ABSTRACT
In the Ming dynasty, the garrisons constituted not only a simple military organization, but also geographical units with administrative authority. This system moreover persisted into the Qing period. Although its military functions gradually disappeared, its administrative functions in managing the economy, demography and society endured for a long time, and it continued to play managerial roles different from those of prefectures and counties. In the Qing, the merger of garrisons and guards into prefectures and counties was a long, slow process.
