人口的遷移在中國歷史上發揮了重要作用，尤其是幾個世紀以來的南遷。宋代，一如其他的時期，戰爭、饑荒和經濟機會都促使人們搬往南方，但是文化的因素也同樣重要，因為文化不僅影響了人們的搬遷意願，也塑造了人們對遷徙和移民的想法。本文希望透過考察相關文獻與研究了解宋人如何看待人們在地理上的位移，也就是希望藉著這初步的探究更好地理解他們對遷移這一過程和移民的態度。這項課題通常不會在思想家們討論家族義務或更大的道德目標的議論中出現，因此需仰賴其他類型的文獻以一探宋人的看法。文人們留下的故事和政治建言特別有用。墓誌銘讓我們看到人們如何講述祖輩的遷移。另一方面，筆記和奏章則有助於我們了解人們如何看待陷於困境的移民。作者一般都對他們表示同情，往往建議中央及地方政府採取措施、給予協助，以減少他們的到來所造成的影響。儘管這些史料主要反映了文人群體的想法和經歷，我們偶爾也能從中窺見其他的人群情況。

The movement of people has played an important part in the history of China, especially the movement from north to south over the centuries. In Song times, as in other periods, war, famine, and economic opportunities had much to do with motivating people to move, but culture was important in shaping not only the willingness to move but also how people looked on moving and migrants. This essay is a preliminary effort to identify sources and studies that help us better understand how people thought about geographical relocations, both the process of moving and the people who moved. This was not a topic that philosophers discussed as a moral issue, connected either to family obligations or concern for the larger good, but other types of sources can be drawn on that give partial views of people’s thinking. Particularly useful are the stories writers told and the political proposals they made. Funerary biographies are especially rich in evidence of how people told the story of the moves of their ancestors. A different side of how people thought about relocation is found in accounts of migrants in difficult circumstances. In both biji 筆記 and memorials, writers expressed sympathy for people displaced by disasters and proposed that the government at both central and local level take steps to help them and minimize the impact of their arrival. From the writings of literati we learn most about what members of their class thought and did, but do get occasional glimpses of other people as well.