A Preliminary Study of Imperial Service in the Guangxi Province Frontier in the Qing Dynasty
The"Nanguan Prince"service was a special obligation in the border society of Guangxi Province in the Qing Dynasty.This function generally referred to a series of military duties such as ceremonial guards and dispatches for the opening and closing of Zhennan Pass.Its initial recruitment scope was limited to the chieftain districts in the border areas.After bureaucratization of native officers,it was inherited by the newly established officials directly under the Central Government.As a rule,the form of service was personal,but later forms such as expropriation of physical goods and payment of money for service were developed.This imperial service did not completely disappear after the Qing Dynasty.The Nguyen Dynasty dissolved the vassal relationship but turned it into a form of corruption that continued to exist.The"Nanguan Prince"service made a positive contribution to maintaining the sectarian-vassal relationship between China and Vietnam in the Qing Dynasty,but it also increased the economic burden on the border people.