F.Kingdon Ward's Geographical Survey and Influence of Southern Xizang in the First Half of the 20th Century
Kingdon Ward was an outstanding figure in the history of British geographical survey and intelligence collection on China's Xizang.He proved geographically the"correctness"of the British McMahon Line.With the support of relevant"societies"and groups of British,he entered the Lower Gorge Area of Yalu Tsangpo River at the eastern end of the Sino-Indian border and Mönyul at the western end,to make plant collection and geographical survey.He divided Xizang plateau into three areas,the Chang Tang Plateau,the outer plateau and the Yalu Tsangpo river grand gorge.To adapt to this,he divided the plant distribu-tion into three plant belts,Himalayan,Indo-Malayan,and Eastern Asiatic species.He said,Yalu Tsangpo river lower gorge area which connected the three plant belts was a"strong admixture"between China and India.He followed the Himalayas range to divide it into the southern humid zone and the northern dry zone to say that the Himalayas range was"boundary line"between China and India.He advised the British gov-ernment to take practical action to implement"McMahon Line"and encroach on Chinese territory south of the Himalayas and in the"strong admixture."Kingdon Ward made British government and British-Indian government think of"McMahon Line."They have applied the"advance policy"to the Chinese territory south of"McMahon Line"since 1935.Kingdon Ward case has reflected the strategic means of Britain and its trespassers seeking geographical basis to occupy the territory of southern Xizang of China in the first half of the 20th century.
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