The Historical Map of Tokyo Road in the Qing Dynasty of China
Map Introduction
I. Administrative Evolution and Geographical Scope
The Dongjing Circuit was one of the Five Capitals and Nineteen Circuits of the Jin Dynasty, succeeding the Liao Dynasty's Dongjing Circuit. In 1132, the Jin established the Dongnan Circuit, with its administrative seat at Dongjing Liaoyang Prefecture (modern Liaoyang, Liaoning). It was renamed the Dongjing Circuit in 1136. Its jurisdiction covered most of modern Liaoning, southern Jilin, and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, with the Liao River Plain as its core region. After the Xianping Circuit was separated from it in 1150, the Dongjing Circuit administered military-administrative organs including Liaoyang Prefecture, Posu Prefecture (modern Dandong, Liaoning), and the Hesuhan Circuit (modern Dalian, Liaoning). As the southeastern frontier of the Jin, its administrative center, Liaoyang Prefecture, had a city wall circumference of approximately 15 kilometers with four gates, including the Tianyou Gate. Its extant site park offers glimpses of its original layout.
II. Dynamic Adjustments in Administrative Divisions
The Jin Dynasty's administrative divisions underwent two major reforms:
- 1142: The 17-Circuit system was established, with the Dongjing Circuit being one of those led by a Capital. A Military Command was set up.
- 1189: The number of circuits increased to 20. The Dongjing Circuit governed:
- Liaoyang Prefecture
- Xianping Prefecture (separated in 1150)
- Posu Prefecture (a key military town)
- Hesuhan Circuit (ancestral lands of the Jurchens) Under the parallel management system of Circuits and Prefectures, the Dongjing Circuit also hosted supervisory bodies like the Transport Commission and the Surveillance Commission, forming an integrated military-administrative system.
III. Military Standoff and Economic Interaction with the Southern Song
As the Jin frontier facing the Southern Song, the Dongjing Circuit had a dual character:
- Military Defense: Forts were established along the Yalu River to guard against Southern Song naval raids. In 1161, the Dongjing Circuit served as a troop assembly area for Wanyan Liang's southern expedition.
- Border Trade: Limited trade with the Southern Song occurred via Dengzhou (modern Penglai, Shandong), exporting ginseng and sable pelts, and importing tea and silks. However, the scale was far smaller than that of the Yanjing Circuit's markets.
- The Southern Song envoy Fan Chengda recorded significant cultural assimilation among local Jurchen nobility, noting mixed language use, reflecting cultural fusion.
IV. Economic Patterns and Cultural Characteristics
Economic Structure:
- Agriculture: Implementation of the "ox-implement tax farmland" system made the Liao River basin an important grain-producing area.
- Handicrafts: The Liaoyang iron-smelting industry was advanced, with excavated iron agricultural tools comprising over 40% of archaeological finds.
- Commerce: While "Dading Tongbao" coins circulated, Song currency remained dominant.
Cultural Fusion:
- Jurchen nobility studied Chinese classics; historical records note scholars in the Dongjing Circuit largely emulating Song institutions.
- Buddhism was prevalent; the Liaoyang White Pagoda (Jin era) blends Khitan and Central Plains architectural styles.
- Shamanic traditions persisted, evidenced by ritual objects like bronze bells excavated in the Hesuhan Circuit.
V. Historical Trajectory after the Fall of Jin
After the Mongol capture of Liaoyang in 1233:
- Yuan Dynasty: The Liaoyang Branch Secretariat was established, and the Dongjing Circuit was downgraded to Liaoyang Prefecture under the Central Secretariat.
- Ming Dynasty: It became the seat of the Liaodong Regional Military Commission. Later, Nurhaci briefly made it his capital (1621).
- Archaeological evidence indicates the Liaoyang city walls initially continued using their Jin-era foundations under Mongol rule, but the commercial district significantly contracted.
Summary
The historical evolution of the Dongjing Circuit exhibits three main characteristics:
- Frontier Nature: As a Jin Dynasty hub for controlling Northeast Asia, its administrative divisions were frequently adjusted according to strategic needs.
- Transitional Nature: Economically shifting from fishing/hunting to agriculture, and culturally forming a Jurchen-Han-Khitan多元共生.
- Continuity: It maintained its role as a Northeast administrative center through the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, its urban layout influencing the region to this day.