Whose Xinjiang? The Transition in Chinese intellectuals’ imagination of the “New Dominion” during the Qing dynasty

Speaker: Prof. Jia Jianfei (History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; HYI Visiting Scholar 2011-12)

Discussant: Prof. Mark Elliott (Mark Schwartz Professor of Chinese and Inner Asian History, EALC, Harvard)

Though Xinjiang (literarily the “New Dominion”) was incorporated into China’s territory permanently in mid-18th century during Emperor Qianlong’s reign, Jiayu Guan (???) still marked a boundary between Xinjiang and China proper, much like Yang Guan (??) and Yumen Guan (???) in the Han and Tang dynasties. Such a boundary was infused with cultural meaning since ancient times: it separated different cultures, and territories beyond the pass should accordingly not be regarded as part of China. This understanding of cultural boundaries deeply influenced Han Chinese officials and intellectuals; no wonder few Han Chinese supported the Qing emperors’ military plans in Xinjiang during the conquest. Even after the Qing conquest of Xinjiang, such conceptions remained relevant and fueled controversy over Xinjiang, lasting to the end of Qing dynasty and even to the Republic. However, these ideas gradually weakened over time, resulting in the re-conquest of Xinjiang during the 1860s and 1870s by Zuo Zongtang (???), a Han Chinese, the establishment of Xinjiang province in 1884, and the swift development of Xinjiang-studies during the Guangxu reign period (1875-1908). Indeed, the place of Xinjiang in Han Chinese intellectuals’ imagination had changed significantly, and this change played a key role in the final formation of modern China’s boundaries.