传统观点以为,汉初豫章郡属淮南国,在今赣南。仔细梳理西汉文献所记汉初史事,豫章郡应属吴国,在今皖南。豫章郡因治于故鄣县,又名“故鄣郡”。魏晋时期,讹“故鄣郡”为“鄣郡”。汉初豫章郡先后属楚王韩信、荆王刘贾、吴王刘濞。《史记》所记淮南王英布、长沙王吴芮领有豫章郡乃“虚封”。景帝三年,汉廷将豫章郡一分为二,北部并入江都国;南部与庐江郡合并,改称“庐江豫章郡”。传世汉代封泥“庐江豫守”,即“庐江豫章郡守”,而非以往认为的庐江国豫章郡守。景、武之际,江淮之间另立庐江郡,汉廷更庐江豫章郡为豫章郡。元封二年,武帝从豫章郡中分置丹阳郡,豫章郡从此仅辖赣江流域,遂有《汉书·地理志》之规模。

Putianze (圃田泽), an ancient lake in the Yellow River Basin, serves as an ideal subject for exploring the evolutionary patterns of lakes and swamps on the alluvial plains of the Yellow River’s lower reaches. Based on the historical geographical reconstruction methods, this study delineates the process of Putianze’s silting and disappearance during the Ming and Qing dynasties and analyzes the driving factors behind the background. According to the study, it reveals that the rapid disappearance of Putianze was the result of the long-term cumulative effects of sediment deposition and lake water drainage. This process is characterized by ‘lake silting and human encroachment’, ultimately leading to its transformation into land between the Qianlong and Tongzhi reigns of Qing Dynasty. The direct cause of Putianze’s disappearance was sediment deposition following Yellow River breaches, while long-term human intervention accelerated this process.

The Army Map Service (AMS) was a professional military mapping agency established by the U.S. military during World War II. The 1:250 000 China topographic map is a medium-scale topographic map series compiled by the AMS in the 1950s. This set of maps primarily reflects the geographical situation of China from the end of the Comprehensive Anti-Japanese War to the period just before 1949. The accuracy of the topographic maps is contingent upon whether the U.S. military conducted actual surveys in the area and the quality of the data sources. The data sources primarily consist of American, Japanese, and Chinese maps, as well as aerial photography, making them the most accurate medium-scale topographic maps reflecting modern standards at the time. The versioning and compilation cycles of the topographic maps are tied to the operational needs of the U.S. military, with faster updating and publication speeds for maps near theaters of war. Overall, this map series represents an organic integration of numerous modern cartographic achievements and stands as the most accurate medium-scale topographic map reflecting contemporary surface features. Furthermore, the standardized processing of these maps also offers new opportunities for cross-regional historical geography research.

The Huai River is one of the major rivers in China, and its main course is documented in Volume 30 of Commentary on the Waterways Classic (Shuijing Zhu), the Chapter Describing the Huai River, which holds significant historical value. Although existing studies have frequently referenced the Chapter Describing the Huai River, a systematic discussion of its text remains rare. Given this, there is an urgent need for a multidimensional and in-depth investigation of the Chapter Describing the Huai River, which pertains to the segment from the source of the Huai River to Xinxi (新息) County, from perspectives such as textual collation, exploration of historical sources, geographical verification, and map interpretation. Besides, the focus should be on providing reasonable explanations for key issues such as the source of the Huai River, the changes in the administrative center of Yiyang (义阳) Prefecture, and the reconstruction of Hongxi Pond, and depicting scientifically accurate maps of Chapter Describing the Huai River through a comparative analysis of historical and contemporary data. This will advance the study of Commentary on the Waterways Classic and provide essential academic support for related fields.

