Kyushu is an administrative division unit in ancient China, the concept of which was first derived from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, and the geographical division of Kyushu played an important role in the development of ancient China's economy and culture. In-depth research on the geographical division of Kyushu will not only help us better understand the geographical pattern and characteristics of ancient Chinese society, but also help to explore and protect the essence of traditional Chinese geography and culture, and provide useful ideas and enlightenment for China's modern national construction.
The historical development of the division of Kyushu
The origin of ancient Kyushu can be traced back to the two ancient texts "Classic of Mountains and Seas" and "Yugong", according to the "Classic of Mountains and Seas", in ancient times, floods, after Dayu controlled the water, China was divided into nine regions, called "Kyushu", namely: "Jizhou, Yanzhou, Qingzhou, Xuzhou, Jingzhou, Yangzhou, Yongzhou, Liangzhou, Yizhou".
The Yugong makes more specific and systematic provisions on the division of Kyushu, of which the nine prefectures of "Jizhou", "Yanzhou", "Qingzhou", "Xuzhou", "Jingzhou", "Yuzhou", "Yongzhou", "Liangzhou" and "Yizhou" are based on a number of subordinate prefectures, forming a complete geographical administrative division system.
In the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, the concept of Kyushu further developed into the division of Chinese territory by the princely states, and because the Spring and Autumn Warring States period was a period of great division in Chinese history, the princely states competed for territory and expanded their power to express their own knowledge and claims to China's territory, so it was necessary to divide and manage the territory in detail.
The concept of Kyushu was first found in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" and "Yugong", but in the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, Kyushu has become the concept of territorial division by princely states, according to the "Zuo Chuan" and other historical records, the major princely states divided the territory into several Kyushu, and each Kyushu was divided into several prefectures or counties under it for administration.
The ancient city of Jingzhou
With the establishment of a centralized system after the Qin unified the world, the concept of division of Kyushu was gradually incorporated into the administrative system of the Qin state, and the Qin Dynasty inherited the administrative division system of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, and further improved and developed the division method of Kyushu, dividing the territory of China into nine prefectures, forty-three counties and three hundred and six counties.
For example, the "Warring States Policy" describes that the State of Chu divided its territory into nine prefectures, namely "Jingzhou, Xiling, Wuxia, Yuzhang, Huiji, Dongyang, Wu, Poyang, and Chaisang"; The state of Qin divided its territory into nine prefectures, namely "Three Jin, Hanoi, Hedong, Shanxi, Guanzhong, Shaanxi, Nanyang, Jingzhou, and Bashu". The division of these nine prefectures was not identical, but they all included most of the Chinese territory, each prefecture was administered by a taishou and forty-three counties and three hundred and six counties were subordinate units, administered by officials such as Fangzheng and county commanders.
Hexi Jiayuguan
In the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, the concept of division of Kyushu is not only a territorial division in the geographical sense, but also a representative of politics, culture and history, Kyushu became a symbol of status and power between the princely states, and it was also one of the basic units for negotiation, rule and management of the various princely states, the division of Kyushu changed over time, but it left important traces in Chinese history.
In addition, the Qin Dynasty also stipulated that each prefecture must establish a prefecture city and a taixue in order to strengthen local rule and cultural education, the Kyushu system was widely used in the Qin Dynasty, and played an important role in the unification and territorial administration of the Qin Dynasty, Kyushu was an important part of China's administrative division system during the Qin Dynasty, and was one of the important measures of the Qin Dynasty to unify the world.
Poyang
After the Han Dynasty, Kyushu, as the basic geographical division of Chinese administration and culture, has also been widely used and developed, profoundly affecting the political, economic and cultural aspects of ancient Chinese society.
The Kyushu system during the Han Dynasty began under Emperor Wudi of Han, and after Emperor Wudi of Han unified the world after years of war, he began to think about how to manage and control this huge country more effectively, and Emperor Wudi of Han formulated a new administrative division system based on the administrative division system of the Qin Dynasty and the Kyushu system of the Spring and Autumn Warring States, initially dividing the country into 13 counties, then adjusting it to 15 counties, and adding some counties as it continued to expand and conquer.
In 106 BC, Emperor Wudi of Han established the Kyushu system, dividing China's territory into nine large regions, namely Jizhou, Qingzhou, Jingzhou, Yangzhou, Yuzhou, Yanzhou, Xuzhou, Yongzhou, and Hezhou, each of which was governed by a prefecture or taishou, and under Kyushu was divided into dozens of counties, and below each county were local administrative units such as counties, eups, or prefectures.
At the same time, Emperor Wudi of Han also stipulated the respective administrative offices and cities of Kyushu, such as Jingzhou ruling "Xiangyang"; Xuzhou ruled "Pengcheng"; The Kyushu system of the Han Dynasty was not only a geographical administrative division, but also an economic and cultural center and a military defense line, with frequent economic exchanges between Kyushu and active cultural dissemination, and commerce, handicrafts, science and technology, and ideology and culture in the Han Dynasty all developed rapidly.
Pengcheng
The Kyushu system during the Han Dynasty not only inherited the administrative division system of the princely states in the Spring and Autumn Period, but also developed and improved, becoming an important administrative division system in Chinese history, which played a great role in the unification and governance of the Han Dynasty.
With the development of history, the concept of Kyushu, in addition to being an administrative division, has gradually evolved into a representative of rituals, geography, culture and other aspects, such as the "Great Ceremony Kyushu" recorded in the "Rites", that is, Kyushu represents the world; The "Zhuangzi" mentions "Kyushu in the south", emphasizing the geographical significance of Kyushu; History books such as the Zuo Chuan refer to Kyushu as an important historical and cultural symbol.
