Abstract:

After 1644, the Qing Dynasty inherited the systems of the Ming Dynasty, including the Huitui system for selecting senior officials. However, this system gradually declined during the reign of Kangxi. The methods of “listing” (kailie) and “recommending” (baoju) were successively added to the Huitui system, allowing the emperor to strengthen his control over system and, to some extent, guaranteeing the quality of selections. However, problems such as inefficiency and favoritism had also arisen, and led to poor results in the selection of officials. During the reign of Kangxi, officials were less motivated to participate in Huitui and were unwilling to assume the responsibility of recommending. When making decisions, Emperor Kangxi often discussed with the secretaries of the Grand Council and more and more frequently appointed officials directly. As a result, Mingzhu and other powerful officials took the opportunity to collude for selfish interests. The strengthening of autocratic emperorship under the Huitui system of Ming and Qing dynasties was not only the manifestation of the emperors’ personal will, but also the result of the comprehensive effects of political situation and political culture.