| Miao Rebellion (1735–1736) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theMiao Rebellions | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Qing dynasty | Miao | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Zhang Guangsi Ha Yuansheng | |||||||
TheMiao Rebellion of 1735–1736 was an uprising of autochthonous people fromsouthwest China (called by the Chinese "Miao", but including more than theantecedents of the present-dayMiao national minority).
Since theMing dynasty (1368–1644), southwestern China (Yunnan,Guizhou,Guangxi) was within the control of the Ming Empire, but the state control of these territories was weak. TheYongzheng Emperor of the Qing dynasty decided to strengthen it, replacing local, semi-independent chieftains, calledtusi, with regular Qing administration. To achieve this goal, the princeOrtai led several military campaigns into the area, pacifying them between 1726 and 1732.[1] However, military control did not stop the official abuse and extortion, suppressing only the reaction against them.[2]
By 1735, misrule and extortion proved too much and the local people rose to fight. Some of them were desperate enough as to kill their wives and children before joining the rebellion, thus burning all bridges behind them. The uprising started inTaigong, then covering the area ofLiping andDuyun. Local Qing administration, unable to cope with the rebels, suggested making a kind of agreement with them, but theQianlong Emperor recalled the previous commanders and appointedZhang Guangsi, an experienced officer underOrtai, to quell the rebellion. The uprising was bloodily suppressed, the last rebels doggedly fighting atNiupidajing. Altogether Qing armies destroyed approximately 1200 Miao forts and killed over 18,000 warriors.[2]
The campaign lasted from February to November 1736. Zhang, meanwhile appointedGovernor-General of Guizhou, started to build roads, strengthening thegarrisons and opening the mines, to enhance both imperial control and the economy of the region.[3]
The suppression of the revolt granted the area half a century of peace, but the deep causes of unrest remained unchanged and the tensions grew again, untilthe Miao rebelled again in 1795.