Tables & Figures Abbreviations Note on Transcription & Dating Conventions Introduction Patrimonial-Bureaucratic Empire: A Model for Premodern State-Formation Ethnically (Ideologically) Imbued Patrimonialism Lineages of the Qing Ethno-Dynastic State Imperial Touring & the Historical Formation of Qing Rule 1 Historical Precedents & the Multivalance of Imperial Touring Touring, Hunting, & Warfare in Antiquity The "Civil-ization" of Touring During the Warring States Period Touring as a Point of Monarchical-Bureaucratic Tension Imperial Bureaucracy & the Denigration of Touring Imperial Confederacy & the Persistence of Seasonal Sojourning Imperial Touring in the Ming Conclusion 2 "Following Ancestors": The Ethno-Dynastic Imperative of Imperial Touring, 1680s & 1740s Remonstrance & Response, 1: Kangxi's First Imperial Tour, 1668-1671 Kangxi's Revival of Imperial Touring, 1680s: A Classical Model? Qianlong's Revival of Imperial Touring, 1740s, A Family Romance? Remonstrance & Response, II: A Han Censor's Protest, December 1758 Qianlong's Commentary of Toghon Temur, 1767: The Echoes of History Conclusion 3 Putting a Court on Horseback: The Logistics & Politics of a Moving Court The Imperial Entourage & the Tour Route Directing the Imperial Encampment: A Bannerman's Affair Encampments as an Emblem of Martial Prowess Mobilizing the Provinces on a Military Scale Managing Popular Perceptions of the Southern Tours Conclusion 4 The Perils of Peace & the Politics of Empire: Wars, Tours, & Military Readiness Qianlong's Valorization of Martial Values, 1785 Fears of Banner Decline, 1670s-1730s The Early Qianlong Military Crisis, 1730s-1740s Imperial Tours as a Manchu-Martial Habitus A Crisis of Leadership & the Persistence of Banner Decline, 1750s The Southern Tours & the Dzungar Problem, 1750s Empire & Martial Triumphalism on the Southern Tours, 1762 Conclusion 5 "Returning to Purity & Simplicity": The Southern Tours & Intra-Elite Competition in an Age of Commercialization Cultivating Commercial Wealth The Imperial Discourse on Curbing Extravagance Literati Anxiety & the Appropriation of Imperial Discourse Conclusion 6 The Southern Tours as Cultural Encompassment: The Valorization of Verse & Accommodation of Han Learning Special Recruitment Examinations: An Overview Courting Elites via the Valorization of Poetry & Painting Shen Deqian as a Cultural Broker in Suzhou Suzhou's Ziyang Academy & the Accommodation of Han Learning The Ambiguities of Accommondation Conclusion 7 The Poetics & Politics of Qianlong's Encounter with Jiangnan The Prospect of Pleasure: Imperial Ambivalence A Tension Within Elite Culture: The Eighteenth-Century Denigration of a "Lyric Vision" Reading Qianlong's Southern Tour Poetry Firse Engagements: Defining "the Meaning of Jiangnan" in Jiangbei Encountering Jinshan, II: Mediating & Framing the Lyric Vision of a Moonlit River The Deepening Encounter: Declarations of Diligence as a Repudiation of Pleasure A Legitimating Discourse: " Observing the People" from Horseback Conclusion 8 Popular Perceptions & the Primacy of Ethno-Dynastic Politics, 1765-1785 Revisiting Qianlong's Hydraulic Thesis The Primacy of Politics, 1770 The Erosion of Ethno-Dynastic Legitimacy, 1765-1678 An Ethno-Dynastic Response: The Resurgence of Imperial Touring, 1780-1785 Conclusion Epilogue: Imperial Touring at the Last, 1800-1820 Ethnicity & the Historical Dynamic of Qing Rule Appendixes A A Note on Provincial Preparations for Qianlong's Southern Tours B An Estimate of the Overall Costs for Qianlong's Southern Tours C Southern Tour Recruitment Examinations: A Quantitative Analysis Reference Matter Works Cited Chinese Character List Index