Abstract: Economic development in the south of the Yangtze River, and the rise of Huizhou merchants prompted shed people to enter Huizhou to lease the mountain fi elds to engage in the timber industry in the Ming and Qing dynasties. By adopting the mode of "refining the mountain" and intercropping trees and grains, the shed people replaced traditional auxiliary crops such as millet and hemp with corn. Although the area planted in corn was expanded, it still did not become the main crop.Over time the soaring number of shed people affected the traditional system of clan residence and the geomancy beliefs of Huizhou. In 1788, the devastating fl ood of the Yangtze River led the local gentry to blame planting corn for the fl ood. This, combined with the sentiment of resistance against the migrants, finally evolved into a movement to evict the shed people.