Abstract:  In the process of local litigation in the Qing dynasty, the law stipulated that the complaint delivered by the plaintiff must be reviewed and recorded by an official scribe. At present, the academic discussion regarding the specific process involving the official scribe affixing a seal and the actual identity of the plaintiff needs further clarification. In this essay, the author examines the example of Jing Tianlei" of Songyang, a case which was collected by Zhejiang Normal University, along with the litigation files from other areas of southern Zhejiang. Based on changes in the serial numbers of the official scribes and the identity of the plaintiffs,  the author puts forward the concept of “creation right”and “transcription right” of the document while also estimating the scale of regional litigation. The author finds that the seal was the most important symbol of the official scribe in the Qing dynasty.

Key words:  , Qing Dynasty, official scribes, seals, plaintiffs