Periphery and Forefront: The Evolution of the Status of Coastal Areas and Territorial Seas in Ancient Zhoushan Islands

Abstract

In the early stage of China, due to the mainland regime’s control over the Zhoushan Islands, the sea border of Zhoushan Islands was in the marginal position of the country. This marginal position was caused by objective reasons, namely “objective periphery”. The abandonment of the county-level administrative system of Zhoushan Islands in the Tang Dynasty due to Yuan Chao’s uprising in Wengshan was a subjective marginalization of the status of Zhoushan Islands in the sea, that is, “subjective periphery”. The subjective periphery is completely different from the objective periphery in nature. It reflects the consciousness of the rulers at that time on a more important level. The maritime policy towards Zhoushan Islands in the Song and Yuan Dynasties not only reflected the ruler’s consciousness and the positive attitude of active openness in policy, but also reflected the forefront status of Zhoushan Islands, which was the “active forefront” period of Zhoushan Islands. The maritime embargo policy and port closure policy in the Ming and Qing Dynasties are the manifestation of the rulers’ active periphery of Zhoushan Islands, but Zhoushan Islands is still the passive forefront of the national sea. The changes of the policies of the successive regimes towards the sea and forefront of Zhoushan Islands are not only the embodiment of the national consciousness at that time, but also the embodiment of the national destiny.