Gateway to Tibet: initial Qing occupation of the pass of Gas and its objectives with regard to Tibet (1715-1718)

Abstract

In the year 1715, the ruler of the Qing empire Xuanye ordered that two thousand soldiers should be stationed at the mountain pass Gas, a thousand kilometers outside the borders of the empire. It provided access to the Tsaidam basin, and thus the entire Tibetan plateau. This essay places the initial occupation of Gas in the context of the Qing policy toward Tibet by examining Xuanye's motivations for the occupation of Gas. It then argues that the occupation of Gas ultimately failed to achieve its objective.