The delimitation of sea defense zones forms the basis of the spatial deployment of sea defense. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the military defense area boundaries of the Zhoushan Islands were divided into three main levels: the boundaries of the Wei(卫) and Zhen(镇), the boundaries of the inland and outer seas, and the boundaries of the Suo(所) and Ying(营). The northern boundary of the Wei or Zhen corresponded with the provincial boundary, which was delineated by Chenqian(陈钱)to Bixia(壁下) in Ming Dynasty and by Yang Mountain(羊山) to Maji(马迹) in Qing Dynasty. The southern boundary was marked by Nantian(南田), Jiantiao(健跳), and Niutou Mountain(牛头山) in Ming Dynasty, and by the Tianhou Palace(天后宫) at the southern end of Shipu Town(石浦镇) in Qing Dynasty. The western boundary, which extended far inland during the Ming Dynasty, was divided along the coast of Zhenhai(镇海) and Xiangshan(象山) in Qing Dynasty. The boundaries between the inland and outer seas were indicated by a line that included Wuyu Mountain(五屿山), Liangtou Cave(两头洞), Changtu(长涂), Luojia Mountain(洛泇山), Taohua Mountain(桃花山), Jiancang(尖仓), Jiushan(韭山), and Tantou(檀头). There were distinct boundaries between the five garrisons of the Ming Dynasty and the five green standard armies of the Qing Dynasty. These defense boundaries often crossed district political boundaries but never crossed prefectural or provincial boundaries. The boundaries of the inland and outer seas, as well as those of the garrisons and the Suo and Ying, were determined based on defense tasks and the natural maritime environment.

The Yongshun Tusi (永顺土司) in Huguang (湖广) region was firstly established during the Yuan Dynasty and was subsequently granted titles such as Anfusi (Pacification Commissioner), Xuanfusi (Consolation Commissioner), and Xuanweishisi (Consolation and Pacification Commissioner). It was eventually replaced by the bureaucratization of native officers during the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty. Historically, this was one of the principal Tusi in the Huguang region, and then was successively subordinate to the Sichuan Provincial Administration, the Huguang Provincial Administration, and the Huguang Military Commission. It governed multiple Zhangguansi (native offices) and Tuzhou (native prefectures). The changes in its rank, office location, and jurisdiction reflect the ebb and flow of its power. This paper takes Yongshun Tusi as the research object. Utilizing a variety of sources, including archives, historical records, official histories, local chronicles, genealogies, ancient maps, inscriptions, archaeological reports, and other materials, it clarifies the geographical evolution of Yongshun Tusi, as well as its administrative subordination, location, and jurisdiction, and provides a detailed and in-depth portrayal of its historical evolution.

In the early Qing Dynasty, the official strategy for managing the Yellow and Huai River floods largely adhered to the Ming Dynasty’s water management philosophy, prioritizing ‘restraint’ over ‘dredging’. During Emperor Kangxi’s reign, the policy of ‘opening the sea outlets’ was effectively implemented with imperial intervention, fundamentally aimed at achieving ‘diversion to the sea’ by deepening the drainage channels and expanding the sea outlets along the coastal counties of the Xiahe Area. As the water conditions of the Yellow River, Huai River, the Grand Canal, and Hongze Lake evolved, the deepening of river channels alone could no longer effectively direct waters from the central lowlands to the coastal accumulation zones, resulting in frequent overflows and disasters. Therefore, during Emperor Qianlong’s reign, embankments were constructed along the sides of the returning-to-sea rivers to confine the waters. Concurrently, the construction of polder fields began, linking with river embankments to establish a polder system in the coastal counties of the Xiahe Area. Influenced by the eastward flow of water and the impact of the ocean, the water environment and the construction of embankments in these coastal counties exhibited characteristics of complex and dynamic changes.

A key Kangxi-era reform in Yunnan’s local governance incorporated military garrisons (卫所) into adjacent civil administrations, consolidating dispersed garrison taxes and military household registrations. This process was complicated when the rebel Daxi Army (led by Zhang Xianzhong) and Wu Sangui successively established military and princely estates through land confiscations during the Ming-Qing transition, blurring military-civilian land distinctions and social identities. These actions created institutional loopholes enabling military households—whose tax obligations and registrations spanned multiple jurisdictions—to merge into civilian registries. The ensuing ‘Tonghai-Hexi Border Dispute’ (“通河分疆”) exemplifies these tensions: a county-level conflict over corvée obligations from Seven Longhuo military colonies (龙火七营). This case illuminates Qing efforts to unify household registrations and land taxes during garrison-county integration, fundamentally rooted in disparate corvée burdens that critically shaped military-civil administration reforms.

