考古学上对中国古代城邑的研究，一般多注目城内的遗迹，而很少将城郊当作独立的空间单元加以考察。本文聚焦湖北荆州楚故都纪南城遗址的南郊区域，通过其丰富的考古学遗存，探讨城郊空间的构造及其与中心城邑的复杂关系。公元前278年发生“拔郢”事件后，楚都的南郊经历了一个被重塑和转化为秦、汉南郡郡治的西郊的过程。对政权更迭中城郊空间的研究，揭示出众多社会阶层日常活动的情状，这多为过去侧重城内空间的分析模式所忽视。“城郊”提供了一种考察早期中国城邑的新视角，能够增益我们对古代城邑本身和早期城市化过程的理解。

Research on ancient city sites in Chinese archaeology tends to focus on remains within the city walls, while paying limited attention to the city periphery as a distinct and research-worthy spatial unit. This article challenges this prevailing approach by investigating the southern suburban area of the Chu capital (i.e., the Jinancheng site) located in Jingzhou, Hubei. Of particular interest is the intricate structure of this suburban space and its complex relationship with the urban nucleus. In the aftermath of the monumental “Capture of Ying” event in 278 BCE, the southern suburbs of the Chu capital underwent a process of restructuring and became the western suburbs of the newly established Nan Commandery (i.e., the Yingcheng site) during the Qin and early Han periods. By exploring the suburban space, this study sheds light on the daily activities of diverse social groups, which have often been overlooked by previous analytical models fixated on the urban core of ancient cities. It also presents a fresh perspective that enriches our understanding of the nuanced trajectory of early urbanization in China.