Abstract:

The Bingbei Dao was set up to pacify turmoils in Ming Dynasty. It is of obvious military characteristics. After the mid-Ming, the Ming court made Bingbei Dao to merge with Shouxun Dao so as to strengthen its control over the provinces. This move resulted the Bingbei Dao gaining civil administrative and supervising responsibilities. At present, historians tend to attribute Bingbei Dao station’s strategic location to its military function. It is however a misreading and has ignored the fact that essentially the Bingbei Dao is not simply a military unit, but also an important category of government organizations. Taking the Chengui Bingbei Dao as an example, this article aims to work out the process from its establishment to merger with the Shanghunan Dao in the period of Jiajing, and then to the period of Wanli when its station was determined. It could be seen that the selection of Bingbei Dao’s station is part and parcel of the governing strategy of the Ming court. As the strategy changed, both the expansion of Bingbei Dao’s responsibilities and the interplay between provincial governors exerted influences on determining Chengui Bingbei Dao’s station.

Key words: Ming Dynasty, Bingbei Dao, station selection