ABSTRACT
Manchus' 'banner system', which gave their tribal organization a bureaucratic touch by regulating the mobilization procedure and its agricultural support, came into existence no earlier than 1601. The Manchus took China from the outside in one sweep. The Qing conquest of China differed from the experience of previous alien dynasties. The Manchus, physically distinguishable from the northern Chinese, had an immense drive and aptitude for Sinicization. For the Manchus, the seizure of Beijing, marked only the beginning of the dynastic change. In order to confirm that the Qing was here to stay, they had to anchor their power in the population, and a sequence of arrangements during the organizational phase accomplished this. In the south, reorganized Chinese troops spearheaded Manchu units to put down the resistance, including the campaigns of three Ming princes who vainly claimed succession to the vanquished dynasty.
