A Brief History of the Development of the Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang

Author: Wu, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-06-01
Features: The social economy of the Chahar Mongols is pastoralism, and agriculture is only a secondary occupation. In the early stages of land reclamation, only 160 out of 1,800 Chahar soldiers in Bolo were engaged in farming, accounting for 11.25% of the total population. In 1777, General Yiliutu of Ili ordered "to request the two wings to flexibly increase the dispatch of 80 more soldiers," and as a result, the number of Chahar people engaged in farming increased to 240. The grain these soldiers cultivated was not only sufficient for their own consumption but also assisted the elderly, the sick, and the disabled who were unable to farm. Due to the submission of surplus grain, the Chahar received praise from the Qing court, and the Qing court rewarded the surplus grain by giving 3 sheep for every stone of wheat to the Chahar soldiers. Starting from the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty, the amount of land cultivated by the Chahar camp expanded, with places like Daboping (now in the jurisdiction of Zhenle City), Xiaoping, Qingdeli, and Dalate becoming their reclamation areas. In the Bortala River Basin, a total of 3,200 mu of land was reclaimed. The left wing of the Chahar camp stationed in what is now Hoton County farmed in areas such as Hairenbuhe, Angerige, and Qagan Tengge. The Chahar people on both banks of the Bortala River basically farmed along the river. The northern slope of the Bortala River was irrigated with mountain springs, while the land on the southern bank was irrigated by digging canals. From 1800 to 1807, during the tenure of Songjun as the leader of the Chahar team, he led the Chahar people to dig a large irrigation canal in Eerelta, named "Huangqu" (meaning "the canal funded by the government") in Mongolian as "Xianggenbuhe," which was over 10 kilometers long and could irrigate 13,600 mu of land. In 1852, under the leadership of Cailan, a Chahar Mongol, and a group of farmers, a canal named Kundulun Toagan was built in Yamantum. "Kundulun" means "horizontal," as the canal diverted the Bortala River water horizontally. In March 1878, Kalman, the acting leader of the Chahar camp, led hundreds of Sibo officials and soldiers to Bortala to begin cultivating military grain in Zhenertala together with the Chahar Mongol people. To reclaim the land and farm, Kalman led the Chahar and Sibo people to dig two large canals, "Hairenbuhe" and "Xiairenbuhe," and cultivated about 10,000 mu of farmland. Through unremitting efforts, there was a bountiful harvest of grain, not only solving the food supply for the soldiers at the end of the reclamation but also providing grain for the army that recaptured Ili. Due to "accumulating military grain and working hard in the harvest," in March 1881, the Qing court specially awarded Kalman the title of " ?u" and bestowed the seal of the team leader. During the Republican era, canals such as Angerige, Jiamusilun, and Xinbuhu were gradually dug in various parts of Hoton County, and some field canals were also built. In the ancient village of Guleqagan in Xiaoping, the abbot contributed to digging a water channel from the Bortala River, which could irrigate 800 mu of land. That year, the crop yield of the village increased by 100% compared to the previous year, and it was commended by the provincial government. In 1942, statistics showed that Zhenle County had built 21 canals with a total length of 361 kilometers, covering a total irrigated area of 22,718 mu. Due to the continuous development of water conservancy, local production conditions were also continuously improved, and the scale of land reclamation expanded. The land reclamation of the Chahar camp flag yielded great results, and agriculture also supplemented pastoralism. The grain not only met the needs of the pastoralists but could also be used as feed for livestock. As one of the pioneers in the unification of Xinjiang under the Qing Dynasty, the Chahar people cultivated the land, developed water conservancy, and promoted the development of farmland water conservancy in Bortala, laying the foundation for the development of agricultural production in the Bortala River Basin during the Qing Dynasty. The grain they reaped was not only for their own consumption but was sometimes submitted to the government, providing military grain for the local garrison.
Section III: The Western Route Pastoralists of the Tuerhute in Jinghe
After the Chahar Mongols moved westward to Xinjiang and settled in Bortala, the Tuerhute Mongols returned eastward to their motherland, with one banner stationed in the Jinghe area, which also had a significant impact on the history of Bortala and will be proud of it for generations to come.
