The Forced Resettlement of Tai People During the Reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1735–1796)

Abstract

The mobility and migration of the Tai people is an often-discussed topic in historical and anthropological literature. The southward migration of the Tai people has drawn a lot of academic attention, but the northward movement is seldom discussed. The frontier wars between China and Burma in the mid-eighteenth century caused a series of resettlement of Tai noble families and subordinates, either as submittees or offenders, involving the Tai in Bhamo, Mueang Mit, Saenwi, Mueang Wan, Mueang Ting, Kengma, Mueang Luang, Mueang Yong, Chiang Tung, Mueang Phayak, Mueang Sing, Chiang Khaeng, Mueang Long, Chiang Saen, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Lamphun and Lampang. With the aid of both Tai and Chinese primary source, this paper aims to discuss the forced resettlement of Tai people, under the framework of the Qing legal system, to the provinces of Yunnan, Jiangning, Jiangxi, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Xinjiang, and Peking during the qianlong period (1735–1796).