The Study On Henanfu-the Western Capital Of Northern Song Dynasty

Luoyang, as an ancient capital and a famous cultural city, by virtue of its superior geographical environment and good urban infrastructure, as well as the strong economic strength, became the Co-Capital of Northern Song Dynasty .The political status of Luoyang was occupied in a lofty position throughout Northern Song Dynasty, especially in the early time. The first emperor of Song Dynasty, Taizu even planed to move the capital to Henanfu. Nevertheless, after his death, Luoyang would not equate with Kaifeng any long. In the meantime, the scale of imperial tombs project was growing larger and larger. As a result, the function of this city added the worshipping of ancestors. The political status of the first Co-Capital remained still. After Emperor Zhenzong, there were no emperors visited Luoyang. Therefore, the status of Henanfu, whether by politics or economy, declined markedly. However, the title of Western Capital had existed in Northern Song Dynasty and was inherited by Southern Song Dynasty.The Song government attached great importance to the palace of Luoyang, which was the visible symbolof Co-Capital. The local authorities carried out palace construction on a large scale. What is more, the building technique of the palaces in Luoyang was a salutary lesson for the palaces in Kaifeng. Under the reign of Emperor Renzong, the large-scale construction of the outer city made this city grander than that in Sui and Tang Dynasties. The excellent architectural technology level of this construction suggested the distinctive characteristics of the times. Some of the city-gates were plugged. The Dingdingmen Street became narrow distinctly. These phenomena reflected the reduction of its population and city standard. Since the middle of Northern Song Dynasty, the outer city lapsed into ruin gradually. This kind of phenomenon represented that the Western Capital of Song Dynasty had fallen by degrees.The political system of Henanfu differed from other cities. To be specific, there were Western Capital Liushousi and Liusiyushitai. These government agencies were under the jurisdiction of the central government directly. The senior officer of Western Capital Liushousi, was also the governor of Henanfu. The central government, according to the circumstances, made some necessary adjustments to maintain the political status as Co-Capital . The water and land transportation of this area, compared with the previous generation, had been greatly improved to meet the needs of political and commercial development, maintained the important position of the transport hub, indicated the social and technological progress. Well-developed transportation made great contribution to the development of economy as well as the exchange of personnel and material in this region.Due to its natural conditions and the government policies, the economy of Luoyang presented an uneven development between different area and departments. First and foremost,the agriculture was in a backward state while the forestry was in the opposite, the commerce and handicraft industry were prosperous. Secondary, the urban economy was more prosperity than rural economy. Thirdly, there were other disadvantages that bring about this consequence,for instance,little flat land and more mountains, poor productivity,frequent floods and droughts. The rich vegetation, however, compensated the poor agricultural condition to some extents. The forest offered large quantities of wood, which became a major source of income in the local economy. The fruit farming of this area was at the top in the northern regions, while the gardening was the best throughout the country. The production and sale of the flowers and trees, had become a rising industry that promoted the development of tourism and the prosperity of local economy. Unfortunately, the forest met with overcutting .This action made the industry not only unattainable after the reign of Emperor Shenzong, but also damaged the local ecological environment seriously.The business of Luoyang made great development because of its political and geographic advantage. A large amount of businessmen,both at home and abroad, with their quality products, gathered in this city. Therefore, Luoyang became the second international business center while the first was Kaifeng . The new phenomena of night market and roadside business were widespread across the whole city and improved the livelihood of the citizens. The official and private handicrafts, such as textile, metallurgy, logging, wine industry, ceramic industry, quarrying industry, food industry, received great development and progress. These products were warmly welcomed by local customers and became tributes dedicated to the emperor. The usage of coal, particularly in brick industry, which expanded the production scale and enhanced people's standard of living, was a revolutionary change in fuel history.The financial emptiness of Luoyang, caused by the central fiscal policy, local poor agricultural condition and heavy taxation, affected the self-construction, decreased in political and economic status. As early as the Zhenzong's period, Luoyang, which was once under the jurisdiction of the central government directly, switched over to be subordinate to Jingxilu or Jingxibeilu, In other words, luoyang transformed into a regional city gradually. In the meantime, the subsidiary countries also reduced. To make matters worse, the harsh economic exploitation laid a heavy yoke on the ordinary people and accelerated the progress of decline as the Western Capital.As Co-Capital and Imperial Tombs site, the security management was one of the complicated and difficult tasks for the government staff in Luoyang. The authorities implemented a series of effective measures to ensure the safety of this area, such as strengthening the responsibility of public security department, displaying the role of military deterrence. However, there were still some disadvantages. Huge social inequality was the root cause of disorder situation.There were also other causes, for example, the lenient policy, the powerful local despotic force and rascals, the officialdom lax etc.It was an important embodiment to realize the function as Co-Capital by paying great attention to cultural education, Buddhism, Taoism and other religious activities in this area. Culture and social consciousness were highly valued. The school, either public or private, had made great development. This was another golden age for education in the city's history. Paying attention to moral training, adhering to the Confucian rites as the guiding principles on housekeeping, acting and governing, become a fashion pursuit. Respecting for the elderly, the sages, the teachers, was the theme of society. This city was the base of national moral construction. Under the government's policy support, the temples restored and developed gradually. The Confucianism, as well as Buddhism and Taoism, they merged quickly and produced far-reaching effects on politics, culture and education.