Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No. 4, 2025

On Human Geographical Structure of Counties and Foundation of the Unified Empire during the Qin and Han Dynasties

(Abstract)

Ma Xin

During the Qin and Han dynasties, the county transcended its role as a mere administrative division. While establishing itself as the most fundamental administrative tier of the central imperial government, it concurrently developed a multifaceted and complex human geographical structure. This structure possessed deep historical connections, tracing its origins back to the fiefdoms and fiefs of the Shang, Zhou, and Spring and Autumn periods, and even extending back to the more ancient fangguo (regional polities). Building on the inherited legacy of the preceding agrarian civilizations, the county system underwent a profound restructuring. By deliberately shaping the political-geographical configuration of the county, political control at the county level was extended to all territories, thereby ensuring that the unified empire rested on a complete and solid geographical foundation. Furthermore, the integration of political geography with settlement geography organically merged administrative structures with natural settlement patterns. This ensured the top-down uniformity of the centralized political system and allowed it to reach directly into the villages and countryside. Simultaneously, the restructuring of social and cultural geography fostered county-level social homogeneity and a shared psychological and cultural identity, securing the crucial dynastic and state identity among the diverse populations across different regions. Collectively, these developments laid a solid foundation for the consolidation and continued development of the unified Qin and Han dynasties. The formation of this distinct county-level human geographical structure proved critically important for the stability of the county system itself. Indeed, over the subsequent two millennia, despite significant transformations in political regimes or administrative hierarchies, the county has persisted as the most stable administrative entity, thereby exerting a profound and lasting influence on the development of Chinese civilization.