The Research For The City Planning And Layout In Xia And Shang Dynasties

City is an important factor in the process of civilization coming into being andthe key point of academia studies. In the period of Xia and Shang Dynasties, cities,large and small in scale, complex and diverse in planning and layout, merged in largenumbers. Based on archaeological materials and related documentary records, thisarticle conducted a systematic study of city planning and layout in Xia and ShangDynasties, hoping to ascertain its institution and regularity as well as detail changesof different types of cities in planning and layout.The full text is composed of five chapters:Chapter one is Introduction. It firstly defines related concepts such as “city”,“cities in Xia and Shang Dynasties”,“planning and layout”, and then introduces theprevious research achievement and deficiency in academia. On this basis, the text’spurpose and method of research is put forward.Chapter two is study on the city planning in Xia and Shang Dynasties, mainly onsite selection, city wall and function division. It points out that city site selection inthis period includes superior ecological environment and open flat terrain. City wallplanning generally takes on square and dual city wall appears. Function division ismade up of living quarter and burial area. According to service object, living quarteris classified into palace area and residential area, which are sharply different inlocation. Buried area is divided into Emperor’s Tomb area, which are located in thenorthwest of capital, and ordinary buried area, which is in the city periphery andcross-distributed with living quarter.Chapter three is study on the city layout in Xia and Shang Dynasties,emphasizing palace layout institution, infrastructure and city agglomeration.According to the article, Palaces layout in this period generally adopted the “frontcourt and back resting place” and axisymmetric institution. Ancestor left, God ofLand and Grain right institution came into being in Yinxu period. City infrastructurelayout focuses on palace area. City agglomeration distribution embodied the maincapital centered layout concept, and other cities are around main capital in semi-ring,which are decided by the political situation and military struggle of dynasty. Chapter four is study on relevant issues. Based on the study of planning andlayout in above text, it indicates that there was no “honoring northeast” ideology inShang Dynasty. Accompanied with the appearance of “monarch”, city wall institutionwas formed in Xia and Shang Dynasties, reflecting the principle of “fortification formonarch, and city wall for people”. The city layout difference mirrors the stricthierarchy in Xia and Shang Dynasties.Chapter five is conclusion. It mainly concludes the viewpoint of main body, andmeanwhile points out the article’s limitation and deficiency. Study insists thatintegrated city planning and layout institution has formed in Xia and Shang society,also owning mature planning and layout concept.