Historically, "Jiangnan" has always been a constantly changing and flexible regional concept, and there has never been a unified definition and standard in all the research works on "Jiangnan" today.
The meaning of "Jiangnan" in ancient literature is varied. It is often an ambiguous word juxtaposed with regional concepts such as "Jiangbei" and "Central Plains". Historically, Jiangnan is not only a natural geographical area, but also a social and political area.
Jiangnan has three meanings: one is Jiangnan in natural geography, that is, south of the Yangtze River; Second, the administrative geography of Jiangnan, Jiangnan Road was set up in Tang Dynasty, Jiangnan East Road and Jiangnan West Road were set up in Song Dynasty, and jiangnan province was set up in Qing Dynasty. The concept of Jiangnan has been passed down from generation to generation. Third, cultural Jiangnan, before modern times, was basically consistent with the concept of Jiangnan road in Tang Dynasty.
With the development of history, Jiangnan has become more and more important. Jiangnan in the Six Dynasties was Jiangnan, Jiangnan in the Ming and Qing Dynasties was Jiangnan in China, and Jiangnan in modern times became Jiangnan in the world.
Nanjing described in Jiangnan Spring Day is naturally the representative of Jiangnan.
"There is heaven above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below". There is no denying that Suzhou and Hangzhou, known as "the land of golden jade, the land of tenderness and wealth", is indeed an important part of the south of the Yangtze River.
Historical changes in the meaning of Jiangnan
In the Twenty-four Histories, the earliest record about "Jiangnan" is "Records of Five Emperors": "Jian Yao was located in the 60th year of Shun ... in the 39th year of emperor's establishment, and he took office on his southern tour and collapsed in the wilderness of Cangwu. Buried in Jiuyi, Jiangnan, it is for Lingling. " The meaning of "Jiangnan" here is too vague.
In the Qin and Han dynasties, the meaning of "Jiangnan" was slightly clear, mainly referring to the area south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River today, that is, all of southern Hubei and Hunan today. "Historical Records of Qin Benji" said: "In the 30 years of Qin Dynasty, Shu defended Ruochu, taking Wu County and Jiangnan as the county in central Guizhou." Qianzhong County is in the west of Hunan today. This shows the scope of "Jiangnan" at that time. However, according to the records of the five emperors, it can be seen that its southern boundary has reached the Nanling line. Because Jiangnan Han refers to the land of Hunan and Hubei, Wang Mang changed a county (now Yidu, Hubei) to Jiangnan County. In the concept of Han people, Jiangnan has been very broad, including Zhang Yu County, Danyang County and northern Huiji County, which is equivalent to Jiangxi, Anhui and southern Jiangsu today. The concept of taking the northern part of Huiji County as "Jiangnan" came into being. Of course, in the Han Dynasty, the north and south areas of Dongting Lake should be the main part of the south of the Yangtze River, and this area belongs to Jingzhou, so people in the Eastern Han Dynasty often refer to most areas of Jingzhou, including Xiangyang, which is far from the Yangtze River in the north. "The Biography of Liu Biao in the Later Han Dynasty" records that "Jiangnan thieves flourished ... only Jiangxia thieves Zhang Zhuang and Chen Zuo supported troops according to Xiangyang City, indicating that Yue and Pang Ji were better than each other. Jiangnan Xiping. " "Jiangnan" refers to this area. In the Sui Dynasty, "Jiangnan" was also used as a synonym for "Yangzhou" in Gong Yu, but actually "Jiangnan" also refers to the south of Jianghan and the north of Jianghuai. (1) Therefore, the descriptions of "Zhang Yu and Changsha in the south of the Yangtze River" and "humility in the south of the Yangtze River and early death of her husband" in the Biography of Historical Records of Huo Zhi belong to Huguang and Jiangxi areas in the eyes of Qing people; The "Jiangdong" in the cloud "Xiang" is actually the "Jiangnan" in the eyes of the Qing people. ② Jiangnan
