The Politics of Territory in Song Dynasty China, 960–1276 CE - Toward Spatial Humanities - page 131

Kilometers

0 55 110 220 330

Xi Xia

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

' ' '

'

'

' '

'

' ' '

'

Hedon g

'

'

' '

' '

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

' '

'

'

' ' '

'

' '

' '

' ' '

' '

' ' ' '

'

' ' ' '

'

' ' '

' ' ' ' '

' '

' ' ' '

'

'

'

'

' ' ' ' ' '

'

'

' ' ' ' ' '

'

' '

'

' '

' '

' ' ' ' ' ' '

' '

'

Yongxingju n

' ' '

' ' '

'

' ' '

' ' ' ' ' '

'

' '

' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '

' ' ' '

'

' '

' ' '

Qinfen g

' ' ' '

' ' ' ' ' '

' '

' ' '

' ' '

'

' ' ' ' ' ' '

' ' ' '

' ' ' '

' ' ' ' '

' ' ' ' '

' ' '

' '

' '

' ' '

' ' ' '

' ' ' ' ' ' ' '

' ' ' '

' '

' '

' ' '

' '

' ' ' '

' '

'

' '

'

' ' '

'

'

'

'

' ' '

' '

'

'

' ' ' '

' '

' '

'

'

5.5. Song spatial change on and around the loess plateau from 960 to 1126. Newly
founded prefectures, represented by light icons, expanded dramatically. Dark-shaded
icons are jurisdictions that were demoted or consolidated. The stippled background
denotes the extent of the loess plateau. Each prefecture could be associated with as
many as two dozen forts and garrisons.

Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, and Henan provinces - which traverse
the friable and erosion-prone loess plateau. 23 Owing primarily to in-
stability caused by the heavy silt load, much of the lower course of the
river was enclosed between levees as early as the third century bce. In
spite of that, the historical record atests to over iteen hundred loods
prior to the mid-twentieth century along with about thirty major course
changes. 24