36. CTYSTCKM Chuan 2, p. 14b.
37. See Eberhard, op. cit., pp 366-368 and Kaltenmark, op. cit. p. 22ff,
on the geographic distribution of the bronze-drum culture.
38. Diagram 1 is based on Eberhard, op. cit., Chain 34, pp 363-74.
39. Diagram 2 is based on Eberhard, Chain 34, pp 363-74 and Chain 37,
pp 390-406. 40. SCC 37, p. 62.
CHAPTER IB
THE LOCATION OF HAN PR EFEC TU R A L CENTERS IN TONGKING
The following c h a p te r atte m p ts to lo cate and p la ce each of the an cien t Han a d m in istra tiv e c e n te rs into a m o d ern g e o g ra p h ica l s e ttin g . Such settin g s in te r m s of p re s e n t- d a y geographical lo catio n s can a t b e s t be v e ry a p p ro x im a te .
T his is due f ir s tly to in e x ac t d e sc rip tio n s and a confusion of n am es and d ire c tio n s in the a n cien t Chinese g eo g rap h ical te x ts , and secondly to th e s u b sta n tia l changes w hich have tak en p lace in the d elta sin ce the f i r s t c en tu ry AD.
Since any d e sc rip tio n of th e an cien t p h y sica l fe a tu re s of th e d elta m u st n e c e s s a r ily be r e la te d to the m od ern fe a tu re s of the d e lta , i t is una\oidable th a t the m aps and te r m s of re fe re n c e u s e d in the study of lo catio n s be th o se of m odern Tongldng. The following p ag es give a b r ie f d e sc rip tio n of th o se p re s e n t g e o g ra p h ica l fe a tu re s of Tongldng w hich a r e re le v e n t to d isc u ssio n s about th e lo catio n of an cien t p re fe c tu ra l s e a ts .
The geo g rap h ic and p o litic a l u n it known a s "Tongking" is a q u a d rila te ra l shaped a r e a of land 20° to 23° 24’ n o rth of the e q u a to r. ^ B o rd e re d by L ao s,
2
Annam and China, it c o v e rs about 116,000 s q . Ion. T h is a re a can be divided
into 2 s h a rp ly c o n tra stin g re g io n s: a m ountainous a r e a of low population d en sity , and a s m a lle r but h eav ily populated d eltaic p la in .
The p lain c o n s is ts of a tria n g u la r a r e a of 14,700 sq . k m . b u ilt up fro m
3
r i v e r sed im en t and allu v iu m . The apex of the tria n g u la r p lain lie s a t V ie t- tr i ,
th e p la ce of confluence of th e 3 m ain r iv e r s of Tongking: The R ed, The B lack and th e C le ar R iv e r s . They jo in a t V ie t- tr i to flow 165 Ion. thro u g h th e p lain
4 to th e gulf of Tongking.
The p r e s e n t p la in c an b e divided into v a rio u s u n its of c o n tra stin g a ltitu d e s . The h ig h e st re g io n is only 13-15 m . above s e a - le v e l. It lie s m ainly south of th e R ed R iv e r, but a lso ex ten d s a c r o s s to th e n o rth sid e to tak e in the p ro v in c e s of V inh-yen and P h u c -y e n . The m id lan d s of th e d e lta have an a v erag e altitu d e of 5-6 m . above s e a le v e l, and s tre tc h fro m th e Song Cau in the n o rth down to th e Bam boo C anal in th e so u th , and a c r o s s to the T h ai-b in h R iv e r com plex in the e a s t. The o th e r re g io n s of th e d elta av erag e below 1 m . above s e a - le v e l.
