The Qing Dynasty’s Empire Governance, the Revolution of 1911, and China’s Unitary Multinational State Theory

Abstract

For all an era of domination under the Manchu immigrants Qing history is recognized as a part of Chinese history with a scheme of “unitary multi-national state.” Beyond the traditional Hanhwa idea, which refers to Sinicization of non-Han groups, this involves a new idea of historical formation of the ‘Chinese Nation’ out of historical unifying process of Han and non- Han ethnic groups including Manchus. The Qing fashioned its national identity as a ruling group through a unique organization called the Palgi (Eight Flags) system, and assumed the leadership of broad nomad area from Manchuria to Central Asia. The Qing also constructed a governance system in China where majority of population was Han Chinese based on the traditional Chinese culture. However, the problem of the Palgi system became salient through the Opium War and the Taiping rebellion, and the Qing Dynasty formed a virtual Manch-Han coalition government for its modernization push through the Yangwu and the Bianfa movements. Yet, the coalition regime collapsed by the revolution of 1911. The new republic promoted the “Five Nation Republic” scheme, which included various non- Chinese groups within the Qing Empire as its citizens. This was not because the Han and non-Han ethnic groups had a common identity as the “Chinese people,” but because they wanted to form the territory of the new Republic following the broad areas of Qing Empire. The problem is that the scheme accepts those non-Han ethnic groups on the Sinicization premise which supposes full cultural enlightenment of Chinese authenticity, and denies the political recognition that they got under the Qing Empire. This means that the framework of China’s “unitary multi-national state” needs close review process.