Map Introduction

I. Administrative Divisions and Political Status

As the core of the Four Circuits of Chuanxia (Yizhou, Zizhou, Lizhou, and Kuizhou), the Chengdu Prefecture Circuit maintained its administrative center at Chengdu Prefecture, which had been elevated in status during the late Northern Song and continued under this structure throughout the Southern Song. During the Southern Song period, the circuit's jurisdiction included over 20 prefectures and military districts such as Chengdu Prefecture, Peng Prefecture, and Mian Prefecture, serving as a strategic stronghold in the resistance against the Mongols. Its political structure centered on the Prefect (also known as the "Guardian of Shu" or "Marshal of Shu"), who held combined administrative and military authority, operating within a system of checks and balances alongside the Controller-general and the Fiscal Intendant.

II. Economic Prosperity and Urban Development

The Chengdu Prefecture Circuit of the Southern Song continued the prosperity of its Northern Song predecessor, famously known as "Yang[zhou] is first, Yi[zhou/Chengdu] is second." Its economy rested on pillars of agriculture, papermaking, and woodblock printing. Within Chengdu's city walls, brick-paved streets stretched for 3,360 zhang, and commercial districts were described as having "multi-storied buildings seeming to scrape the sky." The poet Lu You vividly depicted its bustling night market with the line, "In the east of the city, deep into the night, calls for wine await at the Five Gates." The printing industries of Meizhou and Chengdu were particularly advanced. Official workshops produced canonical works like the Imperial Reader of the Taiping Era, while private establishments such as the Wanjun Hall and Shuyin Studio formed a specialized industrial chain.

III. Military Defense and the Song-Yuan Wars

In 1236 AD, Mongol forces captured Chengdu for the first time, inflicting severe damage on the city. Although Song troops briefly recaptured it, the entire Chengdu Prefecture Circuit had fallen by 1275 AD. The warfare caused a dramatic population decline, plummeting from 7.51 million individuals in the 2nd year of the Chunxi era (1175 AD) to a mere 120,000 households in the early Yuan period. Defensive structures like the Dragon's Head Pass and Dragon's Tail Pass proved ineffective against the rapid assaults of Mongol cavalry.

IV. Cultural Education and Historiographical Achievements

The Chengdu Prefecture Circuit was a major center of historical scholarship during the Southern Song. Monumental works such as Li Tao's Long Draft Continuation of the Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government and Li Xinchuan's Record of Important Events Since the Jianyan Era were produced here. The policy of holding provincial-level examinations locally provided convenience for scholars from Sichuan and Shaanxi, promoting the spread of education. Furthermore, Chengdu's garden culture, exemplified by crabapple cultivation, and its popular urban literature, seen in the works of poets like Lu You and Fan Chengda, formed a distinctive regional cultural character.

V. Conclusion

The development of the Southern Song Chengdu Prefecture Circuit followed a trajectory of "initial prosperity followed by decline." In its earlier phase, leveraging its economic foundation and cultural traditions, it thrived as a southwestern center. In its later phase, it declined due to the devastation of war. Its historical evolution reflects both the resilience of Southern Song local administration and reveals the profound impact of geopolitics on regional civilization.

Knowledge points

• Southern Song
• Chengdufu Road