Description
TitleOrdering the urban space in Luoyang, 600-1000 CE
Date Created2021
Other Date2021-05 (degree)
Extent1 online resource (ix, 268 pages)
DescriptionThis dissertation explores the construction and evolution of the urban order in Luoyang, a metropolis in medieval China, functioning as the secondary capital during the major part of the historical period between the seventh and the tenth centuries. Examining various extant historical evidence such as traditional historical and geographical records, archaeological excavations, literary works, contemporary anecdotes, and entombed epigraphy, I analyze the stability of this urban order embedded in Luoyang’s steady infrastructure and its constant fluidity of people, goods, wealth, and information. I argue that the constant interaction between the urbanites in Luoyang and its changing landscape determined the characteristics, functions, and destiny of this secondary capital, and that its relative stability, maintained in a seemingly oxymoronic fluidity, effectively sustained the city’s incessant prosperity both in and beyond these four centuries.
Mapping out the historical process of negotiation between the cityscape and its inhabitants, my dissertation reapproaches the space of a medieval Chinese city by looking beyond archaeological evidence to introduce Luoyang’s urbanites and their lived experiences back into their urban environment. This study thus contributes to a more critical understanding of a prominent city. First, a city of its own kind, Luoyang in these four centuries persistently rejected isolation while upholding a metropolitan spirit of opening up to the world, thus matching the historical attitude adopted by the Tang dynasty (618–907), a genuine world empire. Second, the city also experienced a significant shift in its urban management during the tenth century, which betokened the imminent arrival of the early modern era in China’s history. Finally, the city continued to prosper despite the historical turbulence, which exemplified the unique continuity of Chinese civilization. Judging from these three aspects, we can see that this project will profoundly enhance our understanding of the general society of premodern China, a mammoth empire that calls for regional studies.
NotePh.D.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
Genretheses, ETD doctoral
LanguageEnglish, Chinese
CollectionSchool of Graduate Studies Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.