The Study On Military Towns Of Northern Wei Dynasty

Since Qin Dynasty unified six countries, and implemented the county system, the system had become a ruling way of central authorities' domination of the local places. By Northern Wei Dynasty, there existed two ruling ways: the county and the military towns. The appearance of the latter is a notable phenomenon. The clarification of it is of significance to study ancient history of China.Based on massive classics and a wide range of data, this article gives a thorough analysis and study this phenomenon.Besides the preface and the coclusion, the rest consists of five chapters. The First chapter analyzes the time and the cause of the establishment of military towns as well as their distribution and number. The second chapter researches the inner personnel of a military town and its' official system. It makes clear that there exist similarities among states, and counties and military towns. A military town may rapidly changed from a military establishment into a new local one. The third chapter analyzes the relations between military towns'general and governor and their titles as well as the role military towns played in the defensive system. The Fourth chapter is a analysis of the influences military town had on the Northern Wei Dynasty. It points out that they stimulated the economic development and fusion of nations in boader area, eliminated some unstable factors of Northern Wei Dynasty and acclerated the feudalization along its borderline.Finally, combining all the chapters, the article draws a more objective conclusion: the military did not belong to a normal executive system, but a new one for ruling local residents by military force.It was characteried by combination of military and executive functions.It appeared along with the foundation of Northern Wei Dynasty, developed with its political power expansion,and was bolished with the consolidation of its power. It was a special way in a special place during a special period. Once the political power of Northern Wei Dynasty was consolidated, it inevitably transformed from a military establishment to a civil one.