“Jiang-Huai” and “Jiang-Huai Area”—— A Historical Exploration of the Geographical Concept of “Jiang-Huai”

Historically,the term“Jiang-Huai”has undergone constant evolution as a geographical concept.During the pre-Qin period,“Jiang-Huai”primarily referred to the Huai River,Yangtze,or the southern region bounded by the Huai River.The Han and Jin Dynasties expanded the meaning of “Jiang-Huai” to include the area between the virtual and real,specifically the region between the Huai River and Yangtze.As the economic center of gravity shifted to the Tang and Song Dynasties,“Jiang-Huai” came to encompass the area south of the Huai River,including the southern portion of the Yangtze.The establishment of “Huai-Nan”(淮南) helped reconcile the contradiction between the physical geographical understanding of“Jiang-Huai”and administrative regions,leading to a more standardized perception of“Jiang-Huai”as the region between the Huai River and Yangtze.However,since the Yuan,Ming,and Qing Dynasties,“Jiang-Huai”has gradually lost its original geographical foundation and has taken on more cultural attributes,often being used to refer to various different places.“Jiang-Bei”(江北)has also replaced“Huai-Nan” in the original concept of“Jiang-Huai”.The evolution of the concept and scope of“Jiang-Huai” is a result of the interplay between natural geographical factors and administrative divisions throughout history.It also reflects the regional economic development and the eastward migration of the economic center towards the south.This serves as a reminder to consider the varying scopes and orientations of“Jiang-Huai”in different historical periods,rather than a general understanding of it as“Jiang-Huai area”.