Miao Rebellions (Ming Dynasty)

Miao Rebellions (Ming Dynasty)
Date 1300s, 1400s Location Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Huguang Result Ming victory
Belligerents
Ming dynasty	Miao, Yao and other aboriginal rebels
Commanders and leaders
Hongwu Emperor Grand General of South-Pacifying Post of the Nation- Hala Bashi Zhengtong Emperor Li Chen
Strength
Thousands of Han chinese. Chinese Muslim, and Uyghur troops 1,000 Mongol cavalry archers	Thousands of Miao, Yao and other aboriginal rebels
Casualties and losses
	Tens of thousands of rebels killed, thousands of castrations

The Miao Rebellions (Ming Dynasty) were a series of Rebellions of the aboriginal Miao and other aboriginal tribes of southern China. The Ming Dynasty crushed the rebels with overwhelming force. Later in the Qing dynasty, another series of Miao Rebellions broke out.

Rebellions

In one of the First Miao revolts, in the 1370s- Several thousand Uyghur warriors from Turpan were sent by the Ming Hongwu Emperor to crush Miao rebels in Taoyuan County of Changde, Hunan. (back then Hunan was part of Huguang province). The Uyghurs were all given titles and allowed to live in Changde, Hunan, the title of the Uyghur Commander was "Grand General of South-Pacifying Post of the Nation"^[1] The Uyghurs were led by General Hala Bashi who was awarded titles by the Ming Hongwu Emperor and the surname Jian. They live in Taoyuan County of Hunan province to this day.^[2] Chinese Muslim troops were also used by the Ming Dynasty to crush the Miao and other aboriginal rebels in the area, and were also settled in Changde, Hunan, where their descendants still live.^[1]

On May 4, 1449 the Miao revolted. The Ming military sent Wang Ji to destroy the Miao rebels.^[3] the Miao rebellions spread through Huguang and Guizhou.^[4]

Guizhou was ransacked with human trafficking and looting in 1459 and 1460 during the rebellion. The eunuch Yuan Rangyang was appointed Grand Defender of Huguang and Guizhou.^[5]

Multiple Miao rebellions broke out in the 1460s. The Miao and Yao rebelled in 1464, and spread throughout Guangxi, Hunan, Guizhou, Jiangxi, and Guangdong.^[6] The Miao were found throughout southern China, on the Hunan Guizhou border more bellions broke out in 1466 . The Ming rallied 30,000 men, including 1,000 Mongol cavalry archers, to crush the Miao. The Ming commander Li Chen, who was a hereditary military General, fought against the aboriginal tribes for decades in the 1400s. Li used brutal tactics against them. He exterminated thousands of Miaos multiples times in 1467, 1475, and 1467 every time when they rebelled.^[7]

Certain subgroups of Miao are known as Hmong people. The Ming dynasty enforced settlement of ethnic Chinese in Hmong and other aboriginal tribal areas in the southwest in the 1500s. The Ming sent 2,000 garrison troops to defeat the Hmong rebels, and slaughtered 40,000 of them. By 1500, Hmong raided areas around Hunan province and fought annually to gain their independence, the Ming dynasty constructed the Hmong wall, which was 10 feet high and 100 miles long with military posts. The Hmong in Guizhou used armor made of buffalo skin, or mail made of copper and iron, with shiels, spears, knives, crossbows, and poisoned arrows. Two Chinese Generals who defected and joined the Hmong gave them gunpowder weapons, like flintlock rifles, cannons, and blunderbusses, and helped them make them.^[8]

An account of the origins of Hmong in Sichuan says that the Ming chinese in Guangdong defeated the ancestors of the Hmong, and forcibly relocated them to Sichuan.^[9]

The Chinese naming and classification of the southern tribes was often vague. When the Ming began colonizing the south, the classification of the natives began to grow more accurate.^[10]

The Ming dynasty army almost completely exterminated the Bo minority people in southern China.^{[11][12][13][14]}

Mass castrations of Miao boys

The Ming commander crushed a Miao rebellion in 1460, and castrated 1,565 Miao boys, which resulted in the deaths of 329 of them. They were then turned into eunuch slaves.^[15][16][17] This event occurred during the rule of the Zhengtong Emperor (Yingcong or Ying Tsung). Since 329 of the boys died, even more were needed to be castrated.^[18]

