Fortifying the northern border: Mutiny, migration, and militarisation in 16th-century Datong

This chapter explores changes to Ming border policy in the mid-sixteenth century from the perspective of the northern city of Datong. It argues that a major military mutiny in 1533 led to a wave of soldiers defecting to the Mongols, which opened the floodgates of migration to the steppes. This migration bolstered Mongol power, much to the consternation of the Ming court. As a result, the Ming began constructing a massive series of border fortifications in the second half of the sixteenth century to prevent migration and raids and to better manage Chinese-nomadic interactions. In this manner, the Ming court delineated a much firmer boundary that separated the steppes from the territory of the Ming.