

Posted on:2006-12-25Degree:DoctorType:Dissertation
Country:ChinaCandidate:H Q LiFull Text:PDF
GTID:1115360155469571Subject:History of Ancient China
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
As the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, DongJing (Kaifeng city) was the premier city in the East at that time, with a population of over a million people. Its city distribution was under the influence of 'xiang tian she du'and geomantic omen, and restricted by historical and geographic conditions. Its integral was vast and fascinating.The city advanced to the fullest of a city built with an elaborate series of city walls, with the emperor domain in the center. The perimeter of the city was a breathtaking of more than 24 kilometers. At that time, Chinese cities, with Kaifeng as the prime example, were highly internalized, with great emphasis placed on maintaining internal order while disregarding, to a large extent, the world beyond the city walls. The author of this paper tries to explain and research, according to the documents, the relationship between the different sections including the inner city and outer, Barbian Extrain and Guaizi Wall. The inner part of Kaifeng city, with circumference of more than 10 kilometers, separated the different parts of the city. The author maintains the theory that imperial Capital of Song Dynasty was divided into two parts, the perimeter of imperial Capital was more than 4.5 kilometers, which surrounded the Royal Palace, and the latter had 2.5 kilometers in circle. This theory was different from the ancient saying such as, 'Imperial Capital of Song runs 2.5 kilometers', 'No Royal Palace in Song Dynasty', 'Imperial Capital of Song goes 3.5 kilometers.' The region of the two parts had close relationship, as the ancient people thought 'top ruler'. According to The Text of the Book of Changes, nine and five (top ruler), a flying dragon in heaven, one distinguished person will be born. Dragon is a symbol of ancient emperor.The city of Kaifeng had Bian River, Jiang River, and Wuzhang River, Gold Water River, all of which served as major arteries for the countrywide materials to the city, an effective series of life line for the city. The banks of the Bian River were packed with hotels, lousiness, shops and other things. It was the flourishing heart of the city, exploding with prosperity and excitement. Because the flow of the rivers often changed, it was imperative for city planning departments to adapt a flexible approach to their work, which was quite different from the tidy Xi'an city of Sui and Tang Dynasties.The streets, with their chessboard shape and many circles and oblique lines, embodied the end of net and Crosshatch style arrangement of Sui and Tang Dynasties. Occupation of streets was the reason and embody as well of the destroyed LiFang system. To be specifically, trees, shelters, appeared in the Late Zhou Period of Five States, it was the beginning of the disintegration of LiFang system. In Song Dynasty especially in the Jingyou period of Renzong Emperor, more shops appeared along the streets and inner walls were put down. That was the end of LiFang system. Therefore, the destruction of ancient LiFang was not began with collapsing of Fang Wall, butwith the occupation of streets and its development until it was permitted by government till then, this system completely disappeared. That is to say, Fang Wall and buildings of occupation of streets had coexisted for quite a long time.The street is not only a place for communication but also for traveling and enjoyment. Spectacle is the first thing to catch people's eyes. Under the system of LiFang, streets in Xi'an city were completely separated by walls, which looked dull and rigid. While in Kaifeng of Song Dynasty, the streets were lively and dynamic with numerous shops and hotels. The atmosphere of the street allowed people to take a break from the drudgery of daily life to spent time enjoying the pleasures of their personal choosing.As increasing of population and development of economy, XingFang system (opposite to Lifang system) appeared in Kaifeng of Northern Song Dynasty. It was the result of combination of LiFang and main market. The inner city of Kaifeng had 8 Xiangs(a unit superior to Fang), 120 Fangs. The outer city had 9 Xiangs, 14 Fangs. With historical and geographic conditions, the distribution of population was not regular for larger number in the inner part. As a result, the ploughed fields and buildings distributed differently, then the rent of room are various. Such difference did benefit on economy and population distribution as well.The author uses the termsmall city segments' to separate the city into 9 sections: politics, etiquette, Imperial garden, Imperial guards camps, religion, education, business, entertainment, and workshop. Furthermore, the writer discusses the location, content and distribution of population of each part. Here just take politics and business as examples. Imperial Palace of Kaifeng was divided into inner city and outer city. The arrangement seemed complicated compared with Xi'an and Forbidden city of Beijing, with Daqing Hall → Wunde Hall stand on the east part, Chuigong Hall → Zichen Hall →Jingying Hall as two east-west rolls, with Daqing Hall → Zichen Hall → Chongzhen Hall, Wende Hall → Chuigong Hall → Yanghe Hall,Huangyi Hall→Xuanhe Hall as three north-south axes. Such arrangement was even rare in ancient Chinese history. Because there was no enough place for government offices to build in Imperial Palace, many office buildings had to moved out on the sides in front of Imperial Palace, such as 'Two offices eight positions'. Department of state Affairs, the Censorate, Secretary Department, Taichang Temple. That arrangement was the forerunner of the central government was standed in front of Imperial palace; it was imitated by Jinzhong Du and Yuan Dadu, and reached the highest standard till Beijing city of Ming Dynasty.Business district was another main element in Kaifeng city. As a whole, hotels and shops congested in the city, replaced the lanes of Xi'an in Tang Dynasty. Business centers had formed, among which the most famous were the alongside of Bian River in the south city and Maxing street, Panlou street in north city, they were called "River in South and Market in North City." Fruit store, butcher shop, hotel, drugstores, night market etc. clustered around the area.Business district of Kaifeng city, a new form of city distribution, opened to the outside world. In the area, trade could be dealt at any time in any place, night.market and morning market formed accordingly. All businessmen were allowed to set up stall,no matter whom they were. One remarkable phenomenon was that officials set up shops and competed with ordinary shop owners, another was market usually located near goods supply place.Kaifeng city had been broadened during over 300 years from Bianzhou city of Tang Dynasty to the perdition of northern Song Dynasty .This enlargement embodies three-dimension .City walls had no effect on separating city and country. Markets formed outside city, which ameliorated the crowded city without building new city walls, which was also one new phenomenon in ancient Chinese history. Dongjing city broke through an old saying "Build city wall to defend emperor, set up defense to keep ordinary citizens". In the process of broadening, economic centers formed and displaced along the riverside of Bian River, Cai River and Wuzhang River.Farm fields and farmers moved out of Dongjing in Northern Song Dynasty while they had stayed in the city before Tang Dynasty .Moreover, in domicile management, citizens of Dongjing in city or out city are called 'Guofanghu', in contrast with countryman. Urban people, whose taxes were called 'kepei', which was opposite to rural citizens' errands,.As for the three-dimensional aspect, the ban of storied buildings had been abolished since Five Dynasty periods .As the development of economy, storied buildings became popular in Dongjing of northern Song Dynasty, subsequently, add capacity of the city. In Dongjing, from high pagodas to huge towers, from magnificent palaces to lower one-story houses, various heights of buildings formed the horizon of the city's sky.A sketch map of DongJing City in Northern Song Dynasty has been drawn by the author on the base of research .Different places were signed on the map such as city walls, rivers, government offices, temples, gardens, imperial guards' camps etc. Some of the locations have been measured by archaeologists; some came from documents or inference. The sketch map is a total one, in accordance with single map in this article, such as the arrangement of XiangFang, the arrangement of streets, stereo enlargement of buildings, the displacement of developing belts, the shape of gates, the section of imperial streets etc. Moreover, aimed at various maps with errors of DongJing, the author chooses seven representatives to correct and give the readers a view on history.
Keywords/Search Tags:DongJing of the Northern Song Dynasty, Royal Palace in Song Dynasty, XiangFang.
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