提 要：淮河能成为中国历史上最稳定的南北政治分界线，是周代形成了“淮汉”政治区域的结果。西周以前，淮河流域和汉水流域间缺乏密切联系。西周立国后，淮汉两流域内王朝、夷人、土著等势力相互博弈，区域政治中心不断靠拢，人群间交往加强，最终在春秋时形成了一个统一的“淮汉”政治区域。这一区域长期稳定存在，使淮河南北形成了不同的政治文化传统，淮河从此成为中国历史上最稳定的南北政治分界线。“淮汉”政治区域形成，不仅促使中国古代政治格局由东西向转变为南北向，还推动了上古政治由血缘关系向地缘关系变革。

关键词：淮河流域 汉水流域 “淮汉” 南北政治分界线

Title:The Formation of Huaihe River and Hanshui River Political Region and the Origin of the Huaihe River as the South-North Political Divider

Author: Yu Wei, Post Doctorial Fellow, the Center of Historical Geography, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China

Abstract:In the Zhou Dynasty, the Huaihe River Valley and the Hanshui River basin fused into one political region. The Huaihe River therefore became a stable political boundary between the south and the north of ancient China. Before the Western Zhou Dynasty, the connection between Huaihe River valley and the Hanshui River basin were not significant. After the founding of the Western Zhou Dynasty, political powers and inhabitants in the two areas contacted and competed consistently, which eventually led to the formation of the political unity of Huaihe River and Hanshui River region during the Spring and Autumn period. A particular style of political cultural developed then in this region. In the later history, Huaihe River became the most stable political dividing line between the South and the North. The formation of the Huaihe and Han political region not only impelled the political map to change from an east-west facing pattern into a north-south pattern, but also impelled the transformation of the ancient politics from kinship based to geography based ones.

Key words: Huaihe River Hanshui River a divider of political geography