By Sword or Book: Strategies of Integration and Transformation on the Ming Dynasty’s Northwest Frontier—the Case of the Ningxia Through the Lens of the Jiajing Gazetteer
- ASU Author/Contributor (non-ASU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Richard Jay Reid (Creator)
- Institution
- Appalachian State University (ASU )
- Web Site: https://library.appstate.edu/
- Advisor
- Benno Weiner
Abstract: Ningxia was an important military base in the early years of the Ming Dynasty. The region served as the first line of defense against constant attacks from Mongol tribes. To secure the area, the Ming state initially sent military governors and, later, court eunuchs to serve above any local government positions still in place. These military governors and eunuchs many aspects of governance in Ningxia well into the 1450s.
In the middle of the fifteenth century, the Ming officials in Ningxia began to use education as a long-term tool to integrate and pacify the region. Confucian temples and primary schools were constructed to be visual markers of imperial majesty and demonstrate the state’s power. These institutions were designed to facilitate the civilizing of the Ningxia people and eventually change them from barbarians (yi) into ordinary people (liangmin) who could be governed easier.
The combination of direct military rule and long-term education programs were crucial components to the Ming state’s attempts to govern and integrate Ningxia.
By Sword or Book: Strategies of Integration and Transformation on the Ming Dynasty’s Northwest Frontier—the Case of the Ningxia Through the Lens of the Jiajing Gazetteer
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Created on 10/29/2014
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- Reid, R.J. (2014). By Sword or Book: Strategies of Integration and Transformation on the Ming Dynasty’s Northwest Frontier—the Case of the Ningxia Through the Lens of the Jiajing Gazetteer. Unpublished master’s thesis. Appalachian State University, Boone, NC.
- Language: English
- Date: 2014
- Keywords
- Ming Dynasty Gazetteers ,
Ningxia Gazetteer ,
China and Chinese Borderlands ,
Civilizing Projects ,
Early Anthropology—Chinese Gazetteers