A study of Xiang Yue: preserved earliest rural planning text.

摘要

The composition of Xiang Yue is a symbol of the ConfucianrnScholars’ enthusiasm in social governance and military issues in Ming Dynasty. It was a textural summarization of Yin Geng’srnactivities helping the superior officer Weng Wanda to strengthenrnthe defense of border villages. According to the author himself,rnthe measures proposed in the book was effective. However, duernto the difficulty of the amalgamation of already built small forts,rncontroversy came with the publication. Comparing the existedrnexamples of walled villages in Yu County with the Xiang Yue’srnstandard layout, it is fair to conclude that as a remedy, Xiang Yuernhad impacts on some of them but the overall condition had notrnbeen reversed. Considering its context, content, and practice,rnXiang Yue is more like a community pact taken military defensernas its theme rather than a theoretical creation.