A large number of the Han chinese soldiers who crushed the rebellion were then settled down in the southwest their lands and married Miao women.^[19][20]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Chih-yu Shih, Zhiyu Shi (2002). Negotiating ethnicity in China: citizenship as a response to the state. Psychology Press. p. 133. ISBN 0415283728. http://books.google.com/books?id=8ePxMW066j8C&pg=PA133&dq=jian+uyghur+hunan&hl=en&ei=-BO9TJ3BK4SBlAfLxZ2GDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
2. ^ "Ethnic Uygurs in Hunan Live in Harmony with Han Chinese". People's Daily. 29 December 2000. http://english.people.com.cn/english/200012/28/eng20001228_59085.html. 
3. ^ Oriens extremus: Zeitschrift für Sprache, Kunst und Kultur de Länder des Fernen Ostens, Volumes 37-39. O. Harrassowitz.. 1994. p. 193. http://books.google.com/books?id=KiItAQAAIAAJ&q=The+revolt+of+the+Miao+broke+out+on+May+4,+1449+and+Wang+Ji+was+sent+to+suppress+the+Miao.+See+Mingshi+10.138.+106+See+Mingshi+171.4559.+But+according+to+Yingzong+shilu+he+was+sent+to+serve+Gong+Ju,+instead+of+Wang+Ji&dq=The+revolt+of+the+Miao+broke+out+on+May+4,+1449+and+Wang+Ji+was+sent+to+suppress+the+Miao.+See+Mingshi+10.138.+106+See+Mingshi+171.4559.+But+according+to+Yingzong+shilu+he+was+sent+to+serve+Gong+Ju,+instead+of+Wang+Ji&hl=en&ei=N83MTOTSNoKBlAef_cnkCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAA. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
4. ^ Oriens extremus: Zeitschrift für Sprache, Kunst und Kultur de Länder des Fernen Ostens, Volumes 37-39. O. Harrassowitz.. 1994. p. 193. http://books.google.com/books?id=KiItAQAAIAAJ&q=yingzong+emperor+miao&dq=yingzong+emperor+miao&hl=en&ei=I83MTOrdO8H7lweHl8jkCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAA. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
5. ^ Nicola Di Cosmo, Don J. Wyatt (2003). Political frontiers, ethnic boundaries, and human geographies in Chinese history. Psychology Press. p. 280. ISBN 0700714642. http://books.google.com/books?id=xXLg4cTZcDkC&pg=PA280&dq=yingzong+miao+rebellion&hl=en&ei=aM3MTOW6KsL6lweW4uDlCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=yingzong%20miao%20kidnapped%201%2C565%20han%20chinese%20rebellion&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
6. ^ John Stewart Bowman (2000). Columbia chronologies of Asian history and culture. Columbia University Press. p. 43. ISBN 0231110049. http://books.google.com/books?id=pg5Qi28akwEC&pg=PA43&dq=yingzong+emperor+miao&hl=en&ei=I83MTOrdO8H7lweHl8jkCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=miao%20and%20yao%20tribes%20rebel&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
7. ^ Frederick W. Mote, Denis Twitchett, John King Fairbank (1988). The Cambridge history of China: The Ming dynasty, 1368-1644, Part 1. Cambridge University Press. p. 380. ISBN 0521243327. http://books.google.com/books?id=tyhT9SZRLS8C&pg=PA380&dq=miao+rebellion+tribe+southwest+china+ming&hl=en&ei=yE_MTLnOIsKBlAfDw7XlCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
8. ^ Sue Murphy Mote (2004). Hmong and American: stories of transition to a strange land. McFarland. p. 100. ISBN 078641832X. http://books.google.com/books?id=2yHSRlFoBYMC&pg=PA100&dq=ming+built+hmong+wall+1500&hl=en&ei=ls7MTKvbA4T7lwfqxNXkCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=ming%20built%20hmong%20wall%201500&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
9. ^ Tao Tao Liu, David Faure (1996). Unity and diversity: local cultures and identities in China. Hong Kong University Press. p. 87. ISBN 9622094023. http://books.google.com/books?id=sEbAyJ7aj38C&pg=PA87&dq=chinese+defeated+ancestors+of+sichuan+hmong+in+guangdong&hl=en&ei=uePMTNSHH4Wclgfcq-DjCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=chinese%20defeated%20ancestors%20of%20sichuan%20hmong%20in%20guangdong&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
