The Chinese State at the Borders

The Peoples Republic of China claims to have 22,000 kilometresof land borders and 18,000 kilometres of coast line. How did this vastcountry come into being? The state credo describes an ancient processof cultural expansion: border peoples gratefully accept high culture inChina and become inalienable parts of the country. And yet, thecentre had to fight against manifestations of discontentin the border regions, not only to maintain control over the regionsthemselves, but also to prevent a loss of power at the edges fromtriggering a general process of regional devolution in the Han Chineseprovinces. The essays in this volume look at these issues over a longspan of time, questioning whether the process of expansion was abenevolent civilizing mission.