The Jindandao incident was a rebellion by a Han Chinese secret society called Jindandao (), who rose in revolt in Inner Mongolia in November 1891 and genocidally massacred 150,000–500,000 Mongols before being suppressed by government troops in late December. The revolt devastated Mongol communities in the southeastern borderland and forced many Mongols to take refuge in northern banners. This massacre was later dubbed an incident by Chinese officials.
Background
The areas involved were the Josutu and Juu Uda Leagues of Inner Mongolia during the Manchu Qing Dynasty. They were located at the southern end of the Mongol land and faced devastating floods of Han colonization. While early migrants were insignificant in number and quickly assimilated into the Mongol society, Han farmers from northern Hebei later settled en masse and outnumbered the indigenous Mongols. Large-scale agriculturalization made the Mongols unable to continue pastoralism. The Mongols became agricultural farmers and adopted the Han system of land ownership.
The presence of the large number of Han within Inner Mongolia resulted in a complex administrative system. The Han came under the jurisdiction of Han prefectures and counties, which were set up as enclaves within the Mongol lands. Mongol banners nominally retained the land ownership and ceaselessly fought over various rights over the Han settlers. As the Qing dynasty gradually lost the ability to maintain social order, the Han began to challenge the rule of the minority Mongols. Han tenants delayed or even refused land tax payment, and obstructed land surveys by Mongol authorities with force. Another main conflict between the indigenous and immigrant populations involved access to natural resources. Mongols strictly forbade the Han from cutting timbers on Mongol lands mainly for religious reasons. Violators were punishable by extrajudicial death by banner lords with acquiesce of prefecture and county official. This fueled Han hostility toward Mongols.In addition, newly arrived Han immigrants had been frequently harassed by Mongols, where "the haughty ones mounted bands of 3~5, armed with sabers, broke into Han households, demanded wine, meat and money, assaulted women and men, robbed livestock until empty".
Little is known about the Jindandao (literally meaning to Golden Elixir Way). Also known as the Red Turban (Улаан малгайтан), the Jindandao was a secret society and considered to be an offshoot of the White Lotus sect, which had previously risen in revolt at various times in China Proper. Another sect involved was named Zaili. It was a religious sect popular in Northern China and had a confirmed connection with the White Lotus sect.
Rebellion
The outbreak of the rebellion took place in November 1891 when rebels attacked the government office of the Aukhan Banner. They slaughtered the jasagh (head) of the banner, Prince Daghchin, who was concurrently the head of the Juu Uda League and vandalized his ancestral tomb. They quickly rampaged southward into the Ongniud banners (and Chifeng County within them), and then into the Kharachin Left Banner. Around the same time, another group of rebels captured Chaoyang County within the Tümed Right Banner, the Josutu League. They moved into the neighboring Tümed banner and two Kharachin banners while annihilating Mongol communities. They openly employed anti-Mongol and anti-dynastic slogans including "Defeat the Qing and wipe of the Hu (barbarians)" () and "Kill Mongols in revenge" ().
In response, Li Hongzhang, Governor-General of Chinese Zhili Province, dispatched Ye Zhichao, Commander-in-chief of Zhili, to suppress the rebels. The Zhili forces crossed the Great Wall and marched from the south and southwest. On the eastern front, troops detached from Fengtian played a role in the encircling operation. The modernized army, communicating through telegraph, sending soldiers by the railway and armed with modern firearms, quickly crushed rebels in December. The rebel leader Yang Yuechun was executed in Tianjin.
Local Han population also suffered at the hands of the joint forces of the Qing army and vengeful Mongol tribesmen. General Ye sided with the rebels by reporting to the imperial court in Beijing that the Mongol banner army killed innocent Chinese, a claim that Prince Vangdudnamjil, the jasagh of the Kharachin Right Banner, challenged in a detailed report.