唐朝北部疆域的变迁——兼论疆域问题的本质与属性

Change of the Tang Dynasty's Northern Borderland:On the Essence and Nature of Borderland Territory

本文以唐朝前期为段限,针对唐朝北部疆域的变迁揭示隐藏其后的疆域之本质属性和特点,认为在以中原为核心区、周边为外缘区的二元制王朝构架内,北部边疆地区是在唐与草原帝国多方面交往互动过程中以夹处二者之间的定位而存在的。因受制于南北两个性质迥然有别的帝国外层地缘之非确定性因素的影响,边疆地区不是以明确的间隔线索而是以游移不定的模糊状态呈现出来的,它自然就受制于双方对它的拉动和吸引。唐朝北部边疆之战略地位,就存在于唐与草原帝国的较量与博弈中。由此可以看到,边疆地带的模糊性实质上受制于活跃其上的群体,正是出自对群体的控制而产生的制度性设计,边疆的概念才得以萌生和定型。疆域的本质是人群,人群的归属通过行政的设置而呈现。

Within the limitation of the first half period of Tang dynasty,the paper gives an account of the evolving history of the northern borderland of the Tang dynasty and tries to suggest the essence and nature of borderland territory.With central plain as its core area and borderland as its periphery area,the Tang Dynasty's northern borderland was as a middle zone defined by its communication and interaction with steppe empires in multiple aspects.Because of the uncertainty of periphery influence of the two different kinds of empires,one in south,one in north,so the borderland was not delimited with an obvious line,but appeared as a constantly changing territory,affected by both sides.So the strategic position of Tang Dynasty's northern borderland was defined by the struggle and game between Tang and nomadic empires.The ambiguity of the borderland was resulted by the people lived on it,and in order to control the people,there arose the institutional design and the ideas of borderland.So the essence of the territory was about people.Only through administrative institution a state makes a people to be part of it.