《敬止录》收一摹写本宋代城市水域地图,名《庆元府城内大小二湖丈尺图》。南宋嘉定十三年八月,庆元府城(属今浙江宁波)南部遭遇严重火灾,日、月二湖虽为城市水库,湖域却因沿岸大族宅邸的占据而日益缩小,知府俞建于火灾次年组织绘制该图,目的在于界定城市水域,以保障居民生活与防火用水。地图详绘了嘉定间庆元府籍朝廷政要聚居的二湖及其周边街区,展现了湖域在四明大族庄园扩张的背景下再度萎缩的景象。该图与《宝庆四明志》所附《罗城》图同为描绘火灾后庆元府城景象的地图,极具史料价值。

The road from Yizhou(伊州) to Xizhou(西州) in Tang Dynasty underwent a transformation process from south to north. In the early Tang Dynasty, the water environment of Shaer Lake, situated at the heart of the Hami Basin, was particularly favorable. Consequently, people of the Tang Dynasty incorrectly identified Shaer Lake as either Puchang(蒲昌) Lake or Pulei(蒲类) Lake. There was a Yiwu(伊吾) Road passing through the water area of Shaer Lake in the early Tang Dynasty, which was distinct from the later Chiting(赤亭) Road, also known as the Yixi(伊西) Road, and the Xinka (新开) Road, or Yixi North Road. The Yiwu Road was a segment of Xuanzang??s(玄奘) Journey to the West, and the Jiaohedao(交河道) Army expanded upon it by developing the Liuzhong(柳中) Road. Following the establishment of Xizhou, the Tang Dynasty utilized Gaochang(高昌) City as the military and political hub to oversee Pulei Lake, progressively developing the road from Puchang County to Luohu(罗护) in Xizhou. After 702, when Beiting(北庭) became the military and political center of the eastern Tianshan Mountains, direct military and administrative communications between the central government and Beiting increased in frequency, leading to the development of a postal road from Nazhi(纳职) County to Luohu in Yizhou. The roads from Puchang County to Luohu and from Nazhi County to Luohu were linked, ultimately forming the postal route from Yizhou to Xizhou.

The development of modern China’s mechanized flour milling industry can be broadly divided into four stages, yet the development across different regions was highly uneven. The establishment and location selection of typical factories reveal that the site choices for mechanized flour milling were the result of a combination of natural resource endowment, regional economic and cultural environments, and the personal concepts of entrepreneurs. Unlike Western flour industries, which were largely influenced by natural factors, the location selection of modern China’s mechanized flour milling industry was more significantly affected by regional economic factors such as transportation, capital, and sales markets. The locational evolution of the national capital mechanized flour milling industry in modern China conforms to the ‘port-hinterland’ model, with industrial development levels exhibiting a gradient decrease from the coastal areas to the inland regions.

《汉书·地理志》记录了百余条水道里程,这些里程数字是实际测量的结果,统计精确度较高。受测量条件限制,汉代测量水道里程需要依托航道、堤岸、河谷等交通道路进行,《汉志》中记录的里程数字是水道作为交通通道的河段里程,并不是水道完整的流程。利用《汉志》水道里程的统计结果,可以构建出汉代以江、河、淮、郁等大河为主干彼此连通、延展的水道交通网络。通过定量研究,可揭示汉代水道交通能力南方优于北方的基本特征,以及河水水系、淮济水系、江水水系、郁水水系不同的水道交通模式。

The 1930s-1940s witnessed two relocations of Songzi (松滋) County’s administrative center on the south bank of Yangtze River—a quintessential case of water-environment changes triggering cascading effects. During the late Qing Dynasty, the formation of the ‘Bei Jiang Nan Tuo’ (North Mainstream, South Distributaries, 北江南沱) and Songzi River diminished the original shipping advantages of Songzi Town while establishing new hydrological hubs. This transformation reconfigured regional transportation networks and intra-county transit patterns, thereby shifting market-town distributions and economic centers. Consequently, a ‘north-south division’ emerged in political geography, directly driving the administrative relocations. Unlike disaster- or war-induced moves, these transfers resulted from natural geographical changes through causal chains that ultimately altered political geographical patterns. Both relocations reflect compounded effects of transportation, economic, and political geographical factors stemming from water-environment evolution.

