LU Xingyu 陆星宇

Education

• 10 / 2022 – present: Ph.D. Student in Sinology, University of Bonn, Germany 
• 09 / 2019 – 06.2022: M.A. in History, Sun Yat-Sen University, P.R. China

• 09 / 2015 – 06 / 2019: B.S. in Physics (Zhiyuan Honor Program), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, P.R. China; B.A. in History (Second Major), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, P.R. China

Conference speeches:

• “Telling Ghost Stories and Becoming Immortal: The Enchanting Journey of Qiu Yuexiu, Minister of Works 语怪与通神：工部尚书裘曰修的附魅之旅,” 7th Central China Normal University Graduate History Forum, Central China Normal University, November 2-3, 2019
• “Zhang Xuecheng’s Construction of Eastern Zhejiang Scholarship: Centering on the Biography of Shao Jinhan 章学诚对浙东学术的建构——以《邵与桐别传》为中心,” 17th Beijing University History Forum, Beijing University, April 10-11, 2021
• “The Rise and Fall of Ningxia’s Submitted Army During the Ming Dynasty 明代宁夏归附军的兴衰,” International Conference: Migration in Ancient and Modern China: Language and Culture, University of Bonn, July 7-8, 2023

Honors and awards:

• 2022 – 2025: China Scholarship Council (CSC) PhD Scholarship 
• 2021: First-class Graduate Scholarship, Sun Yat-Sen University
• 2020: First-class Graduate Scholarship, Sun Yat-Sen University
• 2019: Second-class Graduate Scholarship, Sun Yat-Sen University

Title: Pacify the Barbarian: Ming-Inner Asia Relations in Shaanxi

Abstract: Fuyi 撫夷, or “pacifying the barbarian”, was the main ideology of the Ming China in dealing with foreign relations. Unlike the Yuan before it and the Qing after it, the Ming China adopted fuyi system to manage its borders. This system originated from the Yuan’s system of native officials (土官) and was partially inherited by the Qing. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming indirectly managed the various groups of people in Shaanxi, such as Mongols, Tibetans, Yellow Uyghurs, Uyghurs, and Muslims, by appointing native officials. In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, with the rise and invasion of the Eastern Chaghatai Khanate, the power of the native officials was no longer sufficient to cope with the border crisis. Therefore, the Ming China set up a team of fuyi officials in Gansu, which was used to handle diplomatic missions, mediate border disputes, and manage the border markets. These officials generally hailed from non-Han people and possessed proficiency in multiple languages including Chinese, Persian, Mongolian, Uighur, Chaghatai, Tibetan, and others, undertaking the responsibility of facilitating communication between the Ming court and border societies. Subsequently, as the Eastern Mongol continued to migrate westward to Gansu, the primary threat in Shaanxi shifted from the Eastern Chaghatai Khanate to Mongolia. Fuyi officials well-versed in Mongolian affairs were consequently given greater prominence. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming China and the Right-wing Mongolia reached the Longqing Peace, which led to the establishment of mutual markets in Shaanxi. To manage their relations, the Ming appointed more fuyi officials knowledgeable about Mongolian affairs and Tibetan Buddhism. The fuyi system was a unique institution employed by the Ming China to govern its borders, demonstrating the empire’s remarkable flexibility in handling frontier affairs.