Yanzhou
The role of geographical divisions of Kyushu in the development of ancient times
In ancient China, Kyushu as the country's administrative division, has unique location advantages and economic development, in terms of transportation, Kyushu has a superior geographical location, convenient transportation, for example, in the Han Dynasty, the Yellow River, Yangtze River, Ocean River and other important water systems run through various regions of Kyushu, forming the famous "Kyushu Tongqu" in Chinese history, through the connection between water and land, promote the economic prosperity of various places, and the existence of these water systems also provides sufficient irrigation water for agricultural production in the Kyushu area, Promote the rapid development of agricultural production.
Yongzhou Ancient Town
Different Kyushu regions have different leading industries due to their geographical location and natural resources, such as Yangzhou in the southeast has been the capital of salt and silk since ancient times, Jingzhou in the south is famous for its agriculture, handicrafts and commerce, and Yongzhou in the northwest has developed due to the combination of agriculture and animal husbandry.
Historically, Kyushu is famous for its important historical events, cultural celebrities and cultural heritage, such as the "Eight Monsters" artists in Yangzhou and Liu Bei Zhuge Liang in Jingzhou, which is not only a dream symbol of Chinese culture, but also brings a huge impetus to the prosperity and development of local culture.
Kyushu has a superior geographical location, connecting the traffic arteries between the north and south of China, such as the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, the Haihe River and other rivers running through each Kyushu, making cultural exchanges between places more convenient, Kyushu area in ancient history is an economic and cultural gathering place, for example, in the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, the capital of the Chu State was set in Jingzhou, becoming one of the cultural centers at that time, and Yangzhou economic prosperity, since ancient times is one of the important places for cultural exchange, attracting many scholars and artists to exchange and create.
In addition, in the Kyushu region, there are many famous cultural celebrities, their works and ideas have played a role in promoting the development of Chinese culture, such as the Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai, the Song Dynasty writer Su Dongpo, etc. are representative figures of the Kyushu region, in their works, not only reflect the social situation and cultural trends of the time, but also promote the development of ancient Chinese literature.
Su Dongpo
The region's developed economy and prosperous commerce attracted many merchants and travelers who brought their own cultural values and cultural habits to the Kyushu region, while also bringing the culture and goods of the Kyushu region to other places, thus promoting the spread and exchange of culture.
In the ancient national economy, Kyushu region with its superior location and natural resources, as well as outstanding cultural achievements, became one of the important pillars of China's historical economic development, Kyushu geographical division played an irreplaceable role in the dissemination and exchange of ancient Chinese culture, and made important contributions to the development of ancient Chinese culture.
Three gorges
The historical status and practical value of Kyushu's geographical divisions
The geographical division of Kyushu has a very important position in ancient Chinese history, it is not only an administrative division, but also an important node in many fields such as culture, economy, and transportation.
Historically, Kyushu is one of the important areas for the formation and development of Chinese civilization, in ancient times, Kyushu as an administrative division to connect the north and south of China, promoting cultural transmission and exchanges between various places, while Kyushu region was also the political, military and cultural center of gravity of many dynasties, such as the capital of the Chu State in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods was set in Jingzhou, and Yangzhou in the Tang and Song Dynasties was a representative of prosperous commercial culture.
Yangzhou
Now with the development and change of the country, the status and value of Kyushu are also constantly changing, especially in recent years, the rapid development of China's economy, so that the development of Kyushu area has gradually been strengthened and highlighted, such as the rise of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, so that the economic development level of Kyushu region has been improved, and Kyushu region is also playing an increasingly important role in the national "Belt and Road" initiative, making important contributions to promoting the development of the global economy.
In short, the historical status and practical value of Kyushu's geographical division cannot be ignored, it is not only an important node of ancient Chinese civilization, but also an important area of China's economic and cultural construction, with the continuous development and growth of the country, the status and value of Kyushu is also constantly improving and changing.
Yangzhou
Kyushu geographical division has an important position and value in ancient Chinese history, and also has certain enlightenment value for China's modern national construction, Kyushu geographical division played a role in connecting the north and south in ancient times and promoting regional exchanges, which provides a reference for China today to promote the coordinated development of urban and rural areas and promote regional economic integration, Kyushu geographical division has close economic and cultural ties, and can build a modern industrial chain and market network on this basis.
It is also one of the political and cultural centers of ancient China, and has become a prosperous place of culture at that time, which enlightens us that in the construction of modern countries, we should also pay attention to cultural construction, strengthen the construction of cultural soft power, make the country more attractive, and enhance national cohesion.
Xuzhou
In addition, Kyushu area is the transportation hub of ancient China, which also provides inspiration for modern national construction, with the continuous development of science and technology, modern transportation is developing rapidly, railways, highways, aviation and other modern transportation facilities are popularized in various places, providing a solid foundation for the country's social and economic development.
The Kyushu region has an irreplaceable status and value in ancient Chinese history, providing reference and enlightenment for China's modern national construction, we should take this as the starting point, combined with the actual situation and the requirements of the times, and continuously promote the process of national modernization, so as to make our country more prosperous, democratic, civilized and harmonious.
Bibliography:
LI Yuanzhe. Kyushu in Chinese History. Journal of Peking University (Philosophy and Social Sciences), 2002(6):55-63.
CUI Zhenshan. "The Formation of Kyushu in China and Its Geographical Significance". Scientia Geographica, 1994(4):278-282.]
WANG Shouyi. A Study of the Kyushu System in Ancient China. Journal of Anhui Normal University (Humanities and Social Sciences Edition), 2001(2):1-7.