The Rise And Decline Of Chengde City’s Ethnic Political Function (1681-1861)

Due to the appeasement of Qing Dynasty to Mongolia, Chengde rose as a city of distinctive ethnic political function. In this city, the Qing emperors and the Mongolian princes exchanged opinions on the vassal relation between the central government and the Mongolian tribes over one hundred years. Chengde acts as the product of Huairou Policy,it still has its historical and cultural value.Since Kang Xi period, the beginning of Mulan Autumn Hunting, Chengde was no longer a frontier desert and gradually became a prosperous city along with the building of Chengde Mountain Resort, finally it became an important place where the Mongolian princes can pilgrimage the emperors by the end of Kang Xi period. At the same time,Chengde gradually formed and the Outlying Temples were founded which was convenient for the Mongolian princes to worship along with the building of Chengde Mountain Resort.Due to the start of Mulan Autumn Hunting and the construction of Chengde Mountain Resort, Chengde sprung up and its ethnic political function rose just in a few decades.During Qian Long period, the Emperor Qianlong further improved Mulan Autumn Hunting and Enclosure System, Chengde Mountain Resort has been extended and its Outlying Temples became a group of buildings with twelve large temples surrounding the resort by the late period, therefore the ethnic political function of Chengde city was improved and molded. By the late Qing Dynasty, because of the decline of national strength, the domestic peasant uprising and the invasion of foreign powers, the Qing emperor was forced to transfer the energy from Mongolia to these aspects, hence Chengde declined and finally became a regional central city.This paper is divided into four parts. The first part is the introduction which describes the purpose and significance of this paper, the research situation at home and abroad, and the research ideas, methods and innovation. The second part is about the onset of Chengde city’s ethnic political function during Kang Xi and Yong Zheng period. This part describes Mulan Autumn Hunting, Chengde Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples and the rise of Chengde city in detail. The third part is about the setting of Chengde city’sethnic political function during Qian Long and Jia Qing period. The improvement of Mulan Autumn Hunting, Chengde Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples and the finalization of Chengde city’s ethnic political function are further discussed. The last part is about the decline of the ethnic political function during the late Qing Dynasty. This part discusses the decline of Chengde city’s ethnic political function which caused by the decline of Qing Dynasty. In this paper, the rise, prosperity and decline of Chengde city’s ethnic political function are discussed in chronological order in detail. I hope that this paper can enrich the research of Chengde local history in Qing Dynasty through detailed combing or the rise and decline of Chengde city’s ethnic political function.