From The Edge Of China To The National Frontier: A Study Of The Social And Cultural Changes In The Modern Qinghai Hehuang Area

Hehuang area refers to the region to the east of Riyue Mountain and the south of Qilian Mountain in Qinghai province,which covers four districts and three counties in Xining,along with a extended area of Haidong,Hainan and Huang'nan prefecture.Since ancient times,Hehuang area has been mainly inhabited by minorities,and from Pre-Qin to Republican China,the social and cultural attributes of this area has experienced an transformation f-rom Chinese peripheries to the border and minority areas,during which,the inland-changing has served as the mainstream of the transformation and also attributed to the its process and deveplopment in the aspect of social culture and other undertakings.From Pre-Qin to the early and middle of Qin dynasty,Hehuang area in Qinghai went through a long way of development beginning as an independent region ecologically and culturally and ending with the Chinese peripheries,through which the social and cultural property of Chinese peripheries endowed a distinctive features of politics,economy and culture to this area.Till the historical period of Hans,the Hehuang region started its inland-changing resulted from the impact of Central China'political system,economic life and cultural factors on it,and its local cultural causes under the enduring influence of the endogenous regional conditions.Hereafter,the effect of the central dynasty had on the social and cultural processes in Hehuang region deepened gradually,while this effect involved the struggles between the central dynasty government and the local order,which is the process that the central dynasty extended or withdrew its administrative power in this region.In this process of struggling,the central Chinese and marginal minority region conflicted and converged with each other socially and culturally,while during this continuous inland-changing progress,the regional society and culture was both influenced by the counterparts of the central Chinese.Being as an carrier of endogenous regional order,the Hehuang region was affected by Western Qiang,and Xianbe,Tuyuhun,Tubo(Tibetan),Mongolian,Hui,Tu,they all played the significant roles in its local historical revolution.Under the combinational influence of all mentioned factors,Hehuang region has formed its own social and cultural properties with the Chinese peripheries qualities,both social culture's internal structures and an external forms,featuring in its cultural diversity and marginal characteristics related to politics,economy and culture.The social and cultural characteristics of the Chinese peripheries have not merely provided a certain space for the regional inland-changing,but restricted the further deepening and expanding through its local conditions,leading to a social developing directions for inland-changing process to be uncertain and reversible.Since modern times,the inland-changing trend has accelerated its path in Hehuang area,its social culture and other undertakings has improved,most notably in the dual variations of inland-changing and modernization,and the factors of westernization the modernization has brought in,spreading to the modern structure of this region's society and culture.In the meanwhile,certain social and cultural factors still remain,together,the Hehuang area in Qinghai shapes the national frontier's social and cultural attributes of its own.In the aspect of social and cultural factors of nationality formation,since the late Qing Dynasty,as the central government deepened Hehuang rule,status of the region,social and cultural frontier has been established.Particularly,reform of establishment of Qinghai Province and system of county in period of National Government not only prompted political homogenization with mainland,but also further highlighted the special nature of this area,national frontiers.Under the influence of modern nationalism thought,especially spread of national concept,homogenization of process of ideology in Hehuang region was accelerated.At the same time,some local cultural concepts formed under nationalism trend were more prominent.In modern times,the impact of population movements and trade activities further promoted links between Hehuang region and the mainland and both became a important motivation for establishment of national cultural property.The original structure of the population and unique business activities,but also deepened the region status as a social and cultural property.Establishment of social and cultural attributes of national frontier were also reflected in the shape of modern citizens,rise of the modernization of education and other social aspects of modern life,all of which were both factors of social and cultural attributes and results of it.Under the combined effect of the above-mentioned factors,in modern times,the transformation of Hehuang region into mainland has become an irreversible historical process and is the main source of power for social and cultural development.Of course,it should be noted that modernization of Hehuang areas not only promoted development of border areas,but also pace of development of Hehuang areas seemed to be difficult and slow because of inverse modernization factors such as revival of Tithing Security System,coupled with some interference and influence of mainland order contrary to modernization.In addition,China's modernization process was heavily influenced by Western society,which was also reflected in socio-cultural modernization process of Hehuang area.Since modem times,in the view of process of modernization of regional political structure,economic commerce,health,education,entertainment,sports in Hehuang area,the social-cultural attributes in this period can also be summarized as dualistic structure,"changes" and "constants".Among them,the "change" refers to region's social and cultural development and progress caused by interior of the region and "constants"refers to the social and cultural obstruction caused by the local order or interest impediment of certain groups,including some local cultural objective factors."Change" represents a general law of things,and "constants" refers to the special nature of things.In the social and cultural development process of national frontier,factors of "constants" also outstandingly represents traditional inertia factor of minority cultures."Change" embodies driving force and direction of this region in history of social and cultural development and changes in Hehuang area.In short,in the aspect of the internal structure of social culture,trends and future direction in Qinghai Hehuang,interiority is the only way for Hehuang regional progress and development.