Lifan Yuan
Encyclopedia
The Lifan Yuan was an agency in the Qing government which supervised the Qing Empire's Mongolia
n dependencies and oversaw the appointments of Amban
s in Tibet
. It was first created in the 17th century. It has various translations in English
, e.g. Board for National Minority Affairs, Court of Territorial Affairs, Board for the Administration of Outlying Regions, Office for Relations with Principalities, Office of Barbarian Control, Office of Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs and Court of Colonial Affairs, etc.
Prior to the establishment of the Zongli Yamen
, the Court also supervised the empire's relation with Russia under the treaties of Nerchinsk
and Kyakhta. Lifan Yuan was exclusively staffed with members from the Eight Banners
. The predecessor of the Court was the Mongol Yamen (Manchu:
Monggo jurgan). Lifan Yuan was the closest administrative office that the Qing Dynasty had that would have been comparable with a foreign policy department, although the Qing Dynasty cared little about relations with countries that did not border its domain.
Guests of the Li-Fan Yuan were housed in the Hui-t'ung Kuan in the southeast part of the Tatar City. From the number Russians who stayed there it became known as the O-lo-ssu Kuan or Russian hostel. It was also called the 'nan kuan' to distinguish it from the 'pei (north) kuan' where the Albazinians
lived. (There was also an 'o-lo-ssu wen kuan' where Manchus learned to speak Russian). From the Treaty of Kyakhta this residence became permanent.
This Li-Fan Yuan is to be distinguished from the Board of Rites, which was the traditional Chinese institution for dealing with outsiders. The Li-Fan Yuan was established at the time of Huang Taiji to deal with the Mongols. After the establishment to the Qing dynasty it continued to be a separate institution for dealing with Mongols and Russians. Both were replaced by the Zongli Yamen
in 1861.
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
n dependencies and oversaw the appointments of Amban
Amban
Amban is a Manchu word meaning "high official," which corresponds to a number of different official titles in the Qing imperial government...
s in Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
. It was first created in the 17th century. It has various translations in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, e.g. Board for National Minority Affairs, Court of Territorial Affairs, Board for the Administration of Outlying Regions, Office for Relations with Principalities, Office of Barbarian Control, Office of Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs and Court of Colonial Affairs, etc.
Prior to the establishment of the Zongli Yamen
Zongli Yamen
Zongli Yamen was the government body in charge of foreign affairs in imperial China during the late Qing dynasty. It was established by Prince Gong in 1861, following the Convention of Peking. It was abolished in 1901 and replaced with a Foreign Office of ministry rank.The former site of the...
, the Court also supervised the empire's relation with Russia under the treaties of Nerchinsk
Treaty of Nerchinsk
The Treaty of Nerchinsk of 1689 was the first treaty between Russia and China. The Russians gave up the area north of the Amur River as far as the Stanovoy Mountains and kept the area between the Argun River and Lake Baikal. This border along the Argun River and Stanovoy Mountains lasted until...
and Kyakhta. Lifan Yuan was exclusively staffed with members from the Eight Banners
Eight Banners
The Eight Banners were administrative divisions into which all Manchu families were placed. They provided the basic framework for the Manchu military organization...
. The predecessor of the Court was the Mongol Yamen (Manchu:
Monggo jurgan). Lifan Yuan was the closest administrative office that the Qing Dynasty had that would have been comparable with a foreign policy department, although the Qing Dynasty cared little about relations with countries that did not border its domain.Guests of the Li-Fan Yuan were housed in the Hui-t'ung Kuan in the southeast part of the Tatar City. From the number Russians who stayed there it became known as the O-lo-ssu Kuan or Russian hostel. It was also called the 'nan kuan' to distinguish it from the 'pei (north) kuan' where the Albazinians
Albazinians
The Albazinians are one of the few groups of Chinese of Russian descent. There are approximately 250 Albazinians in China who are descendants of about fifty Russian Cossacks from Albazin on the Amur River that were resettled by the Kangxi Emperor in the northeastern periphery of Beijing in 1685...
lived. (There was also an 'o-lo-ssu wen kuan' where Manchus learned to speak Russian). From the Treaty of Kyakhta this residence became permanent.
This Li-Fan Yuan is to be distinguished from the Board of Rites, which was the traditional Chinese institution for dealing with outsiders. The Li-Fan Yuan was established at the time of Huang Taiji to deal with the Mongols. After the establishment to the Qing dynasty it continued to be a separate institution for dealing with Mongols and Russians. Both were replaced by the Zongli Yamen
Zongli Yamen
Zongli Yamen was the government body in charge of foreign affairs in imperial China during the late Qing dynasty. It was established by Prince Gong in 1861, following the Convention of Peking. It was abolished in 1901 and replaced with a Foreign Office of ministry rank.The former site of the...
in 1861.
Further reading
- Mayers, William Frederick. The Chinese Government: A Manual of Chinese Titles, Categorically Arranged and Explained, with an Appendix. 3rd edition revised by G.M.H. Playfair ed. Shanghai: Kelly & Walsh, 1897; reprint, Taibei: Ch'eng-Wen Pub. Co., 1966.
- Brunnert, S., V. V. Hagelstrom, and N. F. Kolesov. Present Day Political Organization of China. Translated by Andrei Terent'evich Biel'chenko and Edward Eugene Moran. Shanghai: Kelly and Walsh Limited, 1912.
- March, G. Patrick, Eastern Destiny: Russia in Asia and the North Pacific, 1996.