A clear concept of Jiangnan should start from the Tang Dynasty. In the first year of Zhenguan (627), the world was divided into ten roads, and Jiangnan Road was completely in Jiangnan, from the east of Xiangxi to the seaside, which was the most veritable Jiangnan area since Qin and Han Dynasties. Obviously, the scope of this Jiangnan road is too wide. In the 21st year of Kaiyuan (733), the court subdivided Jiangnan Road into three parts: East-West Jiangnan Road and Qianzhong Road. The usage of the word "Jiangnan" in the Tang Dynasty often went beyond the south of the Yangtze River. Han Yu's so-called "Jiangnan" refers to the whole southeast region south of Jianghuai and north of Nanling. Jiangnan East Road (referred to as Jiangdong Road) includes Zhejiang and Fujian provinces and southern areas of Jiangsu and Anhui provinces. During the middle Tang Dynasty, Jiangnan East Road was subdivided into four observation missions: West Zhejiang, East Zhejiang, Xuanhua and Fujian. Among them, the western part of Zhejiang fully conforms to people's impression of Jiangnan in the future, including Suzhou (including Songjiang and Jiaxing Er Fu in the Ming and Qing Dynasties), Huzhou and Changzhou, as well as parts of Runzhou and Hangzhou. Therefore, the core area of Jiangnan in Ming and Qing Dynasties was still represented by "Jiangdong" in Tang Dynasty. Of course, the most exact meaning of Jiangnan at that time was the area south of the Yangtze River. The prosperity of this area appeared in the Tang Dynasty. In order to facilitate financial management, the Northern Song Dynasty imperial court set up a "transshipment route". In the third year of Daoism (997), the whole country was divided into fifteen roads. Jiangnan East Road in Tang Dynasty was divided into Liangzhe Road, Fujian Road and Jiangnan East Road. (3) The Liangzhe Road contains the core area of Jiangnan in the future, which is equivalent to the southern Jiangsu area east of Zhenjiang today and the whole of Zhejiang, and is also Jiangnan in a narrow sense.
(1) See Zhou's Interpretation of Jiangnan, China Literature and History Series No.49, Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House,1992; See also Zhou's Journey Without Bounds, Sanlian Bookstore, 1996, pp. 334-324.
(2)[ Qing] Qian Daxin: "Ten Forums, New Records of Raising Children" Volume 11 "Jiangnan", according to the Commercial Press 1983, p. 245.
(3) See Zhou: Explanations of Jiangnan, which contains the 49th series of China Literature and History.
Since the Yuan Dynasty, the word "Jiangnan" has also been used for administrative divisions in official geographical records. For example, the so-called "Jiangnan" in the Qing Dynasty mainly refers to Jiangsu and Anhui provinces north of the Yangtze River today. But "Jiangnan" in the economic sense refers more and more clearly to the traditional western Zhejiang, Wu or Sanwu. In the Ming Dynasty, Jiangsu, Songshu, Changzhou, Jiahu and Wuhu were listed as regular expressions of "Jiangnan", because the economic development of these areas gained a unique position in the country and was highly dependent on the country. During Jiajing period, Zheng Xiao, a native of Haiyan County, Jiaxing Prefecture, used these areas to discuss Jiangnan. Therefore, it was later suggested that special administrative regions should be set up in southern Jiangsu and western Zhejiang, which are the richest, under the unified management of the governor, and called "Jiangnan Center". (2) Jiangnan in Ming and Qing note novels generally refers to this area. Some people even say that Hangzhou, Jiaxing, Huzhou, Jiangsu, Changshu, Changzhou and Qi Zhen are the so-called "Jiangnan". ③
Of course, people in Ming and Qing dynasties used the word "Jiangnan" quite casually. In their minds, as long as they are related to these places, they can all be called "Jiangnan" and will not pay attention to any boundaries.
(1) [Ming] Zheng Xiao: "Today's Words" Volume III, Zhonghua Book Company, 1984 edition, p. 139.
(2)[ Ming] Lu: "Guru Fu Southeast Tactics", [Ming] Feng Menglong ed: "Shen Jia Chronicle" Volume XI, Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House 1993 Photocopy. At the end of Ming Dynasty and the beginning of Qing Dynasty, Gu recorded the same content in the eleventh volume of "Zhejiang Merchants" of "Diseases of the Country under the World" (Han Fenlou photocopied the manuscripts collected in Kunshan Library in 25 years of the Republic of China), which obviously recorded Lu's original text.
(3) [Qing] Ku Kuansheng in Donglu: Drunken stone, the eighth time, "Antique flow of fake tigers, brave attack and justice", Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 1992 edition, p. 68.
"Jiangnan" in Contemporary Scholars' Works
Even today, there are often differences on the definition of Jiangnan in academic circles.
