18th to early 20th century Inner Mongolia (Urban Studies)

Author: Jin Hai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: The Mongolian History Research at Inner Mongolia University mainly consists of the following three research fields, some of which have already reached world-leading levels:
First, Ancient Mongolian History and its Documentation Research. Scholars in this field primarily focus on the history of the Mongol Empire, Yuan history, Mongolian history from the 15th to the 18th centuries, Mongolian historical geography, and the study and organization of Mongolian archival documents and historical materials. Members of this field are dedicated to researching political systems, tribes, clans, and feudal domains during the Mongol and Yuan periods; the political and tribal dynamics of East and West Mongolia from the 15th to the 17th centuries; the history of the Khalkha Mongols from the 16th to the 17th centuries; the history of southern Mongolian tribes in the 17th century; Qing Dynasty Mongolian history; Inner Mongolia historical geography; 17th-century Mongolian documents and Manchu archives, late Ming military archives in Chinese, Qing Dynasty Inner Mongolia archives, and other archives in Manchu, Chinese, Mongolian, and Tibetan. This has made the field a world leader in Mongolian history from the 15th to the 18th centuries. Currently, scholars in this field have made significant progress in the history of the Khalkha Mongols, the transformation of the six Mongol households, the history of southern Mongolian tribes, and the history of Mongolian-Tibetan relations.
Second, Modern and Contemporary History of Inner Mongolia. This field primarily studies the history of various ethnic groups in Inner Mongolia, with a focus on the Mongols, during the modern period (1840–1949) and the contemporary era (1949–present). Research covers the political transformation history of modern Inner Mongolia, the history of Mongolian national movements, the history of people's revolutionary struggles, the development and socio-economic progress of various industries in Inner Mongolia, the history of foreign invasions, the evolution of Inner Mongolia's political system and policies (i.e., democratic reform, socialist revolution, and reform and opening-up in the new era), as well as the construction and achievements in economic and cultural aspects of Inner Mongolia, and the development and prosperity of the Mongolian and other ethnic minority groups.
Third, History and Ethnic Relations of Northern Ethnic Groups. This field includes the history and ethnic relations of ancient northern ethnic groups in China from the Qin and Han dynasties to the Yuan Dynasty, as well as the history of ethnic relations among the Mongols, Han, Hui, Manchus, and Tibetans during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Earlier scholars in this discipline have achieved fruitful results in the history of the Xiongnu, Donghu, Turks, and the origins of the Mongol people, with influential and academically valuable monographs such as A General History of the Xiongnu (Lin Gan), History of the Donghu (Lin Gan), The History of the Original Mongols—Study of the Sibir and Tatars (Zhang Jiuhuo), and Outline of the History of the Oirat Mongols (Wulunbilig). They have also published highly theoretical academic papers such as "China's Northern Ethnic Groups and the Origins of the Mongols" (Yilin) and "Several Issues Concerning Inner Mongolia's History" (Yilin). In recent years, numerous works on Manchu-Mongolian and Ming-Mongolian relations have been published, and research projects on ethnic relations have been led, such as Mongolian Historical Materials and Manchu-Mongolian Relations (Qimude Erdige) and The Relationship Between Tibet, the Oirats, and the Qing Dynasty from the 17th to the 18th Centuries (Wulunbilig). A series of influential academic papers on Manchu-Mongolian and Mongolian-Tibetan relations in the 17th century have also been published. In the study of Mongol-Han relations during the Ming Dynasty, scholars like Wang Xiong have made significant achievements.