Journal paper

Issue No.	No. 66
Title	The People of Wu and the People of the South: A Study on the Transformation of Territorial Identity During the Six Dynasties
Author	Leu, Chuen-sheng
Page	1-44
Abstract	The residents to the south of the Yangtze River, in what is traditionally known as the Jiangnan region of China, are referred to in historical documents from the Zhou and Han dynasties as “the people of Wu.” These same people are also frequently referred to as “the people of the South.” The two terms were used more or less interchangeably until the Three Kingdoms period, when China was divided into the kingdoms of Wei, Shu, and Wu. With the founding of the Eastern Jin dynasty, however, the term “the People of Wu,” which evoked strong memories of the erstwhile Kingdom of Wu, disappears completely from our historical records: the use of the term had become taboo. 　　This paper explores the ramifications of the different ways of referring to the residents of the Jiangnan region. Its purview includes not only the period leading up to the Eastern Jin dynasty, but also the various dynasties that came afterwards. It notes, for instance, that a third term, “the Children of Wu,” is frequently used in the poetry and prose of the Sui and Tang dynasties to refer to “southerners.” 　　These changes in nomenclature imply a complicated socio-political scenario; and yet, attempts by historians to document and explain these changes have been few and far between. The present study attempts to remedy the situation. It is a comprehensive examination of the use of the terms “the people of Wu” and “the people of the South” in our historical records. It investigates how these terms are closely associated with regional identity. It also considers the historical significance of the change in names during the Six Dynasties period.
Keyword	Six Dynasty, Eastern Jin, Southern Dynasty, People of Wu, People of the South, Territorial Identity
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