2025.09
SELECTED RESEARCH · 2025
Information Circulation and the Patron-Priest Relationship Between the Early Qing Dynasty and Tibet
Ling-Wei Kung
Bulletin of the Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica 129 (2025): 1–54.
DOI not listed in the supplied full text.
Research summary
This article examines how information about Tibet reached the early Qing court through Mongolian Buddhist networks, correspondence, and material exchanges. Initially shaped by Buddhist sacred geography and symbols of legitimacy, Manchu knowledge of Tibet changed as relations became more direct. Disputes over tribute missions sent in the name of the Phagmodrupa ruler, known in Chinese as the Chanhua wang, exposed the court’s limited knowledge and prompted on-site investigations. By comparing Manchu, Mongolian, Tibetan, and Chinese materials, the study approaches Qing–Tibetan relations through changing knowledge practices rather than a single model of tribute or patron–priest relations.
This summary is prepared from the full article; consult the PDF for the original abstract and complete argument.
Main contributions
- Connects Buddhist networks and material exchange to the formation of Qing knowledge of Tibet.
- Examines tribute disputes as evidence of information limits and institutional responses.
- Places multilingual comparison at the centre of Qing–Tibetan history.
Citation
Kung, Ling-Wei. “Information Circulation and the Patron-Priest Relationship Between the Early Qing Dynasty and Tibet.” Bulletin of the Institute of Modern History, Academia Sinica 129 (2025): 1–54.