Since Fu Yiling and other academic predecessors studied Jiangnan, a large number of works about Jiangnan have been discussed in detail from the aspects of economy, culture, politics, society, environment and even geological structure. Fu Yiling's Businessmen and Commercial Capital in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Rural Social Economy in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Folk Economy in the South of the Yangtze River in the Ming Dynasty, Social and Economic Changes in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, etc., although covering the south of the Yangtze River, have not yet made a clear definition of the south of the Yangtze River.
Wang was the first to discuss the meaning of Jiangnan. In his early research on the structure and historical value of towns in the south of the Yangtze River, he thought that Su Songchang and Hangjiahu had been a regional whole with internal economic ties and similarities at the latest in the Ming Dynasty, and official documents and private writings often mentioned five or even seven hospitals. Therefore, the earliest Jiangnan Economic Zone (strictly speaking, the Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone) has actually begun to take shape, and this (5) Liu Shiqi said in "Research on Towns in Jiangnan in Ming and Qing Dynasties" that Jiangnan belongs to Jiangning, Zhenjiang, Changzhou, Suzhou, Songjiang and Taicang Zhili in Jiangsu Province, as well as Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou in Zhejiang Province. ⑥ The book Social and Economic History of the Yangtze River Delta, edited by Hong Huanchun, also gives the definition of the south of the Yangtze River: it mainly refers to the Yangtze River Delta. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was the seven provinces of Jiangsu, Song, Chang, Zhen, Hangzhou, Jia and Hu, and it was a triangle area centered on the Taihu Lake Basin. ⑦ Chen defined the geographical scope of Jiangnan as Suzhou (including Qing Dynasty) when he studied the towns in the south of the Yangtze River in Ming and Qing Dynasties.
① Fu Yiling: Merchants and Commercial Capital in Ming and Qing Dynasties, People's Publishing House, 1956.
② Fu Yiling: Rural Social Economy in Ming and Qing Dynasties, Sanlian Bookstore (Beijing) 196 1 edition.
(3) Fu Yiling: An Analysis of the Folk Economy in the South of the Yangtze River in the Ming Dynasty, Shanghai People's Publishing House, 1957.
④ Fu Yiling: On Social and Economic Changes in Ming and Qing Dynasties, People's Publishing House, 1989.
⑤ Wang: A Preliminary Study on the Town Structure and Historical Value of Jiangnan in Ming and Qing Dynasties, Journal of East China Normal University,No. 1 issue, 1984, pp. 74-84.
⑥ Liu Shiqi: Research on Towns in the South of the Yangtze River in Ming and Qing Dynasties, China Social Sciences Press, 1987, p. 1 page.
⑦ edited by Hong Huanchun and Lauren. : Research on the Social and Economic History of the Yangtze River Delta, Nanjing University Press, 1989, p. 286.
Taicang Zhili Prefecture, Songjiang, Changzhou, Hangzhou, Jiaxing, Huzhou and other places belong to 52 states, counties and departments, and the division and names of administrative units are generally subject to the mid-Qing Dynasty. (1) Fan Shuzhi's "Exploring the Sources of Towns in the South of the Yangtze River in Ming and Qing Dynasties" only covers Jiangsu, Song, Hangzhou, Jia and Hu, but the attached statistical towns cover Yingtian, Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Zhenjiang, Hangzhou, Jiaxing, Huzhou, Ningbo, Shaoxing, Jinhua, Taiping, Ningguo, Chizhou and Huizhou, and now Jiangsu and Huizhou. (2) Xin Xu Our research on the history of local cloth clothes in the south of the Yangtze River is basically centered on Songjiang Prefecture and extends to some areas of Changzhou, Suzhou, Jiaxing, Hangzhou and Ningbo. Nantong, north of the Yangtze River, is also included in the scope of Jiangnan because of its relatively developed handicraft industry and inseparable connection with Jiangnan in supply and marketing. (3) The scope of Jiangnan is obviously very large. Fan's research on the trade history of the Silk Road in the south of the Yangtze River has narrowed its geographical scope, but it is clear that it borders the Yangtze River in the north, Hangzhou Bay in the south and the sea in the east, and Taihu Lake is embedded in it, which is basically a Yangtze River Delta, including Nanjing, Zhenjiang, Changzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou, Shanghai, Jiaxing, Huzhou and Hangzhou, covering an area of more than 40,000 square kilometers. (4) The Social Life of Jiangnan in the 7th Century written by Qian Hang and Cheng Bao has a broader definition of Jiangnan, including Nanzhili 14 in Ming Dynasty, Zhejiang 1 1, Jiangxi 13, and four provinces and states in Qing Dynasty. ⑤ Chen Xuewen's research on the history of Hangjiahu town in Ming and Qing Dynasties ⑤ Commodity economy in Taihu Lake basin in Ming and Qing Dynasties.
