This book analyzes the social, economic, and political impact of Han Chinese migration into the borderlands that became Inner Mongolia during the Qing period. Linking local history to global movements, Yi Wang traces Inner Mongolia's integration into what would become the nation-state of China and from there into a global capitalist economy.

Yi Wang is associate professor of history at Binghamton University.

List of Figures

List of Maps

List of Tables

List of Abbreviations

Dynasties, Weights, and Measures

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1 A Changing Frontier: Inner Mongolia in Context

2 Merchants, Monetization, and Networking: Han Commercial Expansion in the Steppe

3 Beyond the Western Pass: Sojourning and Settlement Across Han-Mongol Borders

4 The Rise of Land Merchants: Irrigation, Commercialization, and Local Autonomy in Hetao

5 Cultivation for Salvation: Missionaries, Migrants, and Catholic Expansion

6 Moving People to Strengthen the Border: Official Reclamation and State Building

Conclusion

Bibliography

Glossary

Index