Until 300 years ago, the Chinese considered Taiwan a "land beyond
the seas," a "ball of mud" inhabited by "naked and tattooed
savages." The incorporation of this island into the Qing empire in
the seventeenth century and its evolution into a province by the
late nineteenth century involved not only a reconsideration of
imperial geography but also a reconceptualization of the Chinese
domain. The annexation of Taiwan was only one incident in the much
larger phenomenon of Qing expansionism into frontier areas that
resulted in a doubling of the area controlled from Beijing and the
creation of a multi-ethnic polity. The author argues that
travelers' accounts and pictures of frontiers such as Taiwan led to
a change in the imagined geography of the empire. In representing
distant lands and ethnically diverse peoples of the frontiers to
audiences in China proper, these works transformed places once
considered non-Chinese into familiar parts of the empire and
thereby helped to naturalize Qing expansionism.
By viewing Taiwan-China relations as a product of the history
of Qing expansionism, the author contributes to our understanding
of current political events in the region.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
