Author(s)

Meng Wang

School of Politics and Law, Sichuan University of Arts and Science, Dazhou, China.

There are many causes for the White Lotus’s wide-spread in Dong Xiang county in Sichuan province in the mid-Qing Dynasty. For example, Dong Xiang county is mountainous; there are more forests than arable land in its territory. It is impossible to provide the growing population with farm produce by means of the local poor soil and backward agricultural production. Moreover, it can’t provide extra resources to support the large-scale development of industry and commerce, therefore a large number of people are separated from social production. As a result, these refugees have become important targets for the spread of the White Lotus. Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism are all existing in Dong Xiang county. And in the meantime, witchcraft is generally advocated by the local residents, so this provided the ideological base for the spread of the White Lotus. The religious idea of Doomsday promoted by the White Lotus is very attractive to both the rich and the poor. The corruption of grass-roots officials and their endless extortion forced more and more poor people to join the White Lotus.

The White Lotus, Dong Xiang County, The Mid-Qing Dynasty, Doomsday, Refugees

Wang, M. (2020) The Reasons for the Wide-Spread of White Lotus in Dong Xiang County in the Mid-Qing Dynasty. Advances in Historical Studies, 9, 13-19. doi: 10.4236/ahs.2020.92002.