Hangjia Granary and the Sui-Tang Administration of Luoyang — Focusing on the Changing Patterns of Canal Transport Routes by Period —

This paper focuses on the role of the Hanjiacang in the process by which Emperors Yang of Sui(隋煬帝), Gaozong of Tang(唐高宗), and Empress Wu Zetian(武則天) governed and managed Luoyang as an administrative center. When the transport route between Luoyang(洛陽) and Chang’an(長安) was interrupted and the imperial court continued its seasonal stay in Luoyang, the Hanjiacang emerged as the central granary supporting the imperial needs. During the reign of Wu Zhou(武周), a transport system centered around the Hanjiacang in Luoyang was established.<br/> This paper investigates why the emperors of the Sui and Tang dynasties were compelled to focus on Luoyang by examining the process of establishing the transport system. It also considers the historical background in which Hanjia Castle(含嘉城) acquired its function as a central storage hub. Furthermore, it explores how the Hanjiacang came to hold a status equivalent to that of the Taicang in the Capital and analyzes the impact on the urban landscape of Luoyang as grain transport ships(租船) from across the empire converged there.<br/> As a capital city, which functions as a center of consumption, the supply of resources from production regions was essential. To function effectively, the government needed reliable material support, and the Guanzhong region (關中) in the early Tang period lacked sufficient resources to accommodate a permanent imperial residence. This shortage was a decisive factor in constructing Luoyang as a capital. It also explains the long duration needed to establish a transport system centered on Guanzhong. This paper focuses on the role played by the Hanjiacang in that process.<br/> As the capital’s center gradually shifted eastward, Luoyang came to complement Chang’an economically. Over the long term, the financial demands of the central government increased, and by the Song dynasty(宋代), Chang’an had lost its status as a capital. The need to secure material resources via transport became increasingly critical with time. The emperors of the Sui and Tang dynasties, who recognized the significance of Luoyang, made repeated efforts to improve the transport system.