History of the Ming-Qing Dynasty Transition From 1621 to 1683
China has been under the rule of the Qing Dynasty for the last 40 years. However, many residents were alive during the Ming-Qing transition and still remember the last days of the late Ming Dynasty. Many Ming and Manchu residents alike agree that the events that took place at Peking 41 years ago were a catalyst for the Ming-Qing transition. Its implications were huge and had a major effect on China going forward. Because little attention was given to this historical event outside of China, we are here to provide you, the English audience, with an inside perspective from 55-year-old Wang Hao, a resident of Peking at that time. He witnessed the events first-hand and is here to recall the six weeks from April 25 to June 5, 1644, when Peking fell to the rebel troops of Li Zicheng and then to the Manchus. His story is presented below.
It all started late spring of 1664 when the last Ming emperor Chongzhen hanged himself. We were all nervous because the Ming Dynasty was on the verge of collapsing. They struggled with epidemics, and financial plight, and had to hold off the impending Manchus from the east and rebel troops in the south. Many people were dissatisfied with the social status, so they joined the rebel forces. They were displeased that the rich were getting richer while the poor were getting poorer. Living in an upper-class family, the rebel’s cause did not appeal to us, but I knew many people who supported them. I heard that Emperor Chongzhen felt hopeless. He felt betrayed by his ministers and blamed his officials for the downfall of the dynasty. However, many people blamed him instead. Although he had plans of fleeing before Peking was invaded, he never went through with them. Filled with a grievance, Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself on April 25.
I was fourteen at the time. I don’t remember much or understood much of what was happening except that my family was going through a hard time, especially my father who was a Peking minister. The emperor’s death had massive implications and caused a rippling effect that would affect our lives for the next six weeks. The emperor’s death left the Ming Dynasty without a leader during its most crucial time. Some ministers who felt guilty for the death of the emperor took their own lives. Also, around this time, the rebel leader Li Zicheng entered Peking. My father felt uneasy about Li’s arrival despite reports saying that, “Li’s army did not loot and kept markets of captured towns open and that he wanted a new era of peace and prosperity for the Chinese”. When Li’s Shun forces first arrived, they brought restoration and relief. Many people believed Li would be a hero to bring justice wherever he went and that his army would restore the Ming. They aligned the streets to welcome him while I watched his army march into the city through my window unbeknownst of what was to come.
Unfortunately, Li had disdain and cynicism toward Ming ministers, and his hate for them turned justice into tyranny. Li had his shadow government made up of gentlemen who surrendered to him, so he did not need Peking ministers like my father. Instead, he blamed them for betraying the emperor and causing of the Ming’s downfall. He displayed this by executing, torturing, and imprisoning many bureaucrats. He had all former Ming officials appear in court including my father. My father told me that “some officials considered suicide, fleeing, or seeking office under the Shun dynasty”. My father sought office under the Shun, but Li only chose those who he deemed suitable, which meant friends or old acquaintances. Also, he only chose low-ranking officials because he didn’t want any betrayal or competition with his own officials, so a high-ranking minister like my father was out of luck.
Instead, my father was taxed by Li along with every Ming official to pay for the Shun army. Li also appointed General Liu Tsung-min to torture Ming officials until they gave their fortunes, property, and contributions to the Shun. Liu was the most feared man in Peking. He had bone-crushing torture methods for officials who did not pay. However, my father said that “some paid a lot of money and were tortured, some paid little and were not tortured, some paid all they had and were still tortured, and some paid no money and weren’t tortured”. There was no order or consistency in these excessive brutalities. Li justified these actions by stating that they were retributions for the emperor and Ming Dynasty. He even convinced some officials that they deserved to be punished.
I remember my father searching the entire house and pleading to his friends for money to pay off the taxes. Even after he paid what they asked, they still took him and many other officials away. That was the last time I saw my father. From what I have heard, “The result was ten nights of suffering and one thousand deaths” Although we were heartbroken by the news, we did not have time to mourn because the situation in Peking got even worse.
Everyone in the city knew that Liu was drunk with power and enjoyed his role. Soon Liu started torturing for ransom, and his men joined him. As many historians will tell you, “Li’s men ravaged the city, looted homes, and demanded ransom and protection money. It got to the point where even Li was unable to control his own generals in Peking”. I remember the terrifying night when they forced open our doors, stole all our gold and silver, and violated my mother and sister. The same happened to every senior official’s household. My friends and neighbors all had their homes pillaged by Li's men.
Relief finally came on May 27, after Li was defeated by Dorgon and Wu Sangui’s army. Li fled the palace on June 3 but not before setting it ablaze. We were all relieved to receive the news that Li had lost and fled. Li’s mistreatment of Peking lost him the respect of the inhabitants and many turned to the Manchus for liberation. We all sought help from the Qing soldiers, so they entered Peking as a righteous army. I have never felt such happiness and reassurance until I heard Fan Wencheng proclaim, “We promise you no harm. We promise you that surrendered officials can resume their posts and the people can resume their occupations”. This marked the end to the worst six weeks of Peking's history. It meant that our torture was over and that we could all pursue employment under the new Qing Dynasty. What once were conquerors to us had become liberators, and many of us were happy to accept that. They even avenged our suffering by pursuing Li and the last of his forces. With that said, despite losing my father during that time, those six weeks accelerated and facilitated my acceptance of the Qing transition.
That concludes Wang Hao’s story. As you can see, the events that transpired in Peking were immensely important for the history of the Ming-Qing transition from 1621 to 1683. From the suicide of the last Ming emperor Chongzhen to the tyranny of Li Zicheng to the liberation by the Qing Manchus. The acceptance of Qing bureaucracy would have surely been less successful if Li’s regime had not punished Peking. After witnessing the horrors of Li’s army, many people were brought over to the side of the Qing. With that said, the Qing succeeded the Ming, and the six weeks Shun reign of Peking were forgotten or unheard of by many people outside of China. Although many westerners and our English audience have never heard of this event, it was immensely significant for the establishment of the current Qing Dynastic China.
