Re-examining the "Three Passes" and the "Guannan Area" in the Liao-Song Confrontational Framework

Abstract

The "Three Passes" and the "Guannan Area" were not only unique historical and geographical concepts within the Liao-Song confrontation pattern but also epitomized the geopolitical rivalry, the construction of military defense systems, and the models of border governance between the two regimes. Their evolutionary trajectory reflects the complex and dynamic interactions between the Central Plains agrarian regime and the northern nomadic power from the 10th to the 12th centuries. The contention over the "Three Passes" and the "Guannan Area" essentially represented a manifestation of the acute conflict between the southward expansion strategy of the Khitan regime and the northward unification objective of the Central Plains regime. Given the fundamental opposition and intense conflict inherent in their strategic goals, such contradictions could hardly be thoroughly resolved through political negotiations. This structural North-South conflict not only shaped the political landscape of the confrontation between Northern and Southern China during the 10th–12th centuries but also profoundly influenced the geopolitical-military strategies and the patterns of economic and cultural exchanges between the two sides.