Abstract
The Khoja brothers’ escape to Badakhshan in search for refuge in 1759 brought the situations in the West Pamir areas to the attention of the Qing empire. During the negotiations with Sultan Shah, the leader of Badakhshan, about the extradition of the fugitive Khoja brothers, the Qing court gradually built up their power and informative network, and developed a political relation of “lord-servant” (ejen-albatu) with Badakhshan which differed from the “suzerain-vassal” relation commonly seen elsewhere in East Asia.
West Pamir states differed markedly with the Qing empire in their ethnicity and culture, and the Qing empire at that time did not have the capabilities nor the logistical support to deal with its Islamic neighbors. The Zunghar Khanate, located between the Qing empire and Central Asia, had long ruled the Tianshan region, and made its political culture a mediator between the two. Qing rose in Eastern Central Asia as the conqueror and successor of Zunghar Khanate, and thus inherited its officials and diplomatic assets which formed the foundation for Qing’s diplomacy in Central Asia. However, this was just an expedient. With increasing contacts with Central Asia, the Qianlong Emperor gradually modified his policy, reflecting a decline in Mongolian-style elements and an emergence of Manchu and Han Chinese characteristics.
Based on Manchu and Chinese archives as well as other materials, and by closely examining the negotiation between Qing and Badakhshan, this essay will discuss how Qing’s authority network in West Pamirs was established and what intelligence resources, strategies and political cultural traditions were used therein, hoping to throw light on the history of Qing-Central Asia relation and the construction of Qing’s world order in Central Asia.
Keywords
Badakhshan, Khoja brothers, diplomacy of Qing empire, Zunghar Khanate
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