Abstract: The destruction of the Ming Dynasty by peasant armies brought about many of the important historical events of the early Qing. Scholars generally analyze this issue in a framework of class or ethnic struggle. In face, as normal channels for the transmission of information were disrupted, news of the Ming collapse made its way to Jiangnan through diverse channels, giving rise to all sorts of different and even abnormal reactions there. This article follows the news filtration procress to offer a new vantage point for the explanation of social change in Jiangnan at the beginning of the Qing.