Studies in Qing History

A Study of the Surviving Followers of Shang Kexi Placed under Control of the Overseers of the Imperial Household Department

LIU Xiaomeng

2018, 0(1): 1-15.

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Insightful studies of the revolt of the Three Feudatories have been made but，due to the lack of materials recorded in Chinese language，the history of the disposition of survivors of the Revolt of Three Feudatories who were placed under control of the Imperial Household Department has remained obscure until now． This article relies primarily on ten Manchu language documents from the imperial palace records held in the First Historical Archives of China． Nine of these documents were recorded in the Kangxi reign，and one is from the Yongzheng reign． Focusing on the surviving household members and troops of Shang Zhixin who were placed under the control of the Imperial Household Department，this article analyzes the source，constituents，distribution，and treatment of the survivors and elucidates the internal changes and differences within Imperial Household Department．

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Further Investigations into Eunuchs in the Kangxi Period

YANG Zhen

2018, 0(1): 16-26.

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The life stories of many eunuchs in the early Qing have remained unknown due to the lack of historical records. This article investigates and analyzes the lives and experiences of several eunuchs in the Qing Dynasty such as the first Supervisor-in-chief of the Eunuch Office, Gu Wenxing, Haha Juse Liang Jiugong, and Haha Juse Wei Zhu based on the newly-found historical records and the archives in Manchu and Chinese. This article explores how eunuchs, who were oppressed and enslaved, at the same time played their roles in the politics of the Qing court by delivering and executing the Qing emperors’ instructions.

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The Classic of Filial Piety ( Xiaojing) and the Imperial Examination in the Qing Dynasty

AN Dongqiang

2018, 0(1): 27-36.

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The Classic of Filial Piety ( Xiaojing ) had a great influence on Qing politics, especially its relationship to the imperial examination. The Classic of Filial Piety was to be one part of the imperial examination during the Shunzhi reign, from that time the subjects chosen from the Classic of Filial Piety began to shape the literary style of the imperial examination and established a particular standard for the imperial examination. After undergoing several periods of change, this style of the imperial examination was given up in the Qianlong reign. Studying the changes of the Classic of Filial Piety literary style of the imperial examination will not only show the intentions of the emperors, but also help us to understand the standard of the Imperial Examination in Qing Dynasty．

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Locating Shengjing in Qing Political Culture: The Posting, Circulating and Reading of the Imperial Poem “Ode to Shengjing”

ZHANG Yichi

2018, 0(1): 37-51.

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In Emperor Qianlong’s famous poem “Ode to Shengjing”, which was written during his first imperial tour of the ancestral tombs at Shengjing in 1743, the emperor associates“Shengjing”with three features of the Qing imperial political culture: God’s blessing for the advantageous natural environment, Manchu moral kindness from the pure local customs and etiquette, and the historical memory of the inception of Qing state. Through the publication and circulation of the poem among officials and literati through administrative and cultural channels, the Qianlong emperor succeeded in disseminating the ideology beyond literary circles and thus had political implications as well. This micro case reveals that the High Qing state’s approaches and ability to influence elite consciousness.

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Xinjiang Granaries and Local Society in the Qing Dynasty

ZHAO Yi

2018, 0(1): 52-62.

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After the unification of Xinjiang,the Qing Dynasty,five granaries were successively established in various locations.By 1783,most of them had been abolished.When Xinjiang Province was created local offcials took the initiative and once again set up granaries according to the local conditions.A wide range of granaries were gradually founded in the villages and towns.This article attempts to untangle the relevant documents related to Xinjiang granaries in the Qing Dynasty to examine their relationship with society

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Hu Linyi’s Reform and the Grain Tribute System of Hubei in the late Nineteenth Century

ZHOU Jian

2018, 0(1): 63-81.

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In 1857, Hubei Governor Hu Linyi initiated the reform of the grain tribute system. Grain tribute taxes were commuted into cash payments, while the rate of collection was raised. During and after the Taiping Rebellion, Hu Linyi’s successful reform in Hubei was copied with some modification by other provincial leaders, which can be regarded as the second“state surcharge”( haoxian guigong). From 1874, Hubei had been persuaded to divide a portion of grain tribute ( 30 thousands dan every year) to be transported via sea by the China Merchants Company. Hubei’s sea transport was suspended in 1897 because of the Sino-Japanese War indemnity. The transformation of the grain tribute system of Hubei illustrated that, grain tribute was collected and shipped mainly on the“market principle”instead of the “tribute principle”.

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Deferral of Opium Prohibition Plan and the Wave of Resignations in the First Provincial Parliament:The Archives of Guangxi Opium Prohibition Case

ZUO Pan

2018, 0(1): 82-95.

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After the establishment of Guangxi Provincial Parliament, it issued an immediate prohibition on opium together with the governor Zhang Mingqi, which banned opium in stages region by region. Unexpectedly, before the ban was completed in the area surrounding Guilin, Zhang Mingqi already extended the period on his own, which triggered the vehement anger of the parliament. However, as Zhang Mingqi was away reporting to the imperial court, Wei Jingtong became the deputy governor to act. Wei Jingtong took measures, like refusing to pay cable fees, to force parliament to give in，which causedgreater resistance. In order to uphold the dignity of the motion and constitution, all the members of Guangxi Provincial Advisory Bureau resigned collectively. As a consequence, the annual meeting could not convene normally. The Parliament did not resume the session until it finally received the verdict of the Advisory Council and the personal imperial edict of the Prince Regent. This incident made the Guangxi Provincial Advisory Bureau the leader and model for every Provincial Advisory Bureau in China, and thus promoted the political environment of radicalism．

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The End of Relations between Monarch and Chancellor:The Reform of the Grand Secretariat and the rand Council in the Late Qing Dynasty

LI Wenjie

2018, 0(1): 96-111.

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The modern responsibility cabinet, put forward in 1906 during the late Qing reforms, was considered to be in conformity with the Chancellor ( zaixiang) system discarded by the Ming and Qing dynasties because of chaos that was brought about by the powerful ministers under that system. Therefore it was abandoned by Empress Dowager Cixi. After Puyi succeeded to the throne, the countersignature of the Grand Council for the imperial edicts was questioned by the National Assembly ( Zizheng Yuan) whether the countersignature signified the political responsibility and how to distinguish the limit of the Grand Council. This question facilitated the establishment of responsibility cabinet headed by Yikuang in May 1911. However, owing to the limited political power and executive procedures, this cabinet was more similar to the Grand Council. In contrast, the second cabinet, established after the Wuchang Uprising and headed by Yuan Shikai, had executive power and all features of the modern responsibility cabinet.

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Comparative Chronology and the View of World History in the Late Qing Dynasty

XING Ke

2018, 0(1): 112-120.

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Comparative Chronology written by Walter Henry Medhurst is the earliest comparative history of China and the West.The book linked Chinese and European History in the same framework,discussed their correlation and attempted to incorporate the former to the latter.Comparative Chronology was a transitional work. On the one hand,it was not free from religious universal history; on the other hand,it contains fundamental factors of world history in modern times.This Chronology integrates cyclical Chinese history and linear European History.Based on the linear view of history,world history in modern China had gone through three stages: progressive view of history,evolutionary view of history,and developmental view of history.Comparative Chronology was the beginning of this development process.From the perspective of cultural communication,world history in the Late Qing Dynasty resulted from Sino-Western cultural interaction．

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The Chinese Attendant of the Southern Ming Envoy Michael Boym: An Examination on Andreas Chin

HAN Qi

2018, 0(1): 121-126.

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