The Transformation of Han Territories' Rule Strategy in the Jin Dynasty and the Identification of China

The transformation of Han territories' ruling strategy is a new perspective for observing the Jin (金) Dynasty's identification with China. The transformation of the Han territories' governance strategy during the Jin Dynasty was specifically reflected in three aspects:territorial concepts, war intentions, and ruling center. The territorial concept of the rulers of the Jin Dynasty shifted from "using the Yellow River as the boundary" to "using the Huai River as the boundary", advocating that the Han territories in the Central Plains south of the Yellow River and north of the Huai River should be the territory of the Jin Dynasty; The war intention of the Jin Dynasty towards the Central Plains shifted from "punishing depend on the heavens" to "becoming orthodox", and the war against the Han territories in the Central Plains shifted from economic plunder to political demands for becoming "orthodox in China"; The ruling center of the Jin Dynasty shifted from the "Jurchen originated heartland" to the "Han territory of the Central Plains", in order to establish the legitimacy of ruling the Central Plains, protect and develop the agricultural economy of the Central Plains, and regard the Han territory of the Central Plains as the foundation of the country. The transformation of Han territories ruling strategy reflects the gradual process of identification of the rulers of the Jin Dynasty from being outside of China to becoming China.