中国古代长城的历史角色

中国古代中原王朝为加强防御,在北部边疆长期建立了长城防御体系,明代在海洋空间面临实质性挑战后,在东部近海地区也开始构建了长城防御体系。长城一方面起到了有效的防御作用,但另一方面,由于被动特征,无法彻底解决来自北方族群与东部海域的威胁,反而产生“反噬效应”,造成巨大的财政负担与社会动荡,甚至带来全方位的政权危机,这是影响中国古代历史变迁的重要因素。长城虽然是政权之间的界限,却并非族群之间的界限,而是一条生态过渡区的界限。

The Historical Role of the Great Wall in Ancient China

In order to strengthen the defense,the Central Plains Dynasties in ancient China established the Great Wall defense system in the northern frontier.After facing substantial challenges in the ocean space,the Ming Dynasty began to construct the Great Wall defense system in the eastern coastal area.On the one hand,the Great Wall had played an effective defensive role,but on the other hand,because of its passive characteristics,the Great Wall could not completely resolve the threat from the northern ethnic groups and that from the eastern sea area.On the contrary,there emerged counterproductive effect,causing huge financial burden and social turbulence,and even all-around political crisis,which was an important factor having affected the vicissitude of ancient Chinese history.Although the Great Wall is the boundary between regimes,it is not the boundary between ethnic groups.