I. The Establishment and Dissolution of the Tuerhute Khanate
Since the early 17th century, the Tuerhute tribe has been pastoral in the middle and upper reaches of the Irtysh River. Due to the defeat of the second war between the Oirat and Eastern Mongols and the internal turmoil of the Oirat tribes, Heorollek led the Tuerhute people westward to the lower reaches of the Volga River, which was not under Russian control, and began the arduous process of establishing the Tuerhute Khanate. After the Tuerhute arrived in the Volga River Basin, they considered it an ideal pasture, but Russia did not stop its activities. On one hand, Russia began to expand its influence in the Volga River Basin, and on the other hand, it incited the leader of the Junggar tribe, Baturtai, to attack the Tuerhute together with Russian troops, but the request was refused. Facing Russia's military threat, the Tuerhute people resisted stubbornly, and the leader of the Tuerhute, Heorollek, sacrificed his life on the battlefield. After Heorollek's eldest son, Shukurdeqing, inherited the throne, he still did not yield to Russia's pressure and continued to resist fiercely. Russia's use of force did not make the Tuerhute, so it adopted the method of converting them to religion to control them. The Tuerhute Mongols believed in Lamaism, but Russia forced them to convert to Eastern Orthodoxy and forcibly baptized them, which was strongly opposed by the Tuerhute people. During the reign of Heorollek and his three generations of descendants, the Tuerhute Khanate was in its initial period. On one hand, they strengthened ties with the Oirat Mongol tribes, the Dalai Lama of Tibet, and the Qing Dynasty; on the other hand, they adjusted their relationship with Russia and strengthened the governance of the Khanate. Soon, a feudal khanate was formed in the lower reaches of the Volga River, centered on the Tuerhute tribe, including some Khoshut and Durbet tribes. During the reign of Heorollek's grandson, Pengchuke's son, Ayuqi, the Tuerhute Khanate reached its peak. At the beginning of his reign, he focused all his efforts on defeating internal dissenters to expand his ruling power and maintained peaceful relations with neighboring tribes and ethnic groups, exchanging envoys and engaging in military conquests. Through these activities, Ayuqi not only unified the Oirat Mongol tribes within the Khanate but also strengthened its power and status through a series of diplomatic and military campaigns with neighboring countries and ethnic groups. The Tuerhute people, far from their motherland, were even more nostalgic for their homeland under the oppression of the Tsar. In 1712, the Tuerhute Khan Ayuqi sent an envoy, Samutand, and others to travel around Siberia and travel thousands of miles to Beijing to present local specialties to Emperor Kangxi. The Tuerhute people's sincere longing for their motherland deeply moved Emperor Kangxi, who treated the envoy of the distant wanderer with special courtesy. That same year, the Qing Dynasty sent a mission led by Tu Lizhen, a reader in the Grand Secretariat, to comfort the Tuerhute people who had wandered to a foreign land in the lower reaches of the Volga River. Two years later, Special Envoy Tu Lizhen arrived in the lower reaches of the Volga River and conveyed Emperor Kangxi's greetings to the Tuerhute people who had settled there, who warmly welcomed him. Ayuqi and his people were very concerned about the political and economic situation of their motherland and, at the same time, expressed that the Manchu and Mongol peoples shared the same origin and that he was also a child of the motherland. From then on, the Tuerhute had frequent exchanges with the motherland, either presenting local specialties or expressing grievances. In 1756, the Tuerhute Khan Doroobulashe (Ayuqi's grandson) sent an envoy, Chuizhabu, to Chengde's Summer Palace to meet Emperor Qianlong, presenting local specialties, tribute, and quivers, and expressing that the Tuerhute would never yield to Russia's pressure. After Ayuqi's death, the succession dispute for the Tuerhute throne began, and the Tuerhute Khanate fell into a period of turmoil. Due to Russia's interference, the already complex situation became even more unstable. For a long time, Russia had wanted to control the succession to the Tuerhute throne, which became the starting point for its policy toward succession disputes. Before Ayuqi, this policy had been resisted by the successive leaders of the Tuerhute and had not succeeded. After this turmoil, Russia finally achieved its goal. However, as the main target of Russia's support, Chiling Dandobu, and Doroob, who took the throne through his own strength, were not completely submissive to Russia's control but resisted it while maintaining the dignity and independence of the Khanate. In 1761, Ayuqi's great-grandson, Abasy, inherited the throne at the age of 19. At that time, Empress Catherine II, while intensifying the oppression and exploitation of Russian peasants, was also implementing a high-pressure policy toward the Tuerhute Khanate, aiming to completely control the entire tribe and make "the Tuerhute its own." Therefore, Russia immigrated to the Volga River Basin in large numbers and continuously conscripted Tuerhute soldiers. The large influx of immigrants had serious consequences for the economy of the Tuerhute Mongols, and the endless conscription caused panic and disaster for every Tuerhute family. After 1765, Russia "repeatedly conscripted Tuerhute soldiers to fight against neighboring countries," "as many as 70,000 to 80,000 Tuerhute people had died, and conscription continued," "houses were marked with grief, and people were in turmoil." The terrible threat of genocide made the young Tuerhute Khan Abasy deeply worried. The boundless longing for the motherland and the strong desire to return to the motherland increasingly seized the hearts of every Tuerhute person. At this time, the northwest of China had pacified the Junggar rebellion, implemented land reclamation, developed water conservancy, and the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains presented a prosperous scene of "abundant agriculture and pastoralism." The good news of the unification and prosperity of the frontier of the motherland spread like a breeze across the Volga River grasslands, stirring the homesickness of the Tuerhute people. At this critical moment, the only viable path for the Tuerhute Mongols, with their glorious tradition of struggle, was to launch an armed uprising, completely break free from Russian rule, and return to their homeland.
II. The Tuerhute Mongols' Return to the Motherland
As early as the beginning of 1767, Tuerhute Khan Abasy began to plan the return to the motherland. As Abasy himself described: "Since ancient times, the Tuerhute people have never borne such heavy burdens as they do today. Everyone felt restless about this, which is why they no longer wanted to be ruled by Russia and hoped to see their compatriots and their original homeland." Therefore, formulating a detailed plan for the return to the motherland was the primary task to realize the uprising and return to the homeland, while forming a strong leadership core was the necessary prerequisite to complete the plan. Among them, Zebuke Dorjii and Sheleng were the second most important leaders after Abasy in planning and organizing the armed uprising.