A Study On The Political Geography Of Southeast Gansu In Southeast China

Based on the current academia reflection of research method on change of administrative divisions resulted by economic exploring and the relationship between local society and the development of administrative divisions in the study of historical administrative divisions, and because of the current weakness of historical political geography in national area, this dissertation mainly focused on the area of Southeast Gansu Province in modern times and discussed the Hui-Han ethnic group distribution resulted by the Hui Uprising during Late-Qing and Republic of China, which finally led to a series of reform problems on administrative divisions.Furthermore, it explored the process of the residential area of Hui ethnic group that changed into political districts, and indicated the importance of ethnic group relationship, faith, and cultural diversity in adjustment of administrative divisions.The clue of the dissertation was recovering the distribution changing and the boundary development of Hui-Han ethnic group caused by Hui Uprising in northwestern China during Tongzhi and Guangxu periods, which was the fundamental work of study the change of administrative divisions in southeast area of Gansu Province. This dissertation researched from two periods, one was Late Qing and Early Republic of China, another was Late Republic of China. From the perspective of region and event history, it inspected into the increase of administrative divisions and issue of boundary, which originated from Hui Uprising. Based on the Chahua lands and exclaves, and analyzed the cultural diversity and economic benefits problems of Han-Hui ethnic groups. In conclusion, this dissertation mainly focused on the Hui Uprising and its result of ethnic group distribution changing to analyze the types of administrative divisions; review the administrative divisions of central plain carried out in the Hui ethnic ghetto and area inhabited by Han-Hui ethnic group; indicate the effects of racial identify and faith in adjustment of administrative divisions.This dissertation used literature analysis, diagram and field investigation methods to analyze the archives, memoirs, corpus, local historical documents and field investigation. The contents of this dissertation are the followings.Chapter one introduced the ethnic background on change of administrative divisions. It discussed the political background, locating, migrating process and regional distribution of Hui ethnic group after the Hui Uprising when resettling them, as well as the geographical and cultural boundaries of Han-Hui ethnic groups. From the perspective of region and scale, such as ghetto, area inhabited far apart and strategic transferring area for Hui ethnic group migrating during the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China。Chapter tow expatiated on the background, process and impact of administrative division changes. Based on the above, it mainly bargained with scholars on questions about Office of Zhili, subjectivity in adjustment of administrative divisions and regional geographical distributions of political divisions.Chapter three was based on the case of Hui Uprising in Hai Yuan and Gu Yuan Counties to study the complex process of administrative divisions changing, to indicate the important role the religion played. Furthermore, the multiple factors on boundary adjustment of new established counties were analyzed differently.Chapter four analyzed the problems on the Chahua lands and exclaves of county boundaries. According to time schedule, it divided into tow part, prophase and anaphase. It focused on the problems about boundary management without Government bill at the prophase. And the second half about the economic, cultural identify in ethnic group, and other factors connected with the adjustment of Chahua lands and exclaves at the anaphase, which was on the background of malformed district arrangement over whole country and correlative decree carried out in Gansu Province. Finally, it analyzed deeply the local government and interaction between different ethnic groups in adjustment of administrative divisions.From the above, we can get a conclusion as follows:First, Hui Uprising was the mainly factor in transformation of administrate divisions in Southeast Area of Gansu Province in Modern Times. The transformation was an epitome of change in administrative division in Gansu Province in Modern Times, which in a certain extent had impacted the regional autonomy in this area.Second, the establishment of administrative divisions set in ethnic area intensified their double identification in ethnic group and space. What’s more, the contradiction among cultural boundary and administrative boundary in ethnic group identification should be earnestly considered in adjustment of administrative divisions.Third, setting corresponding administrative divisions in religion area couldn’t radically resolve the contradiction of faith and political administration, but in some way strengthened their regional concept of religion.Fourth, the artificial factor and administrative divisions. During the adjustment process of administrative divisions, there emerged multiple measures of adjustment according to different managers, which showed the artificial subjectivity. Thus, people oriented were the core in historical and political geography study.In conclusion, research on change of administrative divisions in Gansu Province was the same as other regions, both indicated issue that of administrative division adjustment should balanced the benefits and malady. The substance of the adjustment was the process of balancing the benefits and malady and struggling with one another. Administrative divisions as political spaces symbolized the special representation resulted from multiple struggles.