Abstract: More than addressing the material needs, the modernization of frontier governance must address the quest for emotional belonging. This article proposes a novel pathway of “emotional governance” and examines its operational mechanisms and value in modernizing frontier governance. The study finds that existing research overemphasizes institutional and technological embeddedness, leaving the structural role of emotions as a non-institutional variable underutilized. Theoretically, emotional governance elevates emotions from peripheral elements to core governance resources. Through dual operational logics–primordial (authentic affective bonds) and instrumental (strategic emotional mobilization)–it addresses the erosion of frontier identity. In practice, adopting a people-centered approach, emotional governance operates through a three-dimensional mechanism: individual inclusion via “affection-interest” coupling; group resource generation through “affection-procedure” synergy; and national consensus consolidation by translating “affection-institution” dynamics. This lifts governance from “hardware upgrades” to “shared psychological construction.” The study concludes that emotional governance innovatively complements traditional models, providing emotional underpinnings for strengthening the consciousness of community for the Chinese nation in the borderlands, while offering a flexible pathway for advancing national governance modernization.

Key words: emotional governance in the borderland, frontier governance, consciousness of community for the Chinese nation, national identity, governance modernization