① Chen: "On the Diversified Development of Rural Production in the South of the Yangtze River in Ming and Qing Dynasties", in China Agricultural History No.3 1989, p.1-0.
(2) Fan Shuzhi: Exploring the Sources of Towns in Jiangnan in Ming and Qing Dynasties, Fudan University Press, 1990.
(3) Xu Editor-in-Chief: History of Self-made Cloth in Jiangnan, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Press, 1992.
(4) Fan,: Research on the History of Silk in the South of the Yangtze River, Agricultural Press,1993; Fan: The Development of Jiangnan Commerce in Ming and Qing Dynasties, Nanjing University Press, 1998.
⑤ Qian Hang, Bearing: 1 Social Life in Jiangnan in the 7th Century, Zhejiang People's Publishing House, 1996, p.1.
⑥ Chen Xuewen: A Study on the Town History of Hangjiahu in Ming and Qing Dynasties, Yan Qun Publishing House, 1993.
There is a market network (1) that explicitly proposes to discuss the "narrow Jiangnan area" or "Taihu Basin", and the most reasonable scope should be Jiangsu, Song, Changzhou, Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou.
In addition, the towns in the south of the Yangtze River and their modern destiny (1840- 1949), the social and economic history of Hangjiahu in Ming and Qing Dynasties edited by Jiang Zhaowu and the early industrialization of the south of the Yangtze River edited by Li Bozhong (1550- 1850)
Understanding of "Jiangnan" by Foreign Scholars
Among foreign scholars (mainly Japanese scholars), the definition of Jiangnan is generally inclined to the word "Jiangnan Delta". Judging from today's administrative divisions, it mainly covers Suzhou, Shanghai, Changzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou.
Huang Zongzhi's research on the Yangtze River Delta has not made any breakthrough except Tongzhou area on the north bank of the Yangtze River. ⑤ Spokane discussed a wide range of Jiangnan, including Yuanzhou, Huizhou, Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Huzhou and Mingzhou in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in the Song Dynasty. ⑥ Sen Fuzheng's early famous research on the relationship between famine relief and landlords and tenants was completely confined to the eastern part of the south of the Yangtze River, namely Suzhou, Songjiang, Taicang and Jiaxing. ⑦ In his later research,
① Chen Xuewen: Commodity Economy and Market Network in Taihu Basin in Ming and Qing Dynasties, Zhejiang People's Publishing House, 2000.
② The package is compiled by Democracy: Towns in the South of the Yangtze River and Their Modern Destiny (1840-T949), Knowledge Publishing House (Beijing), 1998.
③ Jiang Zhaowu: A Study on the Social and Economic History of Hangjiahu in Ming and Qing Dynasties, Hangzhou University Press, 1998.
④ Li Bozhong: Early Industrialization in Jiangnan (1550-1850), Social Science Literature Publishing House, 2000.
⑤ [America] Huang Zongzhi: Small Peasant Families and Rural Development in the Yangtze River Delta, Zhonghua Book Company, 1992.
⑥ [Japan] A letter from Spock, translated by Fang Jian and He Zhongli: A Study of Jiangnan Economic History in Song Dynasty, Jiangsu People's Publishing House, 200 1 edition.
⑦ [Japan] Mori Zhengxiong: "16,1the relationship between landlords and tenants of abandoned land in the 8th century", published in Studies on Oriental History, 27.4: 69-11.46786.60686666676
The scope has been expanded, with Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou as the themes of exploring Jiangnan; In the study of the towns in the south of the Yangtze River, they did not break away from the scope of these five houses, but just named them "Jiangnan Delta". (2) Hamashima Dunjun is quite famous for his research on the rural society in the south of the Yangtze River, and his definition of the south of the Yangtze River is very clear. In his view, the so-called "Jiangnan" refers to Suzhou, Songjiang and Changzhou in Zhili and Jiaxing and Huzhou in Zhejiang, that is, the area around Taihu Lake. (3) Later, Beixiushu completely called Jiangnan the "Jiangnan Delta", and its scope was similar to that of Hamashima Dunjun. (4) Haijin Zheng Lun's point of view is similar to this, and it also has a strong regional flavor, which has expanded its geographical scope and joined Zhenjiang Prefecture. ⑤ Recently, the study of Chuanshengshou in the south of the Yangtze River has attracted more attention. His new book, A Study on the Social History of Towns in the South of the Yangtze River in Ming and Qing Dynasties, covers Suzhou, Songjiang, Jiaxing, Huzhou, Hangzhou and Zhenjiang. ⑥
Generally speaking, Japanese scholars' understanding of Jiangnan is basically concentrated in Jiangsu, Songhu, Changzhou, Jiahu, Taihu and Taiwufu. In their view, this is the core of Jiangnan, or the real Jiangnan.
