Tribute And Colonization

After the end of the two Sino-Nepal wars in 1792,the Qing court,with its strong military strength and political influence,supplemented by the religious influence of Tibet,established the tributary system in Nepal,covering Ladakh,Sikkim and Bhutan.At the same time,the expansion of the colonial system represented by British colonists in South Asia inevitably caused the conflict between China and Britain in the Himalayas.This article takes the Himalayan regional policy of China and Britain as the clue,especially the difference and contradiction between the tributary system represented by China and the colonial system represented by Britain.It discusses and analyzes the performance of the game between China and Britain in the Himalayas between 1788-1911 and the deep-seated reasons for the conflict between the two sides,to reveal the changes and demise of the traditional tributary system in the perspective of modem diplomatic changes in modem China,and the changing course of political,economic and diplomatic relations between China and the surrounding areas,especially the Himalayas in the perspective of system conflict.The paper is mainly composed of four parts:The first part mainly discusses the international and regional situations in the 18th century before the tributary system and the colonial system involved in the Himalayas.It also highlights the colonial expansion of the Himalayas in the South Asia in the late 18th century,the changes in the concept and practice of China's Tibet management,and the impact of the rise of the Gurkhas on the regional situation.The second part mainly deals with the two Sino-Nepal wars that broke out between 1788 and 1792.It details the origin of China's policy toward Himalayan and how China has passively established a tributary system in the Himalayas.The third part,detailing the challenges brought about by the expansion of the colonial system represented by Britain in the Himalayas from 1792 to 1860 and how the traditional Chinese tributary system responds to the expansion and challenges of the colonial system.The fourth part,starting from the adjustment of the Sino-British Himalayan policy in the 1860s,By analyzing the game between China and Britain in the Himalayas,China's attempt to restore the tributary system in the Himalayas and its historical process of failure,to reveal the historical process how the Himalayas been brought into the colonial system and how the tributary system in the Himalayas perished.