BACK WHEN THE GATES WERE OPEN: THE SETTLER RECRUITMENT POLICY IN EARLY QING MANCHURIA
BACK WHEN THE GATES WERE OPEN: THE SETTLER RECRUITMENT POLICY IN EARLY QING MANCHURIA

Summary/Abstract: During the first two centuries of their rule over China, the Qing sovereigns either strictly con-trolled or even forbade Chinese migration to Manchuria (present day Northeast China). Yet in theearly years of the dynasty, for a very brief period (1653–1668), the rulers not only allowed Chineseimmigration to their motherland, but actively encouraged it by establishing various incentives for settlers and settler recruiters. However, only one case of the full application of such regulations isdocumented in the sources, suggesting that either the court and the authorities were reluctant to imple-ment the policy or that there were other obstacles. Previous research on this topic only focused on thelaunching and termination of the settler recruitment program. This paper will inquire into the processof its implementation, so to be able to better evaluate the importance of such policies and interpret therulers’ attitude toward the migratory phenomenon in this phase.

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