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Regional Resilience and Spatial Cycles: Long‐Term Evolution of the C hinese Port System (221 bc –2010 ad )
Author(s) -
Wang Chengjin,
Ducruet César
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
tijdschrift voor economische en sociale geografie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.766
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1467-9663
pISSN - 0040-747X
DOI - 10.1111/tesg.12033
Subject(s) - port (circuit theory) , hierarchy , openness to experience , term (time) , closure (psychology) , psychological resilience , resilience (materials science) , computer science , economic geography , geography , economics , physics , engineering , psychology , social psychology , quantum mechanics , electrical engineering , market economy , psychotherapist , thermodynamics
Abstract Spatial models of port system evolution often depict linearly the emergence of hierarchy through successive concentration phases of originally scattered ports. The C hinese case provides a fertile ground for complementing existing works by a long‐term perspective, given the early importance of river ports and seaports and the development irregularities caused by periods of closure and openness over time and across such a large land mass. In both qualitative and quantitative ways, this paper describes and analyses the changing spatial pattern of C hina's port system since the first unified empire (221 bc ). Main results underline a certain stability of the port system with regard to the location of main sea‐river gateways, notwithstanding important regional shifts from one period to the other.