The Forgotten Capitals of Chu and Han

While the Yellow River valley is often celebrated as the cradle of Chinese civilization, the Yangtze River basin nurtured equally sophisticated urban cultures during the Qin (221-206 BCE) and Han (206 BCE-220 CE) dynasties. Archaeological discoveries across Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi and Anhui provinces reveal nearly 100 ancient city sites from this period, comprising about 18% of all known Qin-Han urban remains in China. These southern cities, though less densely distributed than their northern counterparts, showcase unique adaptations to riverine environments and fascinating political transformations.

River Kings and Imperial Outposts

The Yangtze urban tradition originated with the Chu and Wu states during the Spring and Autumn period (771-476 BCE). When Qin Shi Huang unified China in 221 BCE, he established commanderies including Nan, Hengshan, Jiujiang, Kuaiji, Changsha and Qianzhong across the region. Han dynasty administrators later organized the territory under Jingzhou and Yangzhou provinces, covering modern Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and southern portions of Shaanxi, Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu.

Three remarkable sites exemplify this southern urban tradition:

### Yunmeng’s Divided City

The Chu King’s City at Yunmeng, Hubei presents a striking case of urban downsizing. This blade-shaped settlement originally spanned 2,050 meters east-west and 1,200 meters north-south during its Warring States (475-221 BCE) heyday. Archaeological evidence shows the Han administrators literally split the city in half during the 2nd century BCE, abandoning the eastern sector while maintaining the western portion as the seat of Anlu County. The eastern ruins became a burial ground, preserving treasures like the famous Shuihudi and Longgang bamboo slips – administrative documents that revolutionized our understanding of Qin bureaucracy.

### Yicheng’s Royal Transformation

The Chu Imperial City at Yicheng underwent even more dramatic changes. This 2.2 million square meter Warring States metropolis contained a royal enclosure called the “Forbidden City” and served as temporary capital during King Zhao’s 5th century BCE flight from Wu invaders. By the Han dynasty, only a small 38,000 square meter administrative compound remained active in the northeast sector. The site’s evolution mirrors historical records describing its demotion from Chu capital to Han county seat, renamed Yicheng in 192 BCE before final abandonment around 208 CE.

### Lixian’s Frontier Outpost

The compact 20,000 square meter Lixian city in Hunan’s Wuling Mountains represents Qin-Han frontier administration. Its two construction phases – Warring States foundation and Western Han expansion – reflect changing regional needs. The 2002 discovery of 37,000 Qin slips in a single well revolutionized scholarship, revealing meticulous records from this remote administrative center. These documents detail everything from population registers to legal cases, offering unprecedented insight into Qin local governance.

Water Cities of the Southern Frontier

Yangtze cities developed distinctive features reflecting their aquatic environment:

– Riverine Adaptations: Unlike northern cities, southern settlements frequently incorporated waterways into their defenses. The Chibi earthen city in Hubei strategically connected its moat system to the Pan River and ultimately the Yangtze, while Luozhou’s Han-era walls in Qichun integrated the Qi River into its western defenses.

– Dual-City Layouts: Approximately 12 sites feature paired large and small enclosures. The larger outer walls typically enclosed residential and commercial areas, while compact inner citadels housed government offices. This contrasts with northern urban planning where administrative centers often dominated city cores.

– Compact Footprints: Southern county seats averaged just 20,000-50,000 square meters – far smaller than northern counterparts. Pingjiang’s 150-meter square Chang County site represents the extreme small end of Han urban scaling.

The Southern Difference

Three factors shaped the Yangtze’s distinctive urban landscape:

1. Economic Priorities: Han historian Sima Qian noted the south’s “land abundant but people scarce” condition, with rice-based agriculture requiring less intensive labor than northern wheat fields. This translated to smaller urban populations and fewer large cities.

2. Industrial Specialization: While northern cities focused on iron production, southern centers like Changsha excelled in bronze mirrors and lacquerware. The lack of major ironworking sites (except Nanyang) limited southern industrial urbanization.

3. Political Marginalization: As peripheral territories until the Eastern Han, southern commanderies received less imperial investment. Only three Yangtze cities – Linxiang (Changsha), Nanchang and Wu – merited the highest-grade county magistrates during the Western Han.

Legacy of the Southern Cities

The Eastern Han (25-220 CE) witnessed the Yangtze’s urban awakening as northern refugees fled warfare. Population growth and agricultural improvements laid foundations for the region’s medieval economic dominance. Sites like Yunmeng and Yicheng demonstrate how Han administrators repurposed Chu urban infrastructure, while frontier outposts like Lixian reveal the empire’s expanding bureaucratic reach.

These southern cities may have lacked the splendor of Chang’an or Luoyang, but their archaeological remains tell equally vital stories about China’s diverse urban traditions – stories of riverine adaptation, administrative innovation and the gradual southward shift of the empire’s demographic and economic center of gravity.