唐代是中国城市发展的重要时期，在唐朝时期，中国的城市已经有了相当的规模，城市的建构开始呈现出多样化的趋势，其规模和内在空间结构都在逐渐发生变化。旧有封闭型城市的形态已经不再适应当时的需求，城市各功能区规划的无边界性是重要的变化。“场”就是这种变化的一个缩影，是这种转折的一种反映。“场”空间不仅是室内的、有形的、有一定的边界的空间，若从更宽阔的视野下来审视“场”空间的概念，“场”更是一种无形的公共活动空间。

唐代长安城在建设之初以及唐朝前期，王朝权力高度集中。在王朝统治走上坡路的时候，都城的规划布局自然体现着封闭与高度强制的性质，以此来凸显帝国的权威以及皇权的至高无上。同时也显示着皇家的神秘色彩，因此唐代前期皇家空间与社会公共空间是有明显界限的。但是理论上的规划与现实的实施往往带有差异性，皇室对于百姓的社会依靠愈加明显，皇室形象对于百姓不再是不可触及之处，而是不断出现在民众的生活中，以此向社会大众良好的皇帝形象，让百姓亲身感受到皇家的活动。宫城与皇城内的楼阁和外围的城门，逐渐从庄严神秘的皇家禁地到官民互动的公开场所。严格的空间等级限制和清晰的功能区划会受到多重因素的干预后被打破。皇家宫苑内的“广场”逐渐扩展至外郭城，这反映了国家仪式向成为享乐和世俗的城市礼仪的转变。楼上作为宣示和依托，楼下形成了“场”，成为一般居民能直接感受皇帝存在的机会。皇帝频繁出现在民众中间，使其权威更具体也更现实。

皇家政治与百姓生活区的界限被打破，城市内许多功能都是从皇家宫苑兴起，向百姓生活的坊市拓展。一些原本偶尔或临时出现的场逐渐固定，成为城市大空间内新的小空间。在坊市内官方活动路线的移动，使社会公众更大程度地聚集在一起，从而拉近了官方与民间的距离，达到政治目的。“市场”连用逐渐出现，这反映了城市社会和经济的变迁，暗示着城市各种不同功能的空间之间的突破和重组。市场的形成更是外郭城百姓居住生活区和商业区的融合，孕育唐代中后期商业空间形态演变的新的结构要素。

中国古代都城内部诸多要素都有着漫长的发展历程，如果以断代或者较短的历史时段进行研究，则很难理清各个要素发展变化的脉络，甚至也难以探寻这些要素发展变化的原因。因此应在长时段的视角下进行研究。因此文主要梳理“场”在唐代前后的基本形制与功能，以及不同功能场的位置分布，以期追本溯源，理清场的发展脉络，对中国古代城市有更加深入的认识。

The Tang Dynasty was an important period for urban development in China. By this time, Chinese cities had already reached a considerable size, and the construction of cities began to show diverse trends, with changes occurring gradually in their scale and internal spatial structures. The old form of enclosed cities was no longer suitable for the needs of the time, and the borderlessness of planning various functional areas in the city was an important change. "Chang" （场） is a microcosm of this change and is a reflection of this turning point. The concept of "chang" space is not only an indoor, tangible space with certain boundaries, but from a broader perspective, it is also an intangible public activity space.

During the early construction of the Tang Dynasty's capital city, Chang'an, and in the early period of the Tang Dynasty, imperial power was highly centralized. As the dynasty's rule began to decline, the layout and planning of the capital city naturally reflected a closed and highly coercive nature, highlighting the authority of the empire and the supreme power of the emperor. This also conveyed an air of mystery surrounding the royal family, resulting in a clear boundary between the imperial space and public space during the early Tang Dynasty.

However, there were differences between the theoretical planning and its actual implementation, and the dependence of the people on the royal family became increasingly apparent. The image of the royal family was no longer untouchable, but instead appeared frequently in the lives of the common people, allowing them to experience firsthand the activities of the royal family. This was reflected in the gradual transformation of the palace and imperial city from solemn and mysterious forbidden areas to open public spaces for interaction between officials and civilians. The strict spatial hierarchy and clear functional zoning were gradually broken by multiple factors.

The "plazas" within the royal palace gradually expanded beyond the outer city walls, reflecting the transformation of national ceremonies into urban customs that emphasize pleasure and secularism. The upper floors served as displays and supports, while the lower floors formed a "stage," providing an opportunity for ordinary residents to directly experience the presence of the emperor. The frequent appearance of the emperor among the people made his authority more concrete and realistic.

The boundary between royal politics and people's daily life was broken, and many functions within the city originated from the royal palace gardens and expanded towards the marketplaces of the people's lives. Some originally occasional or temporary spaces gradually became fixed and turned into new small spaces within the city's larger space. The authorities moved their activities into the marketplaces, causing a greater concentration of the general public and thereby narrowing the gap between officials and civilians, accomplishing political goals. The frequent use of the term "market" reflects the changes in urban society and economy, implying a breakthrough and reorganization among various functional spaces within the city. The formation of markets represents the integration of residential areas for ordinary people and commercial areas in the outer city, giving rise to new structural elements in the evolution of commercial spaces in the middle and late Tang dynasty.

The various elements within the ancient capital of China have gone through a long development process. If research is conducted using a periodization approach or a shorter historical timeframe, it would be difficult to trace the development and changes of each element and even more challenging to explore the reasons behind these developments and changes. Therefore, research should be conducted with a long-term perspective. This article mainly sorts out the basic forms and functions of "fields" before and after the Tang Dynasty, as well as the location distribution of fields with different functions, in order to trace the development of fields to their origins and clarify the development trajectory of fields, which will contribute to a deeper understanding of ancient Chinese cities.