Publisher's Synopsis
During the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), the province emerged as an important element in management of the expanding Chinese empire, with governors -- those in charge of these increasingly influential administrative units -- playing key roles. R. Kent Guy's comprehensive study of this shift concentrates on the governorship system during the reigns of the Shunzhi, Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong emperors, who ruled China from 1644 to 1736. In the preceding Ming dynasty (1368-1644), the responsibilities of provincial officials were ill-defined and often shifting; Qing governors, in contrast, were influential members of a formal administrative hierarchy and enjoyed the support of the central government, including access to resources. These increasingly powerful officials extended the court's influence into even the most distant territories of the Qing empire. Personnel records and biographies provide colorful details about the lives, accomplishments, misfortunes, and feuds of noteworthy governors.
