China marches west : the Qing conquest of Central Eurasia / Peter C. Perdue.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Perdue, Peter C., 1949-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mongols--History.

Mongols.

China--History--Qing dynasty, 1644-1912.

China.

Russia--History--1613-1917.

Russia.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (748 p.)

Other Title:

Qing conquest of Central Eurasia

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. : Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2005.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

From about 1600 to 1800, the Qing empire of China expanded to unprecedented size. Through astute diplomacy, economic investment, and a series of ambitious military campaigns into the heart of Central Eurasia, the Manchu rulers defeated the Zunghar Mongols, and brought all of modern Xinjiang and Mongolia under their control, while gaining dominant influence in Tibet. The China we know is a product of these vast conquests. Peter C. Perdue chronicles this little-known story of China's expansion into the northwestern frontier. Unlike previous Chinese dynasties, the Qing achieved lasting domination over the eastern half of the Eurasian continent. Rulers used forcible repression when faced with resistance, but also aimed to win over subject peoples by peaceful means. They invested heavily in the economic and administrative development of the frontier, promoted trade networks, and adapted ceremonies to the distinct regional cultures. Perdue thus illuminates how China came to rule Central Eurasia and how it justifies that control, what holds the Chinese nation together, and how its relations with the Islamic world and Mongolia developed. He offers valuable comparisons to other colonial empires and discusses the legacy left by China's frontier expansion. The Beijing government today faces unrest on its frontiers from peoples who reject its autocratic rule. At the same time, China has launched an ambitious development program in its interior that in many ways echoes the old Qing policies. China Marches West is a tour de force that will fundamentally alter the way we understand Central Eurasia.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Maps

Preface

Acknowledgments

Note on Names, Dates,Weights and Measures, and Chinese Characters

Introduction

Part one The Formation of the Central Eurasian States

1 Environments, State Building, and National Identity

2 The Ming, Muscovy, and Siberia, 1400–1600

3 Central Eurasian Interactions and the Rise of the Manchus, 1600–1670

Part Two Contending for Power

4 Manchus, Mongols, and Russians in Conflict, 1670–1690

5 Eating Snow: The End of Galdan, 1690–1697

6 Imperial Overreach and Zunghar Survival, 1700–1731

7 The Final Blows, 1734–1771

Part Three The Economic Basis of Empire

8 Cannons on Camelback: Ecological Structures and Economic Conjunctures

9 Land Settlement and Military Colonies

10 Harvests and Relief

11 Currency and Commerce

Part Four Fixing Frontiers

12 Moving through the Land

13 Marking Time:Writing Imperial History

Part Five Legacies and Implications

14 Writing the National History of Conquest

15 State Building in Europe and Asia

16 Frontier Expansion in the Rise and Fall of the Qing

Appendix A Rulers and Reigns

Appendix B The Yongzheng Emperor Reels from the News of Disaster, 1731

Appendix C Haggling at the Border

Appendix D Gansu Harvests and Yields

Appendix E Climate and Harvests in the Northwest

Abbreviations

Notes

Bibliography

Illustration Credits

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 671-705) and index.

ISBN:

9780674042025

0674042026

OCLC:

432663642