The Roots of Servitude in Ming Dynasty Society

The early Ming period under Emperor Hongwu (Zhu Yuanzhang) initially saw restrictions on slavery as part of post-Yuan dynasty reforms. However, as the landed gentry class regained power, slaveholding resurged dramatically – particularly in southern China. By the late Ming era, wealthy Jiangnan scholar-officials maintained households with 1,200-3,000 slaves, according to contemporary accounts like Gu Yanwu’s records.

This system created hereditary bondage where “children of slaves remained slaves forever” unless formally released. Slave codes often prohibited literacy, ensuring generations of servitude. Treatment reached shocking brutality – records describe slaves with “no unbroken skin on their backs,” starved and sexually abused, while pregnant women faced mutilation at jealous mistresses’ orders.

The Spark of Rebellion

The peasant revolts of Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong in the 1630s-40s inspired enslaved populations across southern China. The first major slave uprising erupted in 1634 in Tongcheng, Anhui, where rebels adopted the slogan “Acting for Heaven” and established mock courts to try abusive masters. When interrogated, leader Zhang Ru gave the movement’s defining cry: “We simply wish to cease being slaves.”

This philosophy spread rapidly. In Hubei’s Macheng county, the “Benevolence Society” of slaves actively allied with Zhang Xianzhong’s rebel army by 1643. The fall of Beijing to Li Zicheng in April 1644 became the catalyst for nationwide slave revolts, as news spread that the Ming emperor had committed suicide.

The Liberation Movement of 1644-45

Across Jiangnan, organized slave groups demanded emancipation through:

– Destruction of slave contracts
– Redistribution of master’s wealth
– Establishment of autonomous communities

The most famous group, Jiangsu’s “Nose-Cutting Brigade” (削鼻班), derived its name from local slang comparing slaves to facial features – their goal being to “cut off” slave identities. Contemporary accounts describe surreal scenes of former masters begging mercy before makeshift people’s tribunals:

“Slaves would say: ‘The City God orders me to repay your bamboo rod strikes’ – then administer precisely counted lashes while asking ‘Does this hurt?’ When the master screamed, they retorted: ‘Why didn’t you ask when beating me?'”

The Counterrevolution

Despite initial successes, the slave revolts faced brutal suppression through Ming loyalist-Qing alliances. In Jintan, rebel leaders had noses severed and displayed with the taunt: “You wanted to cut noses? Behold cut noses.” Anhui’s rebels held out for two years before Qing forces restored the old order in 1646.

A triumphant scholar-official articulated the ruling class perspective: “As heaven and earth endure, so must the relationships of ruler-subject, father-son, and master-slave… Should noses migrate from faces to foreheads, could we still call them human?” This chilling metaphor revealed the entrenched ideology the rebels challenged.

Historical Significance

These events represent one of history’s largest slave uprisings, with participation estimates exceeding 50,000 across multiple provinces. The movement demonstrated:

1. Class Consciousness – Rebels systematically targeted legal documents (contracts) rather than just individuals
2. Intersectional Struggle – Allied with peasant revolts while addressing unique oppression of hereditary slavery
3. Limits of Dynastic Change – Proved Qing rulers would uphold feudal hierarchies despite anti-Ming rhetoric

Modern parallels resonate strongly. As noted in later peasant movement analyses, the intensity of rebellion directly correlated with severity of oppression – a timeless lesson in social dynamics. The Ming slave revolts remain a powerful case study of how marginalized groups seize historical moments to challenge structural injustice.