Mongolia As A Geo-Body:the Westerners’ View Of Mongolia And Mongols

Christianity-dominated Western Europe’s understanding of China in Qing Dynasty is a significant subject in the study of Qing history. Due to limited foreign data, in China the study of westerners’understanding and cognition of Mongolia in Late Qing is still a weak area in which a number of issues are worthy of further exploration. According to maps and travels in western languages, the study of Mongolia in westerners’view in Late Qing Dynasty possesses both magnificent academic value and theoretical significance, and has practical effect on the stability and cultural security of Chinese northern frontier.The thesis launches its study of Mongolia in westerners’view in Late Qing dynasty based on maps and travels in western languages. It consists of six parts:part Ⅰ is an introduction in which the origin of the study, current status of research and other issues are discussed; Part II mainly involves the westerners’discoveries and understanding of Mongolia before19th century acquired through maps and writings. From the aspects of ethnic group names and image of geography and people, Westerners’discoveries and knowledge of Mongolia covers three stages, which are13th century to14th century,16th century to1680’s and1680’s to1720’s; Based on maps in western languages part Ⅲ studies the geospatial variations and changes of Mongolia in Late Qing. The variation of its name and boundary from " Great Tartary" area to "Chinese Tartary" region in Early Qing Dynasty and then to "Mongolia" space in Late Qing Dynasty perceived in western geographical cognition is investigated and verified. The understanding and intentions of westerners towards Mongolia and China in Late Qing are reflected in the study. Furthermore the questions of how westerners detected and expressed Mongolian geographical landscapes such as mountain grain and river system and how they made these landscapes a "marginalized" representation in modern world system are clarified; In part IV Mongolia geographical and city landscapes are re-exhibited in the light of maps and travels in western languages. Taking Kiactha, Urga, Kalgan and a number of other cities as its spatial coordinates, the study extracts the geographical, political, economic and cultural landscapes of Mongolian frontier cities in westerners’ view; Part V concerns Mongolian image in westerners’view. The image of Mongols in Late Qing comprehended by westerners is built upon the consideration of their physical traits, characters, life style, religion and other related aspects. With the development of historical awareness and western standard of "civilization" and "progress", Westerners have made a re-assessment of Mongolian image; Part Ⅵ is the conclusion, in which the connotation and meaning of studying "Mongolia as a Geo-body" is discussed.