Research On The "Boundary Of Fan" In Northwestern Song Dynasty

The term "Boundary of Fan" has a broad implication in Song dynasty texts,and there are two implications of the"Boundary of Fan":one of the implication is regional scope,it refers to the territories under the jurisdiction of minority regimes such as the Liao,the Western Xia and the Tubo,as well as to the areas inhabited by different and disparate ethnic group in the border areas of the Northern Song Dynasty;another of the implication is a borderline,"Boundary of Fan" is used as a borderline,it refers to the boundary line between the Northern Song and the surrounding minority regimes and the ethnic group tents.When it existed as a borderline,it was usually defined by mountains and river in accordance with the natural conditions of the area,but also by means of artificially dug trenches.The"Boundary of Fan" has important implications for the history of Song-Xia relations,the history of north-western ethnohistory and the governance of the north-western frontier.This paper systematically examines the geographical and historical facts of the "Boundary of Fan" in the northwest regions of the Northern Song Dynasty.Through the examination and verification of each of the "Boundary of Fan" in the northwestern regions of the Northern Song Dynasty,the different forms of the "Boundary of Fan"are identified,and the gradual dissolution of the "Boundary of Fan" in the northwestern regions of the Northern Song Dynasty through the interaction,exchange and integration of the Han ethnic group and the local ethnic group.