Abstract
The Wuqiao Mutiny 吳橋兵變 led by Kong Youde 孔有德 in 1632 was one of the key turning points in the downfall of the Ming dynasty because it allowed the Manchu to gain possession of western cannons that the Ming armies relied on. However, there have been few studies on the importance of this historical event. In this article the author introduces several firsthand accounts of the mutiny that have rarely been mentioned in previous studies. This research is a necessary first step to studying the course of the mutiny and its influence on the fall of the Ming dynasty. The author also tries to discuss how the attitudes of the writers or transcribers and the political situation affected the wording of the accounts.