| Gan Zhou is a typical medium-scale commercial city,lying on the vital transportation line between mountain,valley and plain.Being famous for its history,Gan Zhou deserves further study.This article defines 3 historical stages of the urban development of ancient Gan Zhou.However the focus of the research lies on the turning points of these three stages,intending to examine the logic and driving force of urban revolutions took place.The three stages are defined as follows:(1)location and relocation of cities within the period from Qin-Han to Nanchao.(2)urban revolution occurred in the era of Tang and Song dynasty.(3)urban development took place in Song and Ming dynasty specifically within the particular time frame of social unrest and suppression.This article organises in four parts,six chapters in total.The first part provides a brief introduction,the others presents main contents.The first part is Chapter I,illustrating the theoretical framework of the research with explanation of concepts presented in this research paper.The value and significance of the historical study of Gan Zhou city is elucidated followed by which a summarisation regarding the current researches on Gan Zhou history and its urban development is also included in this part as an approach to further clarify the content and major propose of this study.The research framework is defined by “three-layer cultural structure”,regional social & economic analysis and medium-micro urban form analysis.The second part is Chapter II,concentrating on the period during which Gan Zhou city transformed from a “boarder town” into a “county town”.The author reviews the process of city location together with the pattern of migration of Gan Zhou city,superimposing them upon military and political background of this period,concluding that city in this periods generally served as an instrument of institution which led to frequent migration.The third part includes Chapter III,Chapter IV and Chapter V,focusing on the period in which Gan Zhou city turned from a “mountain city” into a “river city”.Chapter III studies the economic development,transportation development of entire southern region within the territory of Tang and Song dynasty,analysing the status of economic prosperity of Qian Zhou from multiple aspects which are population change,taxation,industrial structure,local power structure and etc.;Chapter IV discussed the morphological transformation of Qian Zhou city from a “military town in mountains” into a “trading town by river” during Jin-Tang-Song dynasties,illustrating the urban transition in scale and nature which the it can be observed from both physical and cognitive aspects;Chapter V analyses the general features presented during the development of the “river city” of Gan Zhou.In particular the construction of “Fushou Ditch” which consisted by a system of walls flood control facilities.The fourth part-Chapter VI closely studies the vital change of Gan Zhou city in the late Song-Ming,and Qing dynasties during which social unrest and suppression were major factors behind the scene.It deduces the causation of stagnant urban development of Gan Zhou city as it also examines the outcome of suppression from the authority namely the ‘nationalisation' of the city which Gan Zhou became culturally isolated that official school moved frequently,YuGu-Tai once again represented the highest level of urban development of that time.The last part summarises that most cities in their early stages were defined as a major part of military and political functions of the royal institution that caused frequent migration.when the economy developed into a higher level,cities tended to be comparatively culturally more open and thus prosperous.Therefore this part reveals that cultural integration extends the limit of the city while social unrest leads to setback in all aspects of the city.Cities merge discrepancies and accumulate vitality;they are diverse,colorful and changeable.The history of a city is as charming and enlightening as its future. |
PDF Full Text Request