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Ping Miao jilüe 平苗紀略

May 31, 2011 © Ulrich Theobald

Ping Miao jilüe 平苗紀略 "Military history of the pacification of the Miao tribes" is a history of the campaigns of the Qing dynasty 清 (1644-1911) against the native tribes in Guangxi, Guizhou and southern Sichuan written by Fang Xian 方顯 (?-1741). Fang himself experienced the campaigns as a high state official in that region and took part in the suppression of the rebellions in the year 1726. Commander and governor-general Ortai 鄂爾泰 (1677-1745) suggested transforming the region from an indirect rule (jimi 羈縻) through the native chieftains to a proper administration in prefectures, a process called gaitu guiliu 改土歸流.

Fang Xian was responsible for the formulation of the administrative guidelines of this process and the suppression (the Ping Miao shiyi shiliu ze 平苗事宜十六則). The detailed account was only printed as late as 1873, but is not included in the series Siku quanshu 四庫全書.

Source:
Li Xueqin 李學勤, Lü Wenyu 呂文鬰, eds. (1996). Siku da cidian 四庫大辭典 (Changchun: Jilin daxue chubanshe), Vol. 1, 913.