"Local Government in the Qing Dynasty" Author: Qu Tongzu Publisher: Xinxing Publishing House Douban 2022 Annual Reprint Excellent Works

◎A classic work written by the famous historian and sociologist Qu Tongzu at the peak of his academic career.

◎From a human perspective, understand the operation of local governments at the county and prefecture levels and the logic of grassroots governance, and recognize the root causes of structural collective corruption in the Qing Empire.

◎The first edition published by Harvard University Press in 1962 remains an unavoidable starting point and a peak that has not been surpassed.

◎It is simple and easy to understand, and even ordinary readers without academic background can read it without any difficulty.

◎The third comprehensive revision of the translation, striving for perfection and remaining faithful to the original work.

--------------------------------------------------------

★Content Introduction

"Local Government in the Qing Dynasty" is the representative work of Qu Tongzu, a famous historian and sociologist. It is also a classic work written in English at the peak of his academic career. The book was first published by Harvard University Press in 1962, which won Qu Tongzu a great reputation worldwide. It is still a must-read book in related teaching and research in the Western Sinology community.

There is a saying among the people that "the emperor is far away from the sky", and there is also a topic in the academic world that "the emperor's power does not extend below the county level". As the smallest administrative unit, the prefecture and county-level local governments in the Qing Dynasty directly dealt with ordinary people, and their importance is self-evident. The purpose of writing the book "Local Government in the Qing Dynasty" is to describe, analyze and interpret the structure and operation of the prefecture and county-level local governments in the Qing Dynasty.

Through various manuscripts and notes, and with reference to a large amount of official data, Mr. Qu Tongzu introduced the functions, status, income, forms of corruption, and disciplinary control of the county magistrate and his four auxiliary groups, namely, clerks, yamen runners, long-time attendants, and assistants, in a very concise manner, emphasizing that the local government in the Qing Dynasty was actually a "one-person government" centered on the county magistrate. In addition, the role of the gentry class in local administration was also discussed in detail.

"Local Government in the Qing Dynasty" is a classic academic work, but the author Qu Tongzu's intended readers when he wrote it were students in the English-speaking world who lacked understanding of traditional China. Therefore, his narrative is simple and easy to understand, and even ordinary readers without an academic background can read it without any hindrance.

--------------------------------------------------------

★Media/Celebrity Recommendations

"Local Government in the Qing Dynasty is an extremely important book. Its purpose is to describe, analyze and explain the structure and function of local governments in prefectures and counties during the Qing Dynasty. The author also hopes that this book will contribute to the comparative study of political systems and provide materials for bureaucratic politics and administration. His purpose and hope have been brilliantly achieved."

——Journal of Asian Studies

"This book is a major step forward in the study of Chinese government and administration. With his extensive knowledge of the sources and his insider insights, he presents the first meaningful and reliable study of grassroots government in China."

——American Historical Review

"Mr. Qu Tongzu did not write textbooks, nor did he have many academic works. He did not supervise graduate students (no disciples), so there is no direct inheritance. However, since the 1980s, his works and research approaches have subtly influenced a generation of scholars not limited to legal history, mainly through the academic market, and have gained a fairly wide range of spontaneous social influence. A number of research works have emerged that more or less pursue the Qu Tongzu paradigm. ... But in terms of the overall depth and level of research, it seems to me that these two books have not been surpassed, at least not "Local Government in the Qing Dynasty." "

——"Rereading Mr. Qu Tongzu in the History of Academics", Su Li (Professor of Law School, Peking University)

"A truly classic academic work does not just give readers some perfect conclusions, but inspires readers to think and expand these conclusions. Local Government in the Qing Dynasty is such a work."

——Rereading "Local Government in the Qing Dynasty", Guo Jian (Professor of Law School, Fudan University)

"Mr. Qu's analysis of the grassroots governments in the Qing Dynasty, namely prefectures and counties, which were related to the chaos of the people's politics, provides details that are not familiar to us but are still influenced by them today, and sorts out and analyzes the tense relationship between the system and the individual. In terms of the combination of static and dynamic research, it is almost perfect."

——"Between Seeing the Big Picture from the Small and Seeking Fame and Being Responsible for the Reality", Wang Jinwen (Lecturer at the School of Law, Central South University)

About the Author