The Ping-Liu-Li Uprising of 1906 Up Close: Its Local Context and Its National Significance

Abstract:The Ping-Liu-Li (Pingxiang, Liuyang, and Liling) uprising of 1906 is often said to have been led by revolutionaries, to have been supported by secret societies, and to have drawn support from two provinces (Hunan and Jiangxi) and three counties. This article argues that the events of the uprising have to be read in the light of disunified local gangs who had turf to protect, their interest in obtaining arms from the revolutionaries, and a very tense political situation that might indeed have evolved out of contact between revolutionaries and the gangs. However, the significance of the incident was magnified because of the proximity of the location to the high-profile Pingxiang Coal Mine in Jiangxi. The importance of the mine drew strong reactions from the court and the most senior provincial officials. In the process, guns, the telegraph, the railroad, and the newspapers all came into play in pushing the event to national prominence.