Abstract
Of the migration tides in the early Ming, a large part was soldiers of the wei-so (Guards and Battalions system) whose relocations were totally dictated by the government regardless of their own free will. Before 1530, families registered as military-households were forbidden to divide. Families moving to the new wei-so and those staying behind were bound by the duties to inherit the military service and to provide the ensuing subsidies. Consequently, the relationship between them was not only that of consanguinity but also of rights and obligations stipulated by laws. As long as interests were concerned, their relations developed closely to their economic situations or the degree of intensity of their conviction to family. Using actual legal cases recorded in the genealogies as main sources, this essay tries to disclose various possible relations between families in the wei-so and those in the native places, and to observe the effects of institutions and human sentiments on these relations.
Keywords
Ming-Ch’ing period, military-household, familial relations, migration
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