Map Introduction

I. Establishment and Adjustment of the Administrative System

In the 3rd year of the Zhidao era (997 AD) of the Northern Song Dynasty, the Jinghu South Circuit (seat: Tan Prefecture, modern Changsha) and Jinghu North Circuit (seat: Jiangling Prefecture, modern Jingzhou) were formally established. The two circuits used Dongting Lake as their natural boundary, with their combined jurisdictions covering the entirety of modern Hunan and central-southern Hubei. The Jinghu South Circuit governed 7 prefectures, 1 military district (jun), and 1 supervised economic zone (jian), including Tan Prefecture and Heng Prefecture. The Jinghu North Circuit comprised 8 prefectures and military districts, such as Jiangling Prefecture and E Prefecture. This administrative system integrated the three-level structure of prefectures (zhou), military districts (jun), and supervised economic zones (jian). Implementing a policy of "strengthening the trunk and weakening the branches," the Northern Song established the three key supervisory commissions in both Jinghu Circuits: the Fiscal Commission (caosi), the Judicial Commission (xiansi), and the Pacification Commission (shisi), thereby reinforcing central control over the regions.

II. Ethnic Governance and Economic Development

The Jinghu region was home to numerous non-Han ethnic groups inhabiting "stream gorges" (xidong). The Northern Song adopted a differentiated governance approach: initially using a tributary system to co-opt them, promoting a "frontier expansion" policy to incorporate their lands during the Xifeng reforms, with some policy reversals occurring after the Yuanyou regency. The economies of both circuits were primarily agricultural. The Jinghu North Circuit became a crucial granary following the southward population migration during the Southern Song, while the Jinghu South Circuit developed a rice-based economy through the exploitation of the Xiang River basin. The establishment of the Hunan Pacification Commission in the 3rd year of the Dazhong Xiangfu era (1010 AD) marked the deepening of governance in central Hunan.

III. Military Defense and Administrative Changes

Due to its proximity to the frontiers with the Jin and Liao, the Jinghu North Circuit became a linchpin in the Northern Song's defense system. In the 5th year of the Chongning era (1106 AD), Wugang County was elevated to Wugang Army, and in the 9th year of the Daguan era (1115 AD), Shao Prefecture was promoted to a prominent commandery (wang jun), reflecting the heightened strategic importance attached to southwestern Hunan. Fortified cities like Jiangling Prefecture and E Prefecture in the Jinghu North Circuit formed the middle Yangtze River defense line, coordinated strategically with Tan Prefecture in the Jinghu South Circuit.

IV. Cultural Integration and Local Characteristics

The Jinghu South Circuit nurtured the embryonic form of the southern opera The Moon Prayer, with the Xiang opera scene system inheriting its performance traditions. Areas like E Prefecture and Huangshi (part of Xingguo Army) in the Jinghu North Circuit showed a high density of jinshi degree holders, reflecting the characteristics of education and culture in the southeastern part. Both circuits fostered ethnic integration through "intermarriage between Han and non-Han groups" and "mutual trade in salt and tea," laying the foundation for the later Huxiang culture.

Conclusion

The evolution of the two Jinghu Circuits during the Northern Song exemplifies the balance between centralized authority and local autonomy. Their pattern of administrative adjustments—"division, merger, re-division" (e.g., their brief merger into a single Jinghu Circuit during the Yongxi period)—and the phased characteristics of their ethnic governance profoundly influenced the subsequent geographical structure and cultural identity of the modern provinces of Hubei and Hunan.