Abstract:

Fire administration is one of the important city affairs in imperial China and it often reveals regional social transformation at the time. During Ming and Qing, the social transition occurred the Xijiang region transformed Wuzhou from a military fortress to a key market town. This transformation was clearly reflected on the fire administration of the town. The Ming government established an important military base in Wuzhou during its suppression of Yao ethnic rebellion in the region. In the post-rebellion years, the town's military function gradually disappeared. Different social groups began to reorganize social order around the fire administration. Officials, military households and local ethnic people all attempted to promote their own interests through the fire administration. Fire God worship religious rites evolved into a system of elaborated symbols representing diverse discourses. Furthermore, the arrival of salt merchants from Guangdong further complicated the fire religious practice. By Qing dynasty, many former soldiers became gentry through the Imperial Examination. The gentry played an active role in public life through construction and maintenance of the Fire God temples and became an important force in urban social life. Meanwhile, the development of rice trade brought a large number of Guangdong traders to Wuzhou. These merchants engaged in the local social life by building the Northern God temple. Thus, there were two traditions of Fire God and Northern God in the fire administration of Wuzhou in Qing dynasty. The integration of the local gentry and traders led to the merger of the two traditions and eventually a reconstructed fire worship religious system in Wuzhou.

Key words: Ming, Qing, the fire administration, social transformation, Wuzhou city, Xijiang region