Following the establishment of Japan’s so-called ‘Special Rights and Interests in Manchuria and Mongolia’ in 1912, Japan began to expand its influence in the northern region of Northeast China, primarily through the construction of railway networks. Prior to the Mukden Incident in 1931, Japan had already fragmented the western hinterland of the Trans-Manchurian Railway by leveraging Chinese railways that had become feeder lines for the South Manchuria Railway, a result of previous Japanese financial assistance to China. After the afore-mentioned incident, Japan constructed the Jilin-Hoeryong Railway to Northern Korean Ports System, which further segmented the hinterlands of the eastern and southern lines of the Trans-Manchurian Railway. The northward expansion of the Japanese-controlled railway system, together with the ensuing competition it triggered with Russia and then the Soviet Union in the northern hinterlands of Northeast China, was a significant factor in the evolution of the economic patterns of the region and the entire Northeast Asia in modern times. This expansion and competition greatly shaped the geography of regional transportation and economy, and to a large extent, altered the developmental trajectory of the political and economic landscape of Northeast Asia.

The size of Hangzhou’s urban population on the eve of the Taiping Rebellion has long preoccupied scholars of Ming-Qing economic history. Earlier figures, derived from fragmentary and ambiguous Qing sources, are clearly flawed. Fixing the reference year at 1850, this paper adopts a retrospective method: it tracks changes in the numbers of temples and shops from the mid-Qing to c. 1930 and then links the municipal census data collected by the Hangzhou city government after 1927 back to 1850. The result is an estimated urban population of c. 260 000 for Hangzhou in 1850. The retrospective approach may offer a workable way to reconstruct the pre-Taiping urban populations of other Jiangnan cities.

The site of Chengdu during the Qin to the Northern and Southern dynasties was located on the second terrace of the Min River (岷江) system. The scarcity of construction soil and the floods of the Pi River (郫江) were the main reasons for the formation of the ‘Tortoise City’ layout of Chengdu’s Qin city, which consisted of two cities, the larger and the smaller, arranged side by side to the east and west. The orientation of the Qin city and its internal structures followed the natural terrain, with a deliberate inclination of about 30 degrees north-east to facilitate drainage and flood control. By combining archaeological and documentary evidence, the approximate positions of the gates, walls, and central partitions of Chengdu’s Qin city can be reconstructed. The western wall of Chengdu’s Qin city was a considerable distance from the Pi River, while the southern wall was closer. The historical records mentioning 18 gates and a circumference of twelve li are considered accurate.

During the Republic of China period, the establishment of new urban administrative districts (cities) led to territorial disputes between these cities and their original ‘mother counties’, including conflicts over boundary demarcation and government relocation. Unlike most mother counties that moved their seats to towns within their own jurisdictions, Hang County (杭县) sought to incorporate the Gongchenqiao (拱宸桥) area—then under Hangzhou City’s administration—into its territory and establish it as the new county seat. Eventually, Gongchenqiao was transferred to Hang County and became its new administrative center. By examining the complex process of Hang County’s contested relocation, this study reveals that the move resulted from the interplay between national institutional frameworks and multiple local sociopolitical factors, including internal demands, bureaucratic dynamics, and public sentiment. This case also represents the only instance in Republican-era city-county disputes that involved both jurisdictional redivision and government relocation.

