To Build or Not to Build? Frontier Walls, Trenches, and Forts in Mid-Jin Politics, 1161–1208

Abstract In this article, we offer an in-depth contextualization of the construction of frontier walls, trenches, and forts under the Shizong and Zhangzong emperors of the Jurchen Jin dynasty, supplementing historical sources with up-to-date archaeological findings. We argue that, rather than through a narrow military history approach, the agendas behind these construction projects can only be understood in a wider framework of frontier-related Jin institutions and practices that include the Jurchen relationship with steppe nomads, border market trade, garrison farming, and seasonal hunting. Not just fortification-building but all of these practices were subject to Jin court debates around purpose and effectiveness. We also argue that the concrete interests behind projects changed with shifting historical scenarios, suggesting a chronological framework that unifies both our historical and archaeological investigations.