In the thirteen years from the 25th year of Daoguang to the 8th year of Xianfeng(1845-1858),five uprisings occurred in Ningbo Prefecture.Though these uprisings were small-scale,short-lived,and with simple objectives,they involved the participation of local gentry who took the lead in protesting against food and tax to the local officials.By analyzing the process of the five civil uprisings as well as the climate,disasters,food prices,and silver-copper exchange rates during the Daoguang and Xianfeng periods in Ningbo,it can be seen that the cause of the Ningbo civil uprisings was not"harsh extortion triggering unrest"as described in local records but the price inflation and taxation caused by the imbalance of silver-copper exchange rates.Under this pressure,the Ningbo people banded together to protest against food and tax,even resorting to beating the county magistrate and vandalizing the county government office.Generally,local officials in the Qing dynasty needed the assistance of the gentry group to govern grassroots society below the county level and stabilize rural order.However,during the five popular uprisings in Ningbo,the local gentry not only did not support the local officials but also incited villagers to resist the government when the officials increased taxes or changed customary practices.This highlighted the intensification of conflicts between the officials and the gentry,indicating that the previous local governance mechanism of cooperation between officials and gentry was gradually failing.It also revealed the trend that the Qing dynasty was struggling to maintain control over the grassroots society.
维普
万方数据
