Abstract: Circuit intendants ( Dao) originated from vice financial commissioners and provincial judges in the Ming dynasty. The circuit was not so independent in its early stage. The circuit intendants worked as inspectors in certain areas with concurrent titles like financial commissioners and the provincial judges. The Qing dynasty inherited the Dao institution from the Ming dynasty, and each Dao had its own titles and ranks. With the development of the Dao institution, its status and function were gradually fixed up. As a result, the Qing court set the rank of circuit intedants as 4 and removed their concurrent titles in 1753. Henceforth, Circuit intendants became an independent position from vice financial commissioners and provincial judges．