Abstract:       In the past, scholars usually have traced the origin of local militias (tuanlian) to the White Lotus Rebellion during the reign of the Jiaqing Emperor, and on this basis came to some inaccurate conclusions such as the dualistic relationship between the state and local and the theory that local militias originated from Baojia. This paper analyzes the origin of the concept of militia and focuses on the formation and evolution of militia in the early Qing Dynasty. It aims to show that militias were not a unique phenomenon to the late Qing Dynasty, and that the Qing state had already adopted this political strategy under the tense military situation in some border areas to achieve the purpose of consolidating local rule. At the same time, the relationship of militias and Baojia was not original and
evolutionary, but a special relationship of externality and essence.

Key words:  tuanlian militias, xiangyong, Baojia, local militarization