The Tuntian system in Xinjiang under the Qing Dynasty: A perspective from environmental history

The aim of this paper is not to reinvestigate the Tuntian system (屯田制度, the system of land tilled by colonists), but rather to explore its significance as it developed in Xinjiang during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) from the perspective of environmental history.This paper consists of four sections.First, it applies a Geographical Information System (GIS) technique to demonstrate spatial and temporal changes brought about by the Tuntian system in Xinjiang, based on available studies.Second, it analyses this land system from the viewpoint of property rights.Third, it discusses the landscape as shaped by colonists of various statuses, and finally, it traces the environmental changes in Xinjiang through the observations of Lin Zexu in 1842 and Xie Bin in 1917.