Determination of the concept of Jiangnan
The discussion of Jiangnan by Chinese and foreign scholars mostly focused on the Ming and Qing Dynasties, which not only reflected the academic interests of Chinese and foreign scholars, but also reflected the significance of Jiangnan itself in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In their works, the concept of Jiangnan region is not unified. When it comes to Jiangnan area, it is either vague or different, so naturally there will be no conceptual knowledge.
(1) [Japan] Mori Masao: Study on the Land System in the South of the Yangtze River in the Ming Dynasty, with Friends, 1988.
(2) [Day] Sen Fuzheng, edited. Research on Towns in the South of the Yangtze River: History, Geography and Approaching, Nagoya University Press. 1992.
3[ Japan] Hamashima Dunjun: A Study of Rural Society in the South of the Yangtze River in the Ming Dynasty, Shu Jing University Press, 1982.
(4) [Japanese] Hideki Kitano: Water Conservancy and Agriculture in the Seven Tides in the South of the Yangtze River in the 8th-13rd Century, published in No.4, Vol.47, Research on Oriental History, on March 3rd, the first year of Heisei; Report on the research results of China Southern Delta Agriculture, Chemical Industry and Rural Handicraft Exhibition during the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, 1988.
⑤ [Japanese] Entering Zheng Lun: "The Formation of Topography in Southern China", in the research collection of the Department of Literature of Nagoya University,No. 107, History 36, 1990.
⑥ [Japan] Chuan Shengshou: A Study on the Social History of Towns in the South of the Yangtze River in Ming and Qing Dynasties —— A History of the Formation of Aerospace Industry Society, Ji Gu Academy. 1999.
Therefore, Li Bozhong once made a scientific definition of the concept of "Jiangnan". He pointed out that to define the geographical scope of the south of the Yangtze River, it is necessary not only to have standard geographical integrity, but also to be a concrete concept in people's minds. Accordingly, the reasonable scope of Jiangnan should include today's southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang, that is, Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, Zhenjiang, Jiangning, Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and Taicang Zhili House designated by Suzhou House later. The land of eight States and one state is not only unified in internal ecological conditions, but also belongs to Taihu Lake water system, which is closely related to each other economically. And there is a natural barrier around it, which is obviously separated from the adjacent area. (1) This is basically consistent with Liu Shiqi's definition in the book Research on Towns in the South of the Yangtze River in Ming and Qing Dynasties. ② However, in another article, Selected Essentials, Collection of Essentials and Agricultural Revolution in Jiangnan in Song Dynasty, Li Bozhong returned to the concept of Jiangnan in geography, that is, Jiangnan Plain or Taihu Plain, covering Pingjiangfu (Suzhou), Changzhou, Xiuzhou (Jiaxing), Huzhou and Jiangyin Army on the road west of Zhejiang in Song Dynasty. (3) In the later scholars' discussion of the traditional market, most people involved in Jiangnan were influenced by Li Bozhong, who adopted his point of view and defined Jiangnan as the land of the above-mentioned eight governments and one state. ④
Li Bozhong's definition of the concept of Jiangnan also provides useful enlightenment for the regional definition of this book.
(1) Li Bozhong: On the Definition of "Jiangnan Area", in Social and Economic History of ChinaNo. 1 issue, 199 1,No. 100- 105.
② Liu Shiqi: A Study of Towns in the South of the Yangtze River in Ming and Qing Dynasties.
③ Li Bozhong: Selected Works of Essence and Agricultural Revolution in the South of the Yangtze River in Song Dynasty, China Social Sciences,No. 1 2000,No. 177- 192.
④ Dragon: On the Mature Form of China Traditional Market —— Comment on Academic History of Jiangnan Market Research, Trends of China Historical ResearchNo. 10,121.