Ethnicizing Artillery Technology: The Formation of the Hanjun Eight Banners Restricted; Files Only
Chung, Yan Hon Michael (Spring 2025)
Abstract
By tracing the formation of the Hanjun Eight Banners, this study argues that the early Qing ethnic policy was not shaped by a straightforward imperial blueprint but emerged from extended negotiations between Manchu ruling elites and ethnic elites, centering on the acquisition and deployment of European-style artillery. In response to the Ming’s formidable artillery corps, Hong Taiji—the founding emperor of the Qing dynasty—assembled a specialized Han artillery force, the Hanjun, in 1631. Recognizing the strategic value of their technology, Han elites leveraged this expertise to secure social and political concessions in return for military service. Over the next twelve years, they persistently negotiated with Hong Taiji, demanding elevated status and privileges for themselves and other subjugated Han bondservants, while Hong Taiji required tangible proof of their loyalty and military effectiveness. Successive rounds of negotiation led to the gradual institutionalization of the Hanjun. Finally, the establishment of the Hanjun Eight Banners in 1642 formally codified the special legal status, political privileges, and obligations of these Han soldiers. More importantly, it integrated the Hanjun into the broader Eight Banners system, thereby inadvertently reinforcing the Manchu-Mongol-Han “ethnic trinity” that underpinned the emerging Qing empire.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Chapter 1: Hanjun: A Temporary Artillery Task Force 32
Chapter 2: Ethnicizing Artillery Technology and the Hanjun Reform 55
Chapter 3: Changing Ethnic Rhetoric: The Rising Manchu-Nikan Conflict 84
Chapter 4: 'The Body is with the Qing, but the Heart is with the Ming’: Artillery and Ethnic Loyalty 123
Chapter 5: The Battle of Songjin and Becoming Hanjun Eight Banner 156
Chapter 6: Hanjun and the Military Conquest of China 194
Conclusion 215
Works Cited 222
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File download under embargo until 22 November 2025 | 2025-04-02 23:31:18 -0400 | File download under embargo until 22 November 2025 |
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