The Western Han Dynasty bamboo slips unearthed at Zoumalou (走马楼) reveal the existence of several county-level administrative districts in Changsha State during Emperor Wu’s reign, which are not documented in extant literature. Changlai (长赖) and Nanshan (南山) counties show a relationship of succession with the Linxiang (临湘) townships mentioned in the Eastern Han Dynasty bamboo slips found at Wuyi Square. Specifically, Changlai County was located near Yangshahu (洋沙湖) Village, Yangshahu Town, Xiangyin (湘阴) County, Hunan Province. Nanshan County was situated in the Zhaoshan (昭山) area, Yuetang (岳塘) District, Xiangtan (湘潭) City, Hunan Province. Fuyang (富阳) County was on the north bank of the Fushui River (富水), near Dalu (大路) Township, Tongshan (通山) County, Hubei Province. Nanyang (南阳) County was on the north bank of the Nanshui River (南水), within the area of Luxi (芦溪) Town, Luxi County, Jiangxi Province. A systematic investigation of these newly identified county-level administrative districts in the Zoumalou bamboo slips is of great significance for studying the territory and administrative divisions of Changsha State during the Western Han Dynasty.

The Bibliothèque Nationale de France has recently acquired a fragment of a China map drawn by Michal Piotr Boym, a Jesuit missionary who came to China during the late Ming Dynasty. This fragment belongs to the same category as the three previously discovered Type A manuscripts of Boym’s China map. The fragment features annotations in both Latin and Chinese, and its right side is adorned with vignettes depicting human figures along with their respective captions. The annotations indicate that this particular map is the earliest among the Type A manuscripts. It is based on the 1586 edition of the Daming yitong wenwu si yamen guanzhi and may have incorporated several Chinese sources, including the world map by Matteo Ricci. The vignettes, derived from Ming Dynasty prints, faithfully reproduce the originals while integrating Western painting techniques. However, the captions omit the original contexts and assign new narratives to the images, reflecting Boym’s intention to demonstrate the state of Christianity in China during the Chongzhen’s reign. As one of the manuscripts of Boym’s China map, the newly discovered fragment provides insight into the evolution of his cartographic style and the early exchange between China and the West in the fields of geography and art.

In the late Ming Dynasty, the government began constructing specialized watercourses to drain water from the Huaiyang Canal and the lakes on its western side into the Yangtze River. During the Qing Dynasty, as the main channel of the Huai River shifted southward, investment in water management projects increased significantly. To the east of the Huaiyang Canal and south of Jinjiawan (金家湾), a water transport and drainage hub system gradually emerged, centered around a cluster of watercourses, gates, and dams. This system became known as the ‘Guijiang Water Network’ (water network from the lower reaches of the Huai River to the Yangtze River, 归江水网). During its development, the Guijiang Water Network evolved numerous subsidiary watercourses, Guijiang dams, and overflow channels, which disrupted the navigation environment of the Huaiyang Canal and the Salt Transportation Canal. In response, officials gradually understood the hydrological connections between the Guijiang Water Network and the upstream rivers and lakes, and established the ‘Tenghu System’ (腾湖制度). This system coordinated water storage and discharge between the water network and the upstream areas, while also diverting salt transportation, grain transport, and flood discharge. This fully reflected the ecological governance wisdom of Qing Dynasty water officials in adapting to the southward shift of the Huai River’s main flow and the changes in the water environment.

Reinforced levees along the Jiangnan Canal disrupted sediment-water balance of Eastern Taihu Lake during the Ming Dynasty. Intense siltation drove rapid expansion of the lake-field water network. During the early Ming period, lake flows could reach canal levees, by the mid-Ming Dynasty, siltation and lake fields fragmented waters west of the canal in Eastern Taihu Lake. Outflow became channel-dependent, forming three key waterways: Xishui Lu (西水路), Dongshui Lu (东水路), and Jiangcao Lu (江漕路). These changes altered lake-canal dynamics, flow patterns, and water network morphology. The Ming-Qing period saw dominant siltation and lake-field consolidation trend of Eastern Taihu Lake force outflow along field edges—north to Guajing Estuary and south to Tangjia Lake (唐家湖). Consequent northward outflow concentration shifted the Wusong River’s main thalweg from Changqiao River (长桥河) to Guajing Port (瓜泾港), triggering major hydrological changes that worsened siltation and reclamation.

