New book sheds light on development of nation

The launch of the new book Qing China: Frontiers, Nation and Culture and an academic seminar on the frontier studies of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) took place in Beijing on Monday. The Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and China Social Sciences Press hosted the event.

Scholars from many research institutes and universities attended the meeting and praised the book's academic value. They held in-depth discussions on topics such as "Qing frontier governance and territorial integration" and "the Qing Dynasty's ideal of 'great unity' and the construction of national identity".

In his introduction to the publication, Ji Weimin, director of China Social Sciences Press, notes that the Qing Dynasty was a crucial period in the further consolidation and development of China as a unified country with multiple ethnic groups. A deeper study of how territory took shape, frontiers were governed, ethnic groups integrated, and culture developed during this period carries profound significance: it illuminates the historical arc along which the Chinese nation took form and grew, and it sheds light on the defining features of Chinese civilization.

The book's value lies in tackling important questions head-on through substantive research, deepening our overall understanding through historical fact, giving solid support to scholarship on Qing history, frontier history and ethnic history, and offering general readers a systematic framework for understanding Qing Dynasty China, Ji says.

Zhao Rui, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, says the book takes Qing frontier governance, ethnic interaction, exchange, and integration as its starting point and seeks to reveal, within a long historical span, the inner logic by which the Chinese nation took form and developed. It was written to rest on solid historical materials, follow rigorous scholarship, and speak through a refined narrative — striving for a balance between academic rigor and readability so that the fruits of historical research may leave the study and serve today's great endeavor of forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation.

Liu Zuokui, deputy director of the Chinese Academy of History, says systematically reviewing the practice of Qing frontier administration, fairly assessing its various governance systems, drawing wisdom from the depths of history, scientifically examining the major historiographical questions involved, and distilling academic concepts and theories rooted in Chinese history are the contemporary mission of historians serving the national strategy and a practical requirement for fostering a correct view of the history of the Chinese nation.

"Grounded in solid historical materials, the book offers an in-depth analysis of the institutional innovations of Qing frontier governance, the evolving course of ethnic policy, and the exchange and mutual learning among diverse cultures. It not only enriches scholarship on Qing political, ethnic and cultural history but also provides a profound historical mirror for understanding frontier governance in contemporary China," Liu says.