From Chaos to Precision: The Fragmentation and Reorganization of Central Fujian's Frontier in the Ming Dynasty
Did you know that some counties in Fujian were literally “pieced together” from scraps of their neighbors? Not just one. In the mountains of central Fujian during the Ming Dynasty, at least three counties were carved out—cut from the flesh of a “mother county,” stitched together at the borders, and stamped with a new name. The deepest cut went into Youxi County. Established in 741 AD during the Tang Dynasty, Youxi covered over 3,400 square kilometers in the early Ming—more than twice the size of modern-day Xiamen. But in 1452 and 1535, the imperial court took a knife to it: first slicing off four districts (Du) to create Yongan, then carving out another twelve to create Datian. ...