The study of historical settlement geography has long neglected the type of settlement space. By adopting the type of settlement space as a research perspective and considering both form and pattern, this study reveals that the Guoyu Village in the Qinhe River Basin experienced three distinct stages: the pioneering period characterized by ‘living in the west and plotting in the east’ from the Hongwu to Wanli period of Ming Dynasty, the extension period marked by ‘three opposing fortresses’ from the Tianqi period of Ming Dynasty to the Yongzheng period of Qing Dynasty, and the filling period of ‘settlement around the fortress’ from the middle and late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China. The spatial types of Guoyu village exhibit characteristics of diversity and complexity. Stability factors such as natural environment and cultural environment, and sudden factors like policy and warfare played decisive roles in the evolution of Guoyu Village’s settlement spaces. Through a comprehensive analysis of space type, form and pattern as well as the dual application of the spatial model of ‘plane space + three-dimensional space’, this study significantly enriches the research of historical settlement spaces.

Located on the border of Henan and Anhui provinces and adjacent to the Sha River, Jieshou was a commercial market town engaged mainly in transit trade during the traditional period. By the early Republic of China era, it was already acclaimed as the ‘foremost town in the county’. During the War of Resistance against Japan, Jieshou gathered a large influx of people and goods, and smuggling within its area became especially rampant, earning it the nickname ‘Little Shanghai’. This economic boom prompted adjustments in administrative structures. The three towns of Jieshou gradually separated from their parent county in terms of space and governance, forming a relatively loose union. However, because no formal administrative district was established, the town declined rapidly after the war. In 1947, Jieshou was designated as a city, and multiple measures were adopted to reverse its downturn. After 1949, the focus shifted toward economic reconstruction. Jieshou transformed from a point-like urban administrative unit—a ‘city’—into a regional administrative unit—a ‘county’—that encompassed rural areas, aligning with national policies aimed at building a new pattern of urban-rural development.

The transformation of Zhapu (乍浦), a town in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, into a prominent foreign trade port in the northern part of Hangzhou Bay during the mid-to-late 18th century was not a mere accident. It was the result of a combination of factors, including its geographical location, transportation network, and policy orientation. The ‘trade network’ discussed in this article focuses on the circulation of goods within and between regions, covering various aspects such as regional transportation, market systems, and merchant groups. The merchants trading at Zhapu built a flexible and diverse trade network based on the procurement of foreign copper and the vast maritime area. Zhapu Port’s trade network symbolizes the East Asian economic order, embodying an integrated network that merges ‘tributary trade’ with ‘market system’.

Based on the mutual corroboration of unearthed epitaphs, transmitted documents and above-ground relics, this study reconfirms that the administrative seat of Luzhou(鲁州), the first of Liuhu Zhou(六胡州), was located in the old foundation site of Xingwu Forts(兴武营), Yanchi County(盐池县), and the ancient city ruins still exist. At the same time, the scale of the city of Luzhou belongs to a small state town or county seat, and it has the livelihood mode of herding city, and the Pastoral Supervisor in Shuofang(朔方监)may sojourn here to handle government affairs.

Since modern times, the British Empire has conducted long-term illegal surveys and mapping of Xizang in China for the purpose of colonial expansion. Led primarily by the Royal Geographical Society and the Survey of India, these activities were mainly official in nature, supplemented by sporadic support for explorers entering Xizang. Through decades of persistent mapping of parts of Xizang, the British Empire essentially completed a comprehensive survey of the region. The overall outcomes of this mapping are reflected in the Royal Geographical Society’s ‘Tibet and the surrounding regions: compiled from the latest information’ and the Survey of India’s ‘Tibet and adjacent countries’. The ‘Tibet and adjacent countries’ map project represents the most thorough and detailed cartographic effort. The official maps of Xizang produced by the British Empire bear strong imprints of imperial expansion, yet it is these very maps that further attest to the British Empire’s recognition of the territorial integrity of Xizang as part of China during historical periods.