Forgotten War (Research on the Great Clan Conflict between Tuhu and Keshi in Guangdong during the Xianfeng and Tongzhi Years)

Author: Liu Ping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-04-01
Features: During the Xianfeng and Tongzhi reigns, a prolonged large-scale broke out between the Tuhu and Hakka in Guangdong. The scale of this, the number of casualties, and its profound impact were unparalleled in Chinese history. However, it was dismissed by the government at the time and later scholars as a mere "private feud," leading to its gradual marginalization. Amidst events like the Taiping Rebellion, Hong armies, and the Second Opium War, which were considered more critical to the nation's fate, this faded into the background and became a neglected disturbance in the political landscape. Yet in the popular field of modern Chinese history, this has remained a forgotten corner of collective memory. This book uses extensive archives, official documents, and local records to provide a detailed account and analysis of this folk war. It reconstructs the conditions of most battlefields at the time, offering a fresh perspective on the frequent folk wars in Guangdong during the 19th century. The fortified villages, high walls, earthen dams, watchtowers, and semi-professional warriors, the millions of casualties, the blood-soaked battlefields, and the government's overwhelmed attempts to resolve the conflict—all stemmed from disputes over land or water resources, cultural and ethnic differences. These wars were not so distant from us. The upper part of the book explores the remote and immediate causes of this. Since the Hakka migration and the social issues it generated were the primary causes, this section provides a meticulous analysis of the origins of the Hakka and their relationship with the Tuhu. Chapter 1 discusses the origins, customs, and character traits of the Hakka. I believe that through long-term defense and adversity, the Hakka developed a strong factor of agency (which can manifest as proactive spirit when directed positively, or as a tendency to stir trouble when directed negatively). Chapter 2 specifically addresses the friction and conflicts that arose between the Hakka, who migrated south from Huizhou, Chaoshan, and Jiagu to the central and western parts of Guangdong during the early Qing, and the local Guangfu people (generally referred to as Tuhu in this text). Chapter 3 narrates how the government relied on Hakka militia ("") during the Guangdong Hong army uprising, while the Hakka took the opportunity to retaliate against the Tuhu, escalating the. The middle part outlines the basic circumstances of the. Chapter 4 examines the temporal and spatial distribution of the, correcting previous inaccuracies in records. Chapters 5, 6, and 7 describe and analyze the main battlefields of the, such as Heishan, Enping, Kaiping, Xinning, Gaoming, and Yangchun counties, presenting the fundamental situation of this to readers. The lower part primarily discusses the measures taken by the Qing government to address the and its eventual suppression. Chapter 8 analyzes the difficulties the Qing court faced in dealing with the. Chapter 9 first reviews the Qing laws regarding, then discusses the initial responses and countermeasures of local officials and the emperor to the. Chapter 10 describes how the authorities ultimately resolved the and its aftermath, particularly the in Hainan's Danzhou during the early years of the Guangxu reign. This research not only recounts a forgotten historical event but also fills a gap in the study of modern and contemporary Hakka distribution, making it significant for both historical and Hakka studies.