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Pingding Liang Jinchuan fanglüe 平定兩金川方略

May 1, 2011 © Ulrich Theobald

(Qinding) Pingding Liang Jinchuan fanglüe (欽定)平定兩金川方略 "(Imperially endorsed) Military annals of the pacification of the Two Jinchuans" is a history of the war of the Qing dynasty 清 (1644-1911) against the two native kingdoms of Jinchuan (in the mountain range west of Chengdu 成都, Sichuan) in 1771-1776, also called the Second Jinchuan War.

The 152-juan long book was compiled on imperial order under the supervision of Agūi 阿桂 (1717-1797), who also took over the command of the campaign from 1774 on. The origins of the war go back to earlier decades with the permanent quarrels among the native kingdoms. The First Jinchuan War (1747-1749) had ended in a kind of truce, but it was now decided to annihilate Greater (Chu-chen) and Lesser Jinchuan (Tzan-lha). The main enemies were Langka 朗卡, lord of Lesser Jinchuan, and Sonom 索諾木, lord-lama of Greater Jinchuan, who were, after a very long and costly war, captured and executed in the Capital.

The book was finished in 1779 and does not only describe the war but also the ensuing transformation of the territory from an independent, yet tribute-delivering, native kingdom into a Chinese prefecture. It includes a lot of laudatory writings and poems written by the Qianlong Emperor 乾隆帝 (r. 1736-1795). The book is a very important source about high Qing period warfare and all aspects of the administration of native border territories.

The book is included in the series Siku quanshu 四庫全書.

Source:
Li Xueqin 李學勤, Lü Wenyu 呂文鬰, eds. (1996). Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典 (Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe), Vol. 1, 914.