The Transformation of the Territorial Management System of China's National Provinces in the First Half of the 20th Century (Using the Example of the Adaptability of the Mongolian Power Institutions in the Shilin-Gol)

Abstract

The purpose is to analyze the transformation of the territorial management system of the national outskirts of China in the fi rst half of the 20th century, using the example of the adaptability of the Mongolian government insti tutions of the Seimas [historical league/chuulgan] (now aimag) of Shilin-Gol with the reconstruction of the administra tive-territorial structure and the identifi cation of mechanisms for adapting traditional forms of government in a changing political environment. Materials and methods. The work is based on the analysis of two groups of sources: textual, based on the works of our outstanding compatriots – orientalists and travelers Z. L. Matusovsky, P. S. Popov, A. M. Baranov and A. V. Mara kuev, as well as cartographic, compiled by no less outstanding researchers I.Ya. Korostovets – the fi rst Russian envoy to Outer Mongolia and V. I. Surin – the first Minister of War of the Kolchak government. The interdisciplinary approach made it possible to create a geoinformation system that combined retrospective data with up-to-date information, which ensured the complexity of the area study. Results and discussion. The analysis of the sources showed the complex tribal structure of the administration of Shilin Gol in the late Imperial period of Manchu rule in China and the subsequent series of status changes - during the period of the Republic of China, Shilin Gol fi rst became part of Chahar Province, and after the establishment of Japanese control it became an administrative-territorial unit of the Mengjiang state. The study revealed the preservation to date of traditional forms of management organization at the local level (aimag-khoshun principle), despite changes in the administrative status of the region. Conclusions. Shilin-Gol demonstrates a unique example of the adaptation of traditional Mongolian governance in stitutions to changing political realities. The preservation of both the majority of its khoshuns and Shilin Gol itself, albeit with a changed status, testifi es to the stability and fl exibility of traditional structures. Shilin-Gol's experience is relevant for understanding modern processes of managing ethnic and cultural diversity, interaction between central government and local elites, as well as the search for eff ective models of territorial governance in multinational states. The study of this experience is of particular importance in the context of the development of cooperation between Russia and China.