A Study On The Regional Geography Of Balikun In Qing Dynasty

Barkol, located in the east of Tianshan mountains, has been the important northern fotress leading to Xinjiang since the Qing dynasty, which has played an important role in the history of northwest. Its status has also undergone a changing process from high ranks to lower ranks. There have been plenty of single-element (eg. Agriculture and transportation) and short-time researches exerted on it, which lays academic foundation on the later researches. However, these researches also get the name of deviding the whole history into pieces and lacks of a microscopic view of this specific area. With the help of previous researches, this thesis attempts to explore the status and importance of Barkol during the Qing Dynasty from a microscopic and multiple angle by reviewing and analyzing related historic literature.First of all, this thesis briefly explains the geographical location, natural conditions and history of Barkol and states the background information of related historical events in the first chapter, aiming to facilitate the later narrative and understanding. In Chapter Two, the author elaborates the the uprising of Zunghar, a tribe of vital importance, and the complex geopolitical conditions in the northwest at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty and describes the fights and negotiations between the Qing Government and the Zunghar Tribe during Kangxi’s and Yongzheng’s reigns. Besides, the author also probes into the the complex relations among Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai and Carlisle and the role Barkol played in Kangxi and Yongzheng’s three invasion into Xinjiang. Chapter Three lays emphasis on the efforts Barkol made when Qianlong pacified the civil unrests of Zunghar. Then it summarizes Zunghar’s vital roles Zunghar played in the battles between Zunghar and the Qing Army from Kangxi to Qianlong, for example, it once acted as the base for northwestern armies, transfer center of soldiers and necessities, transmitting node of articles, which facilitated the finally victory of 60-to-70-year-or so Pinghuai Battle and the unity of Xinjiang. Through summarizing and analyzing the related literature, the author ravels out the political, economic and cultural developments of Barkol from Qianlong’s pacifying Xinjiang to the Hui Tribe’s unrests in Tongguang’s reign in Chapter Four. Especially, the author pints out the transportation conditions of Barkol and its relations with Xinjiand and the inland. In the last chapter, the author elaborates the background and chaotic situations of the Hui Tribe’s unrests and describes the whole process of Zuo Zongtang’s pacifying them, which aims to highlight the importance of Barkol in pacifying the unrests and guarding thelast bastion in Xinjiang.Based on the discussion of the above chapters, this thesis aims to point out the importance of traffic factors in regional history. But the ups and downs of Barkol depends not only on the ups and downs of traffic location changes, but military action in realizing unification of national and regional politic development. In addition, Barkol has become a communicative hub for Xinjiang, Gansu, Qinghai and Inner Mongolia because of the special geographical location. Therefore, its ups and downs are also affected by the northwest complex geopolitical changes. In this way, a single zone does not exist independently at all. It is linked to nearby and other regions at different levels. Thus, the research on a certain redion should be multi-factor and multi-angle and also various factors in the region are also correlated with each other. Therefore, when a case study of a certain region is conducted, it is required to broaden the vision, take varioud factors into consideration comprehensively in order to see the veins of the historical development and the inherent mechanism of regional developments and changes.