Changes In The Economic Pattern Of Jiankang In The Southern Dynasties

According to chorography of Danyang County written by Shan Qianzhi,a man from Liu Song period in Southern Dynasty,there were four capital markets in Jiankang during the Liu Song period,and there were few materials concerning the official market.It can be inferred from Book of Sui : Record of officials that there were three official markets in Liang Dynasty,namely Tai market,southern and northern markets.Chen Dynasty retained the Liang organizational systems.According to Tongdian: Record of regulations and systems written by Du You,only the big market on the north bank of Huai River remained in Chen Dynasty while the eastern market was not mentioned.The change of Jiankang’s official market is the epitome of its urban development in Southern Dynasty,and the increasingly prosperous economy became its driving force.From the perspective of economic geography,Three Wu area refers to the vast region composed of Taihu Lake plain,Ningshao plain and the core area Kuaiji.From Han Dynasty to Eastern Jin Dynasty,Three Wu area was more well-developed than Jiankang.Jiankang was not the economic center city of the Southern China in the period of Sun Wu and Eastern Jin Dynasty.Jiankang became more and more prominent in economy and ultimately became the economic center city in Southern Dynasty.In this regard,the absorption of the three Wu area as its economic hinterland to support its development was indispensable.Relying on the intensive water network in Jiangnan area,the connection between Jiankang and the three Wu area had been strengthened,among which the construction of Po Gangdu was the most significant.Due to the immigrant nature of Eastern Jin Dynasty regime as well as the decline of imperial power,unlike other capital cities,Jiankang failed to absorb the resources of the surrounding areas through its own strong accumulation effect.On the contrary,it was the Kuaiji area that became prosperous.The revitalization of imperial power and the decline of gentry were its integral driving forces when heading to the economic center city.In this process,its radiation influence on the surrounding areas had been continuously strengthened.Meanwhile,boasting in its own special status,Jiankang aborsbed all kinds of resources from the local society.In this regard,the space of the capital and business district became increasingly narrow,and hence the shortage of land directly stimulated the development of the suburbs.The coexistence of two centers with the north bank of Qinhuai River as the political center and the south as the commercial and residential center is the urban pattern of Jiankang from Sun Wu period to Eastern Jin Dynasty.In Southern Dynasty,as Jiankang’s urban economy advanced by leaps and bounds,Jiankang’s urban dual centers tended to integrate.The demise of Chen Dynasty posed the urban pattern of Jiankang back to slowly advancing along the Qinhuai River to the inland.The political crackdown on this former capital of Six Dynasties by Sui and Tang Dynasties could not completely undermine its urban economic development.After more than 200 years’ development,the overall movement of the political center headed southward when Jinling became the important capital of Southern Tang Dynasty.Jiankang failed to achieve the goal of two-way development and gradual integration of the north and south banks.Eventually,after Song and Yuan Dynasties,Nanjing became a single core city.