On the map of China's history, the changes in the sovereignty of some plots are more tortuous than in fiction. The name may not appear often in our history textbooks, but it has a rather complicated past.
In the 19th century, there were frequent border disputes between China and Russia, and the Russian Empire (Tsarist Russia) gradually ceded large tracts of land from the Qing Dynasty through a series of treaties.
The Treaty of Aihui in 1858 and the Sino-Russian Treaty of Beijing in 1860 respectively brought more than 1 million square kilometers of land in China's outer northeast to Russia
The 1864 Treaty of Survey and Demarcation of the Northwest Boundary and the 1881 Sino-Russian Treaty of Ili marked the loss of 510,000 square kilometers of land in China's outer northwest. But the situation is different in Tangnu Ulianghai, which has historically been a direct domain of the Qing Dynasty.
Speaking from the depths of history, the question of the ownership of Tangnu Wulianghai can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty and even earlier. As early as the Tang Dynasty, it was already the frontier land of the Central Plains Dynasty.
During the Southern Song Dynasty, it belonged to the Western Liao, and in the Yuan Dynasty, this area was included in the Lingbei Province and called Yilanzhou. During the Ming Dynasty, it belonged to Warat. During the Qing Dynasty, in 1655, the Qing Dynasty formally incorporated Tangnu Ulianghai into its rule and strengthened its management of the region.
However, by the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the expansionist ambitions of the Russian Empire began to reach the land. Tsarist Russia had long coveted China's territory, and often sent expeditions deep into China's territory for "exploration", but in fact to prepare for future territorial expansion.
Although remote, the Tangnu Ulianghai region is not terra nullius. According to the Treaty of Kyakhta in 1728, this area was clearly marked as the territory of the Qing Dynasty.
However, Russia's strategy of expansion was to abolish old treaties in order to achieve new territorial gains. Just as they had previously abrogated the Treaty of Nebuchu, they may also try to abolish the Treaty of Kyakhta.
Unlike the Outer Northeast, Tangnu Ulianghai is not only geographically sensitive, but also has a relatively large number of inhabitants, who have a clear sense of belonging and are directly under the leadership of General Uriya Sutai.
Tsarist Russia's ambitions did not stop there. In 1869, Russia further strengthened its influence in Outer Mongolia through the Treaty of Uriya Sutai.
Just as Tsarist Russia was preparing to move further, changes in the Politburo of the world shifted their attention elsewhere, notably the turmoil in Europe and growing domestic problems, temporarily slowing the pace of erosion of the Tangnu-Ulianghai.
In the 20th century, the situation changed. After the Xinhai Revolution in 1911, Qing rule collapsed, and China entered an era of warlordism. Civil strife was frequent during this period, and the central government's control over the border areas was greatly weakened.
The instability in the Tangnu-Ulianghai region has intensified the interference of external forces. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, the Soviet regime replaced the tsarist government, and the foreign policy of the Soviet Union also changed, and they began to pursue a more aggressive policy of expansion, especially in its frontier regions.
In 1921, Outer Mongolia declared independence with the support of the Soviet Union and established the Mongolian People's Republic. This event became a turning point, and the Soviet Union began to intervene more openly in the affairs of the Donnu-Ulianghai. In this context, the status of the Tangnu-Ulianghai region became more and more ambiguous, and gradually became a disputed area between the Soviet Union and China.
In 1924, relations between the USSR and China entered a new stage. The two sides began to negotiate on the border issue, but the issue of Tangnu-Ulianghai was never properly resolved.
The Soviet Union's military and political influence continued to expand in the 1930s, and China struggled to effectively manage its frontiers under the dual pressures of civil war and Japanese aggression. As a result, the Tangnu-Ulianghai region gradually came under the de facto control of the Soviet Union.
After the end of World War II in 1945, China and the Soviet Union again negotiated the border issue. Although the Soviet Union returned part of its territory after the war, the Tangnu-Ulianghai became a special case.
In the absence of a clear historical treaty, the land was eventually annexed to the Soviet Union and became one of the territories of present-day Russia.
Judging from the history of Tangnu Ulianghai, this is not only the loss of a piece of land, but also the loss of national dignity. Although the scars of history cannot be turned back, this history should serve as a wake-up call for us, reminding us that we must not relax our efforts to safeguard national territory and sovereignty at any time.
In international exchanges, we must be tougher and more resourceful to ensure that every inch of land is not encroached upon by external forces. This is not only a respect for our ancestors, but also a responsibility to future generations.
In the face of history, we must not only remember the pain, but also learn lessons to strengthen ourselves, and not let the tragedy of history repeat itself. We must use concrete actions to tell the world that China is no longer the country that was once slaughtered by others, and that we have the ability and determination to protect every inch of land.