F o r the m o st p a r t, th e d elta is fla t. The only h ills and n a tu ra l v a ria tio n s in altitu d e a r e to be found on th e n o rth e rn edge of the d e lta in V inh-yen, P h u c-y en and B ac-n in h P r o v in c e s , and in the lo w est lying re g io n s w h e re g ro u p s of
lim e sto n e h ills r i s e to h e ig h ts of 100 m . above s e a le v e l on th e fla t a llu v ia l p la in . °
The r iv e r s of the d e lta can be roughly g ro u p ed into s e v e r a l s y s te m s a ll co n n ected w ith the R ed R iv e r. To the south of the R ed R iv e r, lie s th e H a -d o n g / H a-n am R iv e r co m plex, w h ere the p ro v in c e s of H a-dong, H a-n am and Son-tay a r e en clo se d by the R ed R iv e r, the P h u -ly can al in th e south and th e Day R iv e r in the w e s t. W ithin th is e n c lo s u re ru n th e Song T o -lic h and the Song Nhue-gian& both re s p o n sib le fo r th e d ra in a g e of th e e n c lo s u re . T h e ir in a b ility to d ra in into
the Day o r P h u -ly during th e w et sea so n s when the la tte r becom e sw ollen defluents of the R ed R iv e r m ean s th a t they a r e the f i r s t to flood.
O ther d efluents of th e R ed R iv e r have c re a te d s im ila r e n c lo s u re s in o th e r p a rts of the d e lta : F o r ex am p le, th e H ung-yen/H ai-duong e n c lo su re fo rm ed by th e Bac R iv e r, the Bamboo Canal and th e T h ai-b in h r iv e r com plex. The C a-lo /C a u and th e Bac R iv e rs also fo rm an o th er e n c lo su re fu rth e r n o rth . The r iv e r s of the T h ai-b in h , although connected to th e R ed v ia th e C a -lo , Cau, Bac and Bam boo r i v e r s can a lso b e re g a rd e d as a s e p a ra te r iv e r com plex, form ing a sec o n d a ry d e lta w ithin the m ain one. The apex of th e second d elta lie s n e a r the Seven P agodas w h ere the r iv e r s of the T h ai-b in h m eet fo r a c o u rse
0
of about 5 km .
Today, throughout the d e lta , such r iv e r s and th e ir t r i b u ta r ie s a r e a ll dyked in an effo rt to p re v e n t freq u en t flooding of the p la in . At H a-n o i, w h ere the city is on an av erag e 5 m . above s e a -le v e l, th e dykes r i s e to a height of 13.70 m . above s e a - le v e l. A ccording to P . G ourou, th e Red R iv e r in th e w et sea so n u su ally c a r r ie s about 1 kg. of s ilt p e r cubic m e te r , b u t in tim e s of p o te n tia l flooding, the flow p a s t th e city of H a-noi can re a c h a s m uch as 28,000 cubic m e te rs p e r s e c , w ith the w eight of s ilt in c re a s in g to a s m uch a s 5 kg. p e r cubic m e te r . The p r e s s u r e s of th is volum e of w a te r a g a in st th e dyke w a lls , and th e ra p id build -u p of s ilt in r iv e r b e d s, s till r e s u lt in freq u e n t ru p tu r e s of th e dykes and flooding in m any p a r ts of the d elta. The F re n c h re c o rd e d dyke ru p tu r e s and s e v e re flooding fo r a lm o st ev ery second y e a r du rin g the e a rly p a r t of th is c e n tu ry . A fter the floods of 1915, when the e n c lo su re of H a-dong w as com pletely su b m erg ed , the re lie f m ap of the d elta had to be re -d ra w n . A fter e ach flood it is u su ally
found th a tc o u rse s of the m a jo r r i v e r s have a lso a lte re d , w hile cones of
alluvium in d icate the p la ce of ru p tu re in th e old r iv e r b ed . Such cones aro u n d 7
H a-noi r i s e to 7 m e te r s above s e a -le v e l.
The fact th a t the m a jo r r i v e r s of th e d elta a re co n stan tly a lte rin g th e ir c o u rs e s through th e p la in , and th a t flooding often n e c e s s ita te s the red raw in g of r e lie f m a p s, m u st be tak en into account when exam ining the d e sc rip tio n s of C hinese a d m in is tra tiv e a r e a s in the a n cien t g e o g ra p h ica l te x ts . Such te x ts frequently r e f e r to r i v e r s o r to d ista n c e s by w a te r in th e ir d e sc rip tio n s of th e ancient p re fe c tu ra l s e a ts in the d e lta a r e a . Any a tte m p t to equate th e r iv e r s of th e se te x ts w ith th o se of m o d ern Tongking m u st c a r r ie d out w ith th e s e fa c ts in m ind.