白蓮敎軍이 언급한 嘉慶 白蓮敎反亂 ― 白蓮敎軍 진술서 분석을 중심으로 ―

초록

The statements made by White Lotus rebels captured in Qing army after participating in the Jiaqing White Lotus rebellion are useful for constructing new aspects of Jiaqing White Lotus rebellion, which is different from the materials that represent the position of the Qing dynasty. The White Lotus rebel's statement should contain only objective facts, but it was distorted according to the position of the Qing dynasty as well as the arrested White Lotus rebels. Therefore, in order to use the statements as source materials, we must discern facts and distortions. Distortion can first be found in the Qing dynasty. The Qing dynasty included distortions in terms and the activities of the White Lotus rebels. A key distortion made by the Qing dynasty was that the White Lotus rebels made a statement to acknowledge Qianlong emperor's grace. By having the White Lotus rebels acknowledge the Qianlong emperor's grace with the contents of tax exemption, forgiving arrears and relief from famine, the Qing dynasty propagated Qianlong era of prosperity. So the Qing dynasty branded the White Lotus Rebellion as a band of bandits who rebelled against the era of prosperity and greatly undermined the legitimacy of the oppression by government official and the rebellion by the people But the distortion can also be found in statements by the White Lotus rebels. The captured White Lotus rebels also devalued or reduced their activities to save their lives. Such a representative figure was Liuzhixie, who was named the head of the White Lotus rebellion. As he was questioned, he repeated statements that reduced his role and status throughout White Lotus sect and rebellion. His desire to stay alive permeates every part of the seven statements he left. His statement suggests that he was not a cheerful hero who was not afraid of death, but an ordinary man who was trying to survive at all. By capturing the distortions in the statements, we can discover a new aspect of the White Lotus Rebellion. At the same time, the facts in the statements reveal new aspects of the rebellion. The statements of White Lotus Rebels first tell about the difference between White Lotus Rebel from Hubei and Sichuan. The family of the rebels from Hubei were larger in size and more diverse in the kind of member than that of the rebels from Sichuan. The reason can be found in the degree of development of the regions inhabited by the two groups of local White Lotus rebels. In the Jiaqing White Lotus rebellion period, the mountainous area of Hubei was a relatively developed area, and the northeastern mountainous area of Sichuan was a developing area where development is in full swing. The regional characteristics of developed and developing regions were the main reasons for the difference in family size and composition of elements between Hubei and Sichuan White Lotus rebels. The statements also provides a new understanding of the elements of the White Lotus rebels. Based on the statements, contrary to popular views, the White Lotus rebel army was the head of household and the mid-to late 30s who lived with his wife in the land of life, usually settled from their grandfather's time. They were also living in families with some of their parents, brothers and children. This strongly suggests that ordinary people, who have settled down their homes for generations, were the mainstay of the White Lotus rebels. The seriousness of the White Lotus rebellion can be found in the fact that the extremely ordinary people, who can be found everywhere, resisted the rule of the Qing dynasty. However, I do not extrapolate that the newly confirmed facts through the statements of the White Lotus rebels are a general view of the rebellion. That is merely a White Lotus rebellion depicted in a very small number of the statements of the White Lotus rebels. I hope that the aspects revealed on the basis of the statement will serve as a trigger for a new discussion on the Jiaqing White Lotus rebellion.

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