The Evolution of Early Qing Regulations on Fugitive Slaves

The early Qing regulations on fugitive slaves, which originated in pre-1644 Manchu society, aimed to stop banner slaves from escaping. Because very harsh punishments were imposed on both those who harbored fugitive slaves as well as the harborers’ neighbors (both of whom were mainly Han), these regulations led to many tragedies among the Han population and became a key site of Manchu-Han conflict during the Shunzhi and Kangxi reigns. Scholars have thus tended to see them as representative of Manchu alien rule. Unlike previous scholars’ perspectives that emphasize the early Qing rulers’ cruelty toward the Han population in implementing the fugitive regulations, this article demonstrates that Qing rulers, including Dorgon, Shunzhi, and Oboi, protected the interests of the Han population, and that Han legal principles eventually prevailed.