National Identity Construction on the Southwestern Frontier during the Qing Dynasty

DOI：10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2024.10.008

Abstract： The Qing Dynasty，" as an ethnic minority regime that supplanted" the Ming Dynasty and entered the Central Plains， aimed to acquire" legitimacy and orthodoxy" in national governance and cultivate the" identification of all ethnic groups with the Qing Dynasty. Therefore， the early Qing emperors used the political concept" of “Dayitong” （Grand Unification） at" the national level to manage multi-ethnic relations between Manchu， Han， and other ethnic peoples， to consolidate the “Dayitong” state and cultivate the sense of belonging to the" Qing Dynasty. The “Grand Unification” ideology of the Qing Dynasty was implemented in the southwestern border region， commencing with the “Reform of the Tusi System” （hereafter referred to as “the Reform”）to achieve political integration and subsequently using Confucian educational thought and" systems to shape the national consciousness and build national identity.

After the Reform， the Qing Dynasty" strived to establish" and implement a Confucian cultivation system on" the southwestern frontier to" rectify local customs and preserve national unity，" aspiring to attain an ideal state of national peace and prosperity. At the imperial level， one of the main ways of" Qing Emperors’" cultivating" the people was through the issuance of imperial decrees" which became an institutionalized and systematic activity" on the southwestern border. Another major approach to" promoting Confucianism in" this region" was to set up a large number of" prefectural and county-level" Confucian schools by local officials. The Qing government also encouraged Tusi and ordinary ethnic" individuals to participate in imperial examinations by" instituting a preferential policy system for southwestern" ethnicities." Finally， a set of unique Confucianism cultivation ideological systems was formed in the southwestern frontier areas" during" the Qing Dynasty，" permeating every aspect of the southwestern frontier society， and" serving as an important means" for forging" cultural unity between the southwestern frontier and the Central Plains. Generally speaking， the ethnic" peoples" of the southwestern borderlands" basically" developed an identity" around" the national ideology of" the" Qing Dynasty with Confucianism as its" core.

The national identity on the southwestern frontier" was" manifested in various aspects， two of which will be discussed in this paper： The" national crisis and the daily" lives of border residents. This identity" was demonstrated by" the courage of the people of all ethnic groups in the southwest to take responsibility，" follow orders， and actively contribute" during national crises. It was" also reflected in the loyalty， patriotism， filial piety， and sense of duty of the members of all ethnic people groups in their daily lives. Historically， in a unified multi-ethnic state， the national identity of the ethnic groups is not" innate" but the result of the continuous state construction. The Qing emperors adhered to the" principles" of subordination under the" concept of “Dayitong” and conciliation under the Confucian" benevolence ideology and formulated" management strategies according to" local social conditions. Consequently， the scope and depth of the interaction among all ethnic" peoples on the southwestern border surpassed those of previous eras， which not only strengthened the mutual identity among various ethnic groups but also" found" their identity within the dynastic hierarchy，" ultimately leading to the formation of an orthodox concept of the dynastic state and" an identity with the unified multi-ethnic state.

Key Words： Qing Dynasty; southwestern frontier; national identity; Confucian cultivation; state construction