As Newby (Chinese, U. of Oxford) deepened his research into the policy of the Qing dynasty toward the Central Asian khanate of Khoqand, he became increasingly aware of how radically Chinese knowledge and understanding of the neighboring region had stagnated and even diminished by the middle of the 19th century. He charts the changes in the content, form, and execution of policy towards Khoqand that characterized the transition from the Qianlong era, 1736-95, to subsequent ages, and how the diminishing expertise on Central Asia among Qing officials affected the management of the frontier region of southern Xinjiang and eventually led the central government to pull in the northwestern border from where it had stood earlier. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)