《West - The Confiscation of Public Land in the Song Capital》.pdf

The Confiscation of Public Land in the Song Capital Author(s): Stephen H. West Reviewed work(s): Source: Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 104, No. 2 (Apr. - Jun., 1984), pp. 321- 325 Published by: American Oriental Society Stable URL: /stable/602176 . Accessed: 10/05/2012 12:09 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms Conditions of Use, available at . /page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@. American Oriental Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of the American Oriental Society. BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS The Confiscation of Public Land in the Song Capital Rescripts preserved in administrative documents detail one example of the confiscation of land in the Northern Song capital of Kaifeng, during the renovation of the city walls between 1079- 1093. They provide an interesting study of the exercise of imperial prerogative in eminent domain, evidence of methods of calculation of land values, and method of compensation. When viewed in the context of other documents concerning the confiscation of land or movement of citizenry, they seem to show that such prerogative was exercised with great care and concern for the welfare of the capitals citizens. Moreover, the case has some larger ramifications, touched on in earlier articles by E. Kracke, concerning the conflict between prac