Zhang Yinxuan's Tibetan Reform Research In The Late Qing Dynasty

Stimulated by the British invasion of Tibet in 1903 and 1904,and for protecting Chinese sovereignty in Tibet area,the central government of Qing Dynasty appointed Zhang Yintang to "cope with related issues in Tibet" in 1906.Upon his arrival,Zhang began to punish corruptions and advocated a reform in order to uphold Chinese sovereignty over Tibet.His reform at this special period of time had a profound influence not only on relationship between the central government of Qing and Tibetan local government,but also on Tibetan local economic and social development.As one of the important events in late Qing Dynasty,Zhang Yintang's reform has a great theoretical and practical value,but the study about it is really few till now.Basing on other related studies,this article aims to promote research on this issue.With the guidance of Marxism principle,the author attempts to conduct a comprehensive and systematical study by employing multi-disciplinary theories and methods on the basis of materials such as memorial documents and diaries of Amban(i.e.the grand minister residents of Tibet in Qing Dynsty)like Zhang Yintang,You Tai and Lian Yu,etc.and other primary historical materials in different languages.This study aims not only to present an overall picture of the Zhang's reform,but also to investigate the historical links among his reform measures.First of all,after understanding the core historical documents the author set seven aspects to show Zhang's reform in Tibet:political reform for "admiring system and emphasizing affairs";economic reform for "setting up industries";military reform for"building new troops";diplomatic reform for "preventing the possibility of Tibetan separation from China";educational reform for "establishing schools and printing newspapers";health care reform and customs reform.Secondly,this study is an extension of other scholars' related research.In addition to the Britain and Russian's invasion,local officials' corruption,disagreement between the 13th Dalai Lama and Amban in Tibet,it related to the issue of sovereignty and governance.Also,attentions are also paid to links among all measures and new policies of Qing government with special focus on the reform at this special time.Besides,the role of thel3th Dalai Lama in this reform was discussed in this article.The reform is compared with traditional policies to explore its significance and influence in Qing's rule over Tibet.Lastly,it reviews the reform with regard to frontier management and other policies.Thirdly,new viewpoints and perspectives from historical study,ethnology,frontier study,and politics are borrowed in the discussion and interpretation of the reform.Some measures are gained upon reflection on the reform.Finally,based on the traditional research paradigm,the article puts an emphasis on the reform and its role in promoting Tibet's transference into a modernized society.There are six chapters in this article.Chapter I focuses on the background of the reform with a description of domestic situation and local crisis,late Qing reform and views of court and the commonality on governing Tibet.Chapter II analyzes opportunities and challenges that Zhang Yintang faced,and formulates an outline of the reform.Chapter III and Chapter IV are the main content of the reform from following aspects:politics,economy,military,diplomas,education,health,and customs with discussion on both content and its source.Chapter V analyses the results of the reform and the following incidents after Zhang Yintang's departure.Chapter VI reviews the reform from multiple perspectives including ruling idea,frontier governance,social development,etc..Zhang Yintang's reform in the late Qing dynasty is an important initiative for the management of Tibet.Except the "authority reassertion",the reform made also other achievements,so it has a significant meaning in China's history.This reform starts a course of modernization for Tibet and profoundly affects Tibet's social and economic development.