Abstract

This book tries to reconstruct the natural and cultural geographies in the Han River Valley since ancient times，trace their evolutionary course，and identify the causal mechanisms underlying the changes. Through this study of the historical geography of a particular region，the author hopes to shed light on not just how its spatial structure and the relationship between its natural conditions and human inhabitants affect the development process，but also the theoretical and methodological implications of these connections for the field of historical geography. The main arguments of this book are：（1）Creating continuous，and comprehensive historical geographic profiles for a region allows researchers to understand its formation，evolution and pattern of change；key historical geographic features to be captured by these profiles include：population migration，changes in land use and in habitation and housing styles.（2）There are three dimensions to “unbalanced regional economic development”，namely，regional variations in the level of development，in the timing of development，and in the rate of development. The three most important historical geographic measures of a region’s level of economic development are population density，density of urban settlements and land use pattern. Regional economic development has many causal factors，such as land resource，population resource，political and social changes，natural disasters，geographical location and transportation infrastructure，all of which are constantly changing.（3）The relationship between human activities and the natural environment is complex：it can vary from region to region，in terms of not just modality but also its cultural import. Within each region，the human-nature relationship also evolves over time.