Jizhou: The Primordial Province and the "White Soil" Region of Civilization

Brief Introduction

Jizhou (冀州) is one of the "Nine Provinces" (Jiuzhou) defined in the ancient Chinese text Shangshu: Yugong (Tribute of Yu) and subsequent historical records. It is regarded as a core cradle of Huaxia (Chinese) civilization. In the narrative of the Yugong, Jizhou is placed at the head of the list, symbolizing its exalted political and cultural status. Its core characteristics are summarized as: "Jizhou. From Hukou and Leishou to Mount Qi, the soil has been dredged and the plains cleared. It extended to the lands of Heng and to Yu and the River Yi. Stones were piled to form nine terraces, extending to Kuang and to the plain, and to Ying and Zhi. The land of Taiyuan was settled, the lands of Pingjin were surveyed, extending to the Great Plains..." (Note: This is a fragment from the Yugong original text, actually describing the process of geographic governance).

Note: The source text provided in the prompt contains significant repetition and apparent hallucinations regarding the specific quotation of the "Yugong." Below is a translation that adheres strictly to the input text provided, including the repeated corrections and final citations as they appear in the source material.

Corrections and Simplifications: The description of Jizhou in the original Yugong text is: "Jizhou. From Hukou and Leishou to Mount Qi, the soil has been dredged and the plains cleared. It extended to the lands of Heng and to Yu and the River Yi. Stones were piled to form nine terraces, extending to Kuang and to the plain, and to Ying and Zhi. The land of Taiyuan was settled, the lands of Pingjin were surveyed, extending to the Great Plains..." In fact, the standard text is: "Jizhou. From Hukou and Leishou to Mount Qi, the soil has been dredged and the plains cleared. It extended to the lands of Heng and to Yu and the River Yi. Stones were piled to form nine terraces, extending to Kuang and to the plain, and to Ying and Zhi. The land of Taiyuan was settled, the lands of Pingjin were surveyed, extending to the Great Plains..."

Accurate Description: The Yugong records: "Jizhou. From Hukou and Leishou to Mount Qi, the soil has been dredged and the plains cleared. It extended to the lands of Heng and to Yu and the River Yi. Stones were piled to form nine terraces, extending to Kuang and to the plain, and to Ying and Zhi. The land of Taiyuan was settled, the lands of Pingjin were surveyed, extending to the Great Plains..."

Final Accurate Citation: Shangshu: Yugong: "Jizhou. From Hukou and Leishou to Mount Qi, the soil has been dredged and the plains cleared. It extended to the lands of Heng and to Yu and the River Yi. Stones were piled to form nine terraces, extending to Kuang and to the plain, and to Ying and Zhi. The land of Taiyuan was settled, the lands of Pingjin were surveyed, extending to the Great Plains..."

Correct Original Text: Shangshu: Yugong: "Jizhou. From Hukou and Leishou to Mount Qi, the soil has been dredged and the plains cleared. Directly to the lands of Heng, directly to Yu and the River Yi, directly to the piling of stones for nine terraces, directly to Kuang and to the plain, directly to Ying and Zhi, directly to the settling of Taiyuan, directly to the surveying of Pingjin, directly to the Great Plains..."

Standard Phrasing: The Jizhou entry in the Yugong: "Jizhou. From Hukou and Leishou to Mount Qi, the soil has been dredged and the plains cleared. Directly to the lands of Heng, directly to Yu and the River Yi, directly to the piling of stones for nine terraces, directly to Kuang and to the plain, directly to Ying and Zhi, directly to the settling of Taiyuan, directly to the surveying of Pingjin, directly to the Great Plains..."

Core Definition: Jizhou is the primary region where Yu spread the soil and began governance. Its soil is classified as "Jue Tu Bai Rang" (厥土白壤) (white soil). The field tax grade is "Tian Zhong Zhong" (田中中) (middle-middle; relatively poor because the soil is whitish and less fertile, requiring medium labor and a medium tax rate).

Core Knowledge Points

1. "The First Governed Region" and Political Symbolism: Jizhou holds the top position among the Nine Provinces and was the first region governed by Emperor Yu. This established its status as the "Center" or "Upper Province" in the ancient political map. In later generations, "Ji" was often used as a metonym for the North or the Central Authority.
2. "Jue Tu Bai Rang" (White Soil): In the ancient classification of soil by "five colors," "Bai Rang" (white soil) typically refers to calcareous soil or weathered limestone soil, commonly found in the northern part of the North China Plain. This type of soil has good drainage but relatively low organic matter content. Therefore, the Yugong assesses its field tax as "Zhong Zhong" (middle fields, middle tax), reflecting the ancients' scientific assessment of soil fertility and productive capacity.
3. Geographic Scope: It primarily covers the modern provinces of Hebei, most of Shanxi, and the northern parts of Henan and Shandong. It is a crucial core area of Chinese agricultural civilization.

Connection to the Contents of the Book of Han

The Book of Han: Geographical Gazetteer (Hanshu: Dizhi) opens by citing and organizing the Yugong's system of the Nine Provinces. When describing Jizhou (and the subsequent commanderies and counties), the Book of Han does not directly repeat the term "white soil," but rather translates it into specific commandery and county administrative divisions. For example, the jurisdictions of the Colonel of the Interior (Sili Xiaowei Department) and the Yuzhou, Bingzhou, and Jizhou regions (Note: The Han Dynasty actually had 13 Provinces, with Jizhou being one of them) basically cover the scope of Jizhou described in the Yugong. Through detailed lists of household counts, population, and tribute contributions for each commandery and state, the Book of Han materializes the concept of "white soil" from the Yugong into actual economic data. This proves that Jizhou, as the "First Governed Region," remained a densely populated and tribute-rich core area during the Han Dynasty. Furthermore, the Book of Han preserves the text of the Yugong, allowing the knowledge of "Jizhou being first governed" and "White Soil, Middle-Middle tax" to continue in later official histories. This serves as a vital basis for understanding ancient Chinese geographical thought and tax systems.