Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
5.2.
The distribution of jurisdictions in the Song dynasty roughly correlates to its
core-periphery structure, though legacy decisions and anomalies remained. This map
depicts the spatial distribution of the county-to-prefecture ratio. Each icon represents
a prefecture, with its size based on the number of counties under its jurisdiction.
Note the dense clusters of “mini-prefectures” around the northern and western
perimeters of the realm. The inset map depicts the relatively small extent of the
Song Empire compared to modern China.
This was the dynamic at work in Song China. The documentary
record and the DGSD reveal that wealthy tax-bearing jurisdictions only
required low expenditures and could function at large size and popula-
tion: jurisdictions in the imperial core tended to be large unless they
were vestiges of the spatial priorities of earlier eras. However, jurisdic-
tions that served as colonial and military outposts in more fractious