10. ^ Barbara Watson Andaya (2006). The flaming womb: repositioning women in early modern Southeast Asia. University of Hawaii Press. p. 18. ISBN 0824829557. http://books.google.com/books?id=tClCMl7hswQC&pg=PA18&dq=ming+colonizing+impetus+classification&hl=en&ei=TuXMTOnLNoSdlge749TjCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=ming%20colonizing%20impetus%20classification&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
11. ^ "Bo Descendants Found in Xingwen" (in Chinese). Chinacourt.org. 2005-04-05. http://www.chinacourt.org/html/article/200504/05/157013.shtml. Retrieved 2008-12-13. 
12. ^ 悬棺之谜
13. ^ 珙县僰人悬棺
14. ^ 僰人后裔有新说
15. ^ Shih-shan Henry Tsai (1996). The eunuchs in the Ming dynasty. SUNY Press. p. 16. ISBN 0791426874. http://books.google.com/books?id=Ka6jNJcX_ygC&pg=PA16&dq=miao+rebellion+tribe+southwest+china+ming&hl=en&ei=yE_MTLnOIsKBlAfDw7XlCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
16. ^ Journal of Asian history, Volume 25. O. Harrassowitz.. 1991. p. 130. http://books.google.com/books?id=CC5tAAAAMAAJ&q=In+1460,+a+Miao+tribe+in+southwest+China+capitulated+and+the+victorious+Ming+commander+ordered+the+castration+of+1565+Miao+boys.+Of+these+unfortunate+souls,+329+died+during+the+brutal+operation.+News+of+the+tragic+proportion+and+unusual&dq=In+1460,+a+Miao+tribe+in+southwest+China+capitulated+and+the+victorious+Ming+commander+ordered+the+castration+of+1565+Miao+boys.+Of+these+unfortunate+souls,+329+died+during+the+brutal+operation.+News+of+the+tragic+proportion+and+unusual&hl=en&ei=dLLMTPTnEMOclgf1qNnkCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAQ. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
17. ^ "Eunuchs". GeneralAnswers.org. 2005. http://eunuchs.generalanswers.org/. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
18. ^ Taisuke Mitamura (1970). Chinese eunuchs: the structure of intimate politics. C.E. Tuttle Co.. p. 54. http://books.google.com/books?id=SGAbAAAAYAAJ&q=In+the+reign+of+Ying+Tsung+it+is+said+that+1565+boys+from+the+Miao+people+in+Kuei+Province+were+castrated,+but+that+329+died+of+disease+and+thus+an+additional+number+were+required.+Also,+when+Yunan+was+subjugated+a+large+number+of+the&dq=In+the+reign+of+Ying+Tsung+it+is+said+that+1565+boys+from+the+Miao+people+in+Kuei+Province+were+castrated,+but+that+329+died+of+disease+and+thus+an+additional+number+were+required.+Also,+when+Yunan+was+subjugated+a+large+number+of+the&hl=en&ei=g-nMTOHTJoH7lweJp9jnCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAA. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
19. ^ Susan Brownell, Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom (2002). Chinese femininities, chinese masculinities: a reader. University of California Press. p. 392. ISBN 0520211030. http://books.google.com/books?id=0WLLugOABZsC&pg=PA392&dq=during+the+ming+qing+dynasties+soldiers+who+sent+to+suppress+miao+rebellions+dependent+upon+miao+marriage&hl=en&ei=wbfNTNODL8aqlAekzuSnCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=during%20the%20ming%20qing%20dynasties%20soldiers%20who%20sent%20to%20suppress%20miao%20rebellions%20dependent%20upon%20miao%20marriage&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 
20. ^ Louisa Schein (2000). Minority rules: the Miao and the feminine in China's cultural politics. Duke University Press. p. 61. ISBN 082232444X. http://books.google.com/books?id=GomyOthrHjUC&pg=PA61&dq=ming+and+qing+dynasties+demobilized+soldiers+miao+rebellions+southwest+provinces+miao+women+marriage&hl=en&ei=q7nNTOPsKcSAlAeUo4joCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=ming%20and%20qing%20dynasties%20demobilized%20soldiers%20miao%20rebellions%20southwest%20provinces%20miao%20women%20marriage&f=false. Retrieved 2010-06-28. 

See also

• Miao Rebellion 1795-1806