Research On The Status Change And Ethnic Integration Of Pingcheng In Northern Wei Dynasty

The Southern and Northern Dynasties period is a relatively remarkable period of ethnic integration in our country’s history.The northern ethnic minorities represented by Tuoba Xianbei constantly strengthened their ties with the surrounding ethnic groups in the process of migration and realized all-round communication and integration.The process of Tuoba Xianbei’s establishment of the Northern Wei Dynasty was actually a process of continuous integration and learning of ethnic groups,during which multiple cultures interwoven and spread,each culture influenced and shaped the minority regime with its unique charm.Ethnic integration cannot be separated from a certain natural and social environment.Pingcheng constituted the main regional space of ethnic integration in Northern Wei Dynasty.Since Tuoba Xianbei entered the northern region,Pingcheng has witnessed the development and expansion of the Northern Wei Dynasty,and the eventual creation of the Northern Dynasty.It has also achieved the sublimation of the Northern Wei Dynasty from a single ethnic subject to a multi-ethnic subject.With the development of the Northern Wei Dynasty,Pingcheng experienced three different periods of "border town","capital" and "Auxiliary capital".Each change in status brought different results and constantly enriched the connotation of ethnic integration.Based on the time sequence of Tuoba Xianbei’s development,this paper explores the dynamic process of ethnic integration under the status change of Pingcheng in the Northern Wei Dynasty.The whole paper is divided into three parts.The first part mainly focuses on the general situation of Pingcheng,the "border town" before the establishment of the Northern Wei Dynasty,and discusses the historical evolution of Pingcheng,the development of Tuoba Xianbei,as well as the communication and exchange of various ethnic groups in the northern Dynasty under the Tuoba Dynasty.The second part focuses on the positioning of Pingcheng as the "capital division",presenting historical facts such as the selection and establishment of the capital of Northern Wei,the mass migration in the northern region,the development and construction of Pingcheng and the development of traffic,etc.,affirming the unique role of Pingcheng in the interaction between Chinese and Western cultures.In accordance with the progressive process of ethnic integration including economic basis,consanguinity,regime recognition and cultural identity,it shows the gradual integration process of Tuoba Xianbei and the people of all ethnic groups in the north,shaping a new ethnic community of the style of Northern Wei.The third part explores the function orientation of Pingcheng,the "Auxiliary capital" after the capital relocation to Luoyang,and the process of the northern border towns under its influence breaking the ethnic boundary and gradually becoming cohesive under the common goal of cultural identity,ethnic marriage and resistance against oppression.Through discussing the changes in Pingcheng’s status in different periods,this article aims to conclude that the changes in Pingcheng’s status are closely related to the degree of ethnic integration.The changes in urban status promote ethnic integration,which in turn affects the positioning of the city.The change of the status of Pingcheng profoundly affected the integration process of northern ethnic groups.As the main governing center of Tuoba Xianbei,Pingcheng achieved the transformation and sublimation of Tuoba Xianbei in this transitional integration period..