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The Miao Rebellion of 1795–1806 () was an anti-
Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaki ...
uprising in
Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi ...
and
Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to th ...
provinces, during the reign of the
Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...
and
Jiaqing Emperor The Jiaqing Emperor (13 November 1760 – 2 September 1820), also known by his temple name Emperor Renzong of Qing, born Yongyan, was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, fro ...
. It was catalyzed by tensions between local populations and
Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive ...
immigrants. Bloodily suppressed, it served as the antecedent to the much larger uprising of Miao Rebellion (1854–73). The term "Miao", as the anthropologist Norma Diamond explains, does not mean only the antecedents of today's
Miao Miao may refer to: * Miao people, linguistically and culturally related group of people, recognized as such by the government of the People's Republic of China * Miao script or Pollard script, writing system used for Miao languages * Miao (Unicode ...
national minority; it is a term, which had been used by the Chinese to describe various indigenous, mountain tribes of Guizhou and other south-western provinces of China, which shared similar cultural traits. They consisted of 40–60% population of the province.


Background and causes

The Qing Dynasty used tyranny rather than forced assimilation towards their non-Chinese inhabitants. In the south-west, since 15th century, in provinces of
Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the ...
, Guizhou,
Guangxi Guangxi (; ; alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam ...
and
Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of t ...
, the most common way of rule was through semi-independent local
chieftain A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribe The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia. Tribal societies are sometimes categorized as ...
s, called ''
tusi ''Tusi'', often translated as "headmen" or "chieftains", were hereditary tribal leaders recognized as imperial officials by the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties of China, and the Later Lê and Nguyễn dynasties of Vietnam. They ruled certain e ...
'', on whom the emperor bestowed titles, demanding only taxes and peace in their territories. However,
Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive ...
immigration was forcing the original inhabitants out of the best lands; Guizhou's territory, although sparsely populated, consists mainly of high mountains, which offer little arable land. The Chinese state "followed" the immigrants, establishing its structures, first military, then civil, and displacing semi-independent ''tusi'' with regular administration over time. This practice, called ''gaitu guiliu'' (改土归流), led to conflicts. The uprising was one of the long series dating back to
Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...
's conquest of the area. Whenever tensions reached a critical point, the people rose in revolt. Each rebellion, bloodily put down, left simmering hatred, and problems which were rather suppressed than solved. Basic questions of misrule, official abuse, extortion, over-taxation and land-grab remained. Mass Chinese immigration put a strain on scarce resources, but officials preyed on rather than administered the population. The quality of the officialdom in Guizhou and neighbouring areas remained very low. Great uprisings took place in Ming times, and during Qing dynasty in 1735–36, 1796–1806, and last and the largest in 1854-1873.


The uprising and its aftermath

The previous rebellion of 1736 had been met with harsh measures, with the effect of the second half of the 18th century being relatively calm, i.e. the numerous local incidents were not enough to challenge governmental authority. However, the officials were unnerved by heterodox sects spreading their teachings among both Han and Miao. In 1795 the tensions reached the point of explosion and the Miaos, led by Shi Liudeng and Shi Sanbao, rose again.
Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi ...
was the main area of fighting, with some taking place in Guizhou. The Qing dynasty sent banner troops, Green Standard battalions and mobilized local militias and self-defence units. The lands of rebellious Miao were confiscated, to punish them and to increase the power of state; this action, however, provoked further conflicts, because new Han landowners ruthlessly exploited their Miao tenants. On the pacified territories forts and military colonies were set up, and Miao and Chinese territories were separated by the wall with
watchtower A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is t ...
s. Still, it took eleven years to finally quell the rebellion. Relocating Green Standard troops from
Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...
to Hunan in 1795, to deal with the Miao, facilitated the
White Lotus Rebellion The White Lotus Rebellion (, 1794–1804) was a rebellion initiated by followers of the White Lotus movement during the Qing dynasty of China. Motivated by millenarian Buddhists who promised the immediate return of the Buddha, it erupted out of s ...
, because of the diminished control in the northern province. Military action was followed by the policy of forced assimilation: traditional dress was forbidden and an ethnic segregation policy enforced. Nevertheless, the deep causes of unrest remained unchanged and the tensions grew again, until in 1854 they exploded in the largest of Miao uprisings. Relatively few of Hunan Miao, "pacified" in 1795–1806, participated in the rebellions of the 1850s.


Gallery

File:Raising an army.jpg File:Reinforcements Arriving at the Battle against the Miao at Xiushan.jpg File:The Victorious Battle of Baomushan.jpg File:Lifting the Siege at Songtao.jpg File:The Siege of Yongsui City.jpg File:The Victorious Battle at Lancaoping.jpg File:The Victorious Battle over the Bandits at Huanghua.jpg File:The Battle of Simazhai.jpg File:The Attack on Rebel Hideouts at Chaitou, Liutao etc..jpg File:Battle of the Fortifications at Kaotou, culminating in the Beheading of Wu Pansheng.jpg File:The Victorious Battle at Liaojiazhong, culminating in the Beheading of Shishanbao.jpg File:The Battle to retake Qianzhou.jpg File:The Victorious Battle to Overcome Huxiao.jpg File:The Victorious Battle over the Rebel Den at Pinglong.jpg File:The Campaign at Jielai.jpg File:The Victorious Battle at Shilong.jpg File:Attack on the Chong-Miao.jpg File:Attack on the rebel nest Dongxi and Dangzhang.jpg File:Defeating the Chong-Miao and other rebels.jpg File:Attack on the rebel nest Beiqing and Balin.jpg


Notes


Further reading

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See also

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White Lotus Rebellion The White Lotus Rebellion (, 1794–1804) was a rebellion initiated by followers of the White Lotus movement during the Qing dynasty of China. Motivated by millenarian Buddhists who promised the immediate return of the Buddha, it erupted out of s ...
* Miao Rebellion (1854–73) * Miao Rebellion (1735–36) * Miao Rebellions (Ming dynasty) *
Dungan revolt (1895–1896) The Dungan revolt (18951896) was a rebellion of various Chinese Muslim ethnic groups in Qinghai and Gansu against the Qing dynasty, that originated because of a violent dispute between two Sufi orders of the same sect. The Wahhabi inspired Yihew ...
*
Dungan revolt (1862–1877) The Dungan Revolt (1862–1877) or Tongzhi Hui Revolt (, Xiao'erjing: تُ‌جِ خُوِ لُوًا, dng, Тунҗы Хуэй Луан) or Hui (Muslim) Minorities War was a war fought in 19th-century western China, mostly during the reig ...
*
Nian rebellion The Nian Rebellion () was an armed uprising that took place in northern China from 1851 to 1868, contemporaneously with Taiping Rebellion (1851–1864) in South China. The rebellion failed to topple the Qing dynasty, but caused immense economic ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miao Rebellion (1795-1806) 18th-century rebellions 19th-century rebellions Rebellions in the Qing dynasty 1790s in China 1800s in China Military history of Guizhou Military history of Hunan 1790s conflicts 1800s conflicts Miao people