Local militia, or tuanlian, was a crucial part of the paramilitary forces of the Qing Empire. This thesis studies the Qing militia in the early and mid-Qing dynasty (circa the 1650s to 1830s), especially the rise of the militia as a system of local defense in the White Lotus Rebellion (1796-1804) and the institutional legacy it left behind. In contrast to the traditional views that regarded local militia as a gentry-controlled military form emerging only after the mid-19th century, I reveal the continuity of a state-dominated militia tradition from the 17th to the 19th century and highlight the impact of key events on institutional transformation.