Abstract: The division of Huguang province in Qing Dynastywas closely related to the change of provincial administrative system at that time. There has been a longstanding academic debate over the criteria and timing of the division of the Huguang. The protracted process of dividing Huguang included the separation of the offices of “Left ” and “Right ” Provincial Administrative Commissioners and the respective changes of their titles , creation of two provincial imperial examination administrations , and the institution of the new seats of the Provincial Governor (xunfu) . It was not until the middle and late Qianlong reign that the formation of Hunan and Hubei provinces was confirmed in Local Gazetteers and the Central Government Historical Records. Thus , the exact timing of the formation of the two provinces of Hunan and Hubei cannot simply be fixed at a specific point in time.