Order, Culture, and Local Administration on the Northern Border

Order, Culture, and Local Administration on the Northern Border:Han Qi in Dingzhou (1048–1053) Cong Ellen Zhang Border affairs occupied a prominent place in the minds of Northern Song scholar-statesmen. Dozens left records about their missions to the Liao 遼 (907–1125), Xia 夏 (1038–1227), and Jin 金 (1115–1234) states.1 Many more opined on defense and military strategies even though they had never visited the frontier regions, commanded troops, or held positions that required direct interactions with the Song's neighbors.2 Only a fraction of the men in these two groups had substantial expertise on military affairs and border management. Han Qi 韓琦 (1008–1075) belonged to this select group. Han traveled to the [End Page 39] Liao as an envoy in 1038, played a key role in the Song-Xia War (1039–1042), and held the position of Commissioner of Military Affairs (shumishi 樞密使) on more than one occasion from the 1040s to the 1060s. From 1048 to 1055, he was the chief military and administrative officer in Dingzhou 定州 (Dingzhou, Hebei) and Bingzhou 并州 (Taiyuan, Shanxi), both located on the Song's northern border. Over the next two decades, Han remained one of the most influential policymakers in Song domestic and foreign affairs until his death in 1075.3 This study focuses on Han Qi's tenure in Dingzhou from the fourth month of 1048 (1048/4) to the third month of 1053 (1053/3). Han arrived in Dingzhou after serving as the prefect of Yangzhou (1045–1048) (in Jiangsu) for three years following the failed Qingli Reform (1043–1045), of which he was a key figure.4 This decade-long provincial service provided him with the perfect opportunity to reposition himself for a return to key policy-making posts at the court. The experience was also significant for Han Qi's life and career in other ways. In addition to dealing with critical military and administrative matters, Han Qi initiated multiple construction projects, among them the renovation, building, and naming of four massive structures in and around Dingzhou's prefectural government office compound. Following their completion, Han authored an account (ji 記) for each of these projects and a dozen or so poems. Drawing on these texts, this article will show that Han Qi's construction, naming, and writing efforts transformed not only Dingzhou, but also himself: Han had already [End Page 40] established himself as a statesman and military strategist on the "national" level prior to his arrival in Dingzhou, but it was not until the mid-1040s to mid-1050s, when he was away from the political center, that Han Qi began to systematically present himself as a man of wen (culture, civil rule) as well as a caring and dedicated administrator.5 He realized the construction of this new identity through an earnest articulation and promotion in his writing of some of the most fundamental Confucian principles on good government. Han's efforts also had a large impact on Dingzhou. By vigorously projecting himself as a benevolent prefect striving to restore and consolidate civil and cultural order, Han Qi played down Dingzhou's image as a border town, making it less distinguishable from other prefectures across the country. The First Rushuai (Civilian Commander-in-chief) in the Northern Frontier : Han Qi's Appointment to Dingzhou In the Northern Song, Dingzhou was part of the Hebei West Circuit, often referred to as Heshuo 河朔 (north of the Yellow River). With the Taihang Mountains 太行山 to its west and being located eighteen cheng 程 (about 1100 li, or 340 miles) north of the capital city Kaifeng 開封, Dingzhou played a vital role in the Northern Song's defense strategy against the Liao,6 and it was involved in every Song-Liao conflict since the dynasty's founding. These included the Song's campaigns against the Liao in 979 and 986 in its failed bids to recover the Sixteen Prefectures and the Liao's attempt to take back the Guannan 關南 territories in 999 and 1000.7 Skirmishes and battles between the [End Page 41] two states continued over the next several years, notably the Liao's attacks on Dingzhou in 1001 and 1003.8 These clashes did not help the Liao recover any

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• The Fragility of Peace

  Open Access•Paul Jakov Smith•Journal of Chinese History•2025

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