Mongolian Economic History In The Qing Dynasty

The history development of ancient Mongolian nationality can be generally summarized as:tribal disputes, prosperous of Yuan dynasty, back to dessert and bow to Manchu. In Qing dynasty, Manchu has obtained full governing of whole China, it demolished the original social structure of Mongolian, also implemented the league and banner administrative divisions, carried out centralization bureaucrat economy system instead of the feudal lord economy. From then, Mongolian nationality became the dominated by a different race and then started its new developing phase. However, the ranching、 agriculture、 temple economy and economic interaction with other ethics had made certain progress. The revolution of politics、 economy and social system accomplished the special era of Mongolian economy.Since the surrender of Yuan dynasty, Mongolian nationality had to resettle in their original settlement and lost its glory. Manchu, which is originated in the northeast, had greatly grown their power and gradually became the major opponent to Ming dynasty. Mongolians experienced the recession of ranching economy; each tribe was ruled separately and deteriorated their relation with Ming dynasty, Manchu realized the economic domination to Mongolians through granting、 trading and united marriage, and made the Mongolians their subordinates. To further reinforce the control, Qing dynasty perfected the construction of Court of Frontier Affairs which was in charge of Mongolians league and banner affairs. At the same time, it implemented blocking and strict restriction policy, built stage couch system, controlled the Mongolian economics from every aspect. Qing governors also granted the meadow authority which was the foundation of Mongolian economy, and carried out centralization bureaucrat system, therefore the feudal lord economy which had been implemented for the past1000years was finally replaced.Through the League Banner system, Qing had finally realized the political concept of "divide and rule" to Mongolians, league and banner became the basic economic unit; this system has made great impact to Qing dynasty even present Mongolian nomadic development. With the revolution of politics and economy, there were great changes among Mongolian internal classes:the ranchers became the rising class, constituted the exploiting class with Mongolian nobles and senior Lama, they together oppressed Mongolian lower class-Al batu through Su luke system、 authority-assisted system and herding employment. At that time, producing materials and social welfare were highly occupied by ruling class, herders took great corvee, and this situation finally caused the recession of herding and the rising of new industries.Farming in Mongolian settlements existed from ancient time, and went prosperous in Qing dynasty. In the beginning, Han nationality were strictly forbidden to enter Mongolian settlement to farm, once found, they would face severe punishment. However, because of the frequent famine in Shandong、Hebei and Henan provinces and enormous refugees, governors loosened the policy secretly, which allowed farmers with less land or no land to farm outside Shanhaiguan but with restrictions of farming population and land range. From then on, vast Mongolian plateau gradually became semi-herding and semi-farming area and whole farming area. With the improvement of Mongolian productivity, the production relation also experienced great changes:new rising landlord class emerged rapidly, together with new rising ranchers class, became the new exploiters. More than that, land mortgage and land tenancy policy were also transferred from mainland to Mongolia, this rewrote the single economic relation which had lasted for more than1000years. With the expansion of land reclamation, herders’meadow were severely threatened, farming boomed with the herding declined, conflicts between farming and herding became the other major Mongolian contradiction other than the conflict between nobles and civilians. However, from the dialectical aspect, land reclamation by Han nationality made big contributions in Mongolian development. Development of farming introduced commerce booming, business districts and bigger towns started to appear in Mongolian areas, craftwork of Mongolian and Han began to merge, residents settled down.It was long since Mongolian nationality believed in Tibetan Buddhism, first traced back to the era of Kublai era. In order to conciliate Mongolians, Qing government made great effort to propagate Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolian areas through building temples and designating senior Lamas, promoted Mongolians to believe and devote in Buddhism from nobles to civilians. From Qing dynasty, Mongolian temple economy was greatly developed in three aspects:numerous Lamas, abundant products and great income. But in later period, with the decline of attention of government, also with the general economy recession of Mongolian society and profligacy of noble Lamas, temple economy finally fell apart.Interactive trading activity with other ethics can exchange each party’s needed goods and balance surplus and deficiencies; it is an important economic form which cannot be abandoned for any race at any time. In Qing dynasty, as the ruling class, Manchu was certainly the major economic trading party for Mongolians. To stabilize Mongolian society, Qing government not only appropriated great amount of allowance to the Mongolian nobles but also made periodical and occasional grants. Mongolians also showed their adherence to Qing emperor by periodical audience. The official trading market with Han people was still popular, while the travelling business group had already entered the Mongolian area and greatly facilitated their lives although in the middle and late period of Qing dynasty, travelling businessmen exploited the Mongolians with high profits and became the major reason for Mongolian economy decline, trading between Mongolians in Xinjiang and Qinghai provinces and western minorities was also never stopped; in the economic trading with other countries, Mongolia and Russia developed border trading、non-governmental trading and market trading, Russian caravan also can directly exchange merchandise which also foreshadowed the latter invasion to Mongolia.