Introduction to the Qing Dynasty Mansion
During the Qing Dynasty, as an important part of the administrative division, the establishment and management system of the government underwent many changes, forming a relatively complete government structure. In the detailed records of the "Guangxu Huidian", we can get a glimpse of the diverse faces of the government during this period. In the middle of the Qing Dynasty, there were 185 prefectures in the country, and in the Guangxu period, with the establishment of provinces in Xinjiang, Fengtian, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Taiwan and other places, the number of prefectures increased to 215, which fully demonstrated the need of the Qing Dynasty regime for the consolidation and management of the new region.
The highest governor of the province
The highest prefect of the prefecture, the prefect, is responsible for the overall affairs of the prefecture. At the beginning, its status was the fourth grade, but after the eighteenth year of Qianlong, in order to distinguish it from the Taoists, the rank of the prefect changed from the fourth grade. Its appointment originated from the promotion of officials such as Langzhong and Wailang of various ministries. This system is designed to ensure that the prefect's management level covers a wide range of expertise and experience.
Classification of the province
In terms of administrative hierarchy, the prefecture can be divided into provincial and foreign prefectures. In addition, the vacancies of officials are also divided into the most important vacancies, the vacancies, the medium vacancies, and the simple vacancies, which provides a certain degree of flexibility for the management of the government. Taking Suzhou Prefecture in Jiangsu Province as an example, it is at a relatively high level in terms of administrative level, and as the residence of the governor of Jiangsu, it is the provincial capital of Jiangsu Province like Jiangning Prefecture, and the status of the prefect can be compared to that of the current secretary of the Nanjing Municipal Party Committee. Relatively speaking, Jiaxing Prefecture is more stringent in terms of appointment qualifications because of its "rushing, complicated, tired and difficult" in Zhejiang.
Provincial subordinate agencies
In the management team of the prefect, there are two officials under the prefect, Tongzhi and Tongju. Tongzhi is the fifth grade, and the general judgment is the sixth grade, and they are respectively honored as "Fu Cheng" and "Don't drive" in official documents, and together constitute the deputy of the prefect. In the Qing Dynasty, Tongzhi and Tongju were divided into two categories, one was to work in the same city as the prefect and jointly manage the affairs of the prefecture, and the other was sent to important places within the jurisdiction to serve as governors, which made the management of the Qing Dynasty relatively flexible and could be reasonably deployed according to actual needs.
various departments of the province
In the official system of the government, the subordinate officials such as the Governor, the Governor, the Shoma, the Prison, the Propaganda Division, the Taxation Division, the Fucang, the Cha Yin and Approval Laboratory, the Post Station, Medicine, Onmyology, the Sangha Division, and the Taoist Discipline Division performed their respective duties, providing meticulous professional support for the government affairs of the prefecture. The establishment of these institutions enabled the government to operate in an orderly manner in governing the people, adjudicating cases, investigating adultery, and collecting taxes.
The operating mechanism of the government
The uniqueness of the government lies in the complexity of its civil service system. Officials such as the Department of Experience, the Governor, and the Teruma Office played an important role in the government, managing clerical affairs, checking files, and supervising the river. The professors and instructors formed part of the education system during the Qing Dynasty and provided professional support for the system of scholars and officials in the government.
It is worth mentioning that the Qing Dynasty implemented a system of separation of education and administration, and the academic officials in the prefecture were independent of other administrative departments, and their establishment included the establishment of the government professors and instructors, as well as the re-establishment of the discipline. This setting reflects the Qing Dynasty's focus on the division of labor between education and administration, and provides a solid foundation for the comprehensive development of the prefecture.
In general, the organizational structure of the Qing Dynasty reflects a certain degree of flexibility and professionalism in the management mechanism and the setting of officials. As the supreme governor, the prefect is similar to the current secretary of the municipal party committee, and his powers and responsibilities are heavy, covering the responsibilities of the provincial governor and the director of the people's congress. With the assistance of the prefect, Tongzhi and Tongju are responsible for specific affairs in the prefect, and their status and role can be analogous to that of the deputy mayor. The division of labor among subordinate officials, such as the Governor, and the Shomasho, provided strong support for the normal operation of the government.
Government Management and Education
However, there are some unique features in the setting up and management of the government. For example, there are two situations in the prefecture, one is to work in the same city, and the other is to be sent to other places to serve as governors, which makes the management of the prefecture more flexible. In addition, the civil service system of the Qing Dynasty government was relatively complex, including multiple institutions such as the Department of Experience, the Governor, and the Shoma Office, which provided all-round support for the administrative and clerical affairs of the government.
Finally, the education system of the prefecture was also a major feature of the Qing administration. Professors and instructors form an independent system of academic officials who provide professional support for educational affairs within the government. This institutional design of separating education and administration made the organizational structure of the Qing Dynasty more complete.
Contrast between the past and the present
In contrast to the current bureaucratic system, the prefect can be regarded as the secretary of the municipal party committee, the governor of the province and the director of the people's congress, responsible for leading all affairs in the government. Tongzhi and Tongju are equivalent to deputy mayors and are responsible for specific internal management. The subordinate officials in the prefecture have found a one-to-one correspondence in the current bureaucratic system, such as the experience department corresponding to the secretary general, the prison department corresponding to the procuratorate and the court, the propaganda department and the tax division corresponding to the finance bureau, the fukura corresponding to the food bureau, and the medicine corresponding to the health bureau.
Epilogue:
On the whole, the management system of the Qing Dynasty not only has unique historical characteristics, but also echoes the current bureaucratic system to a certain extent. The administrative structure of this historical period provided effective support for the social order and governance at that time, and also provided an important reference for us to understand the development and evolution of the social system of the Qing Dynasty.