The Qianlong Emperor, concerned about maintaining Manchu identity, re-emphasized Manchu ethnicity, ancestry, language, and culture in the Eight Banners and started a mass discharge of Han Bannermen, either asking them to voluntarily resign from the Banner rolls or striking their names off. This led to a change from Han majority to a Manchu majority within the Banner system, and previous Han Bannermen garrisons in southern China such as at Fuzhou, Zhenjiang, Guangzhou, were replaced by Manchu Bannermen in the purge, which started in 1754. The turnover impacted garrisons in the provinces, leaving a larger proportion of remaining Han Bannermen in Beijing than the provinces. Han Bannermen status decreased, Manchu Banners gained higher status. Han Bannermen numbered 75% in 1648 Shunzhi's reign, 72% in 1723 Yongzheng's reign, but decreased to 43% in 1796 during the first year of Jiaqing's reign, after Qianlong's purge. The mass discharge was known as the . Qianlong directed most of his ire at Han Bannermen descended from defectors who joined the Qing after 1644, since traitors to the Ming would be untrustworthy, while retaining Han Bannermen who were descended from defectors who joined the Qing before 1644 and marched through Shanhai pass, known as those who "followed the Dragon through the pass" ().