Study On The Changes Of Yili Urban Landscape From Qing Dynasty To The Republic Of China

Yili is located in the inland hinterland of Central Asia,residing in the northwestern border of the motherland,with the ascendant natural environment,and has the reputation of "Central Asia Oasis" and "The Fertile Land in the North of the Great Wall ".As a significant hub along the old Silk Road and the northwest portal to Xinjiang,its strategic position is very significant in maintaining the stable development of the frontier regions and promoting commerce and cultural interactions between China and the West.After the unification of the Qing dynasty in Xinjiang,the development of north of Tian Shan in Xinjiang was a major concern,and Yili gradually developed into the administrative and military center of Xinjiang.Since modern times,the political center of Xinjiang shifted due to the invasion of Russia,and Yili lost its status as the central city of Xinjiang.During the Republican period,the warlords who imposed dictatorial rule in Xinjiang instituted a series of development measures which,to an extent,contributed to the development of Yili.The restoration of the urban landscape of Yili from the Qing to the Republican period and analyzing its changing characteristics and influencing factors will provide us with new perspectives for an in-depth study of the development of Yili cities.Beginning of the Qing Dynasty,Yili has been the homeland of nomadic people,the population is mostly living by water and grass,there is no city and no fixed urban form.During the early years of Qing Dynasty rule,the Qing government took Yili as the center of ruling Xinjiang and implemented such measures as construction of cities and garrison,migration and cantonment,development of commerce,which made the military and political functions of Yili city,trade and commerce,culture and education increasingly prominent and formed the urban landscape of " city booming and prosperous"," thriving and affluent" and " multiple beliefs".During the reign of Tongzhi,the Russian invasion of Yili by force resulted in severe damage to the urban landscape of Yili,which was once a "dilapidated","economically depleted" and "sparsely populated" urban landscape.After the establishment of Xinjiang as a province,Urumqi became the political center of Xinjiang,and Yili city’s military and political functions gradually weakened.After the war and reconstruction by the Qing government,Yili,as an important border city in northern Xinjiang,experienced further development of the city’s trade and economy and gradual improvement of the city’s social functions.During the Republican period,Yili transformed from a semi-military city to a comprehensive city,and the modernization of the city became more and more obvious,and its city landscape elements such as commerce,markets,culture and education,and transportation showed diversified characteristics.The rehabilitation of urban landscape in Yili during the period between Qing and Republic of China uncovered the characteristics of the change of urban landscape in Yili in terms of ephemerality and multiplicity,and analyzes the profound impact of the changing location and functions of the city of Yili on its urban spatial layout and urban landscape.At the same time,we discussed the influential factors that contributed to the change of the urban landscape of Yili.In the process of the change of the urban landscape of Yili from the Qing to the Republic of China,many influential factors influenced the characteristics of the change of the urban landscape of Yili in different periods separately or together as the dominant factors.In general,among the multiple factors affecting the change of Yili urban landscape,the natural geographical environment is the morphological basis of the change of Yili urban landscape;political decisions,population fluctuations,war factors and intervention of the Russian power are the fundamental driving forces of the change of Yili urban landscape;and social and cultural changes and the needs of people coming to Yili through the ages have a profound potential impact on the change of Yili urban landscape.