Ming-Qing Documents

Biographical Source

Materials for research on individuals in the Ming and Qing periods are extensive, but the vast majority of people about whom we have any information were of course elites, i.e., people who had served in an official position or who at least had an examination degree. Considerable material is also available on important (and even not-so-important) literary and artistic figures who may not have had an official profile. Learning about the lives of non-elite individuals (as opposed to non-elites in general) is a much greater challenge; one place to begin is to look in genealogies, which are more inclusive than other types of sources - though of course also less detailed.
 

Biographical indexes and finding aids

To find out whether there is information available on the person you are interested in, and to establish the basic facts of a person's life, you can begin by using one of these indexes. See also the section below, "Finding an official."

Qingdai dang'an renming quanwei ziliao chaxun 清代檔案人名權威資料查訊 (Ming-Qing Archives Name Authority File).

This is a powerful searching tool for the electronic database of materials held at Academia Sinica (mostly from the Grand Secretariat archives) and the National Palace Museum (Grand Council archives). It can be used to find extensive biographical information on thousands of officials who served during the Qing (there are some entries for Ming, but far fewer). Entries provide exhaustive data on courtesy names, offices held, and biographical entries in the Qingshi liezhuan and other sources. Before you turn to the print resources below, consult the MQNAF database. The database is also hosted at Academia Sinica, with a slightly different look. For background on the creation of MQNAF, read the article in the online newsletter of the National Digital Archives Program from November 2003 here.

Qingren shiming biecheng zihao suoyin 清人室名別稱字號索引. Yang Tingfu and Yang Tongfu, eds. 2 vols. Rev. and enlarged edition. Shanghai:  Shanghai Guji (2001).

Lists over 100,000 alternative names representing 36,000 individuals, all from the Qing period. Searching can go both ways, and native places are included.

Qingdai zhuanji congkan suoyin 清代傳記叢刊索引. Zhou Junfu, ed. 3 vols. Taipei: Mingwen Shujv (1986).

Published as an index to a collectaneum of 150 Qing biographical sources edited by the same author, there are citations here to almost 48,000 people (compared to 27,000 in the following item).

Sanshisanzhong Qingdai zhuanji zonghe yinde 三十三種清代傳記總合引得. Tu Lien-che and Fang Chao-ying eds. Harvard-Yenching Institute Sinological Index Series no. 9. published in 1932. Reprinted.

A guide to locating biographical entries for well-known Qing figures (includes some late Ming personages, too) in 33 different collections (the list is at the front of the book, and is also given in the back of Hummel, ECCP, on which see below). This is now superseded by the preceding item; for anyone with a record of official service, both are to a degree being rendered obsolescent by the various online databases, such as the Ming-Qing Archives Name Authority File, listed above.

Hakki tsūshi retsuden sakuin 八旗通志列傳索引. Kanda Nobuo, ed. Tokyo: Toyo Bunko Seminar on Manchu History, (1965).

Lists twice (once in Chinese, once in Manchu) the name of every person with a biography in the first (1739) edition of Baqi tongzhi. A very useful but often overlooked source for early Qing history.

Mingdai difangzhi zhuanji suoyin 明代地方志傳記索引. 2 vols. Taipei, 1986.

A compilation of biographical materials on Ming-era figures drawn from gazetteer sources only found in Taiwanese and Japanese libraries. For a comparable work on the Qing, see the following; also similar indexes done by province or region (see Wilkinson, pp. 126-127). Although not in HYL, there is a compilation of biographical materials on Ming figures drawn from the gazetteer sources stored in Japan at HYL.  

Qingdai difang renwu zhuanji congkan 清代地方人物傳記叢刊. Jiang Qingbai, ed. Yangzhou: Guangling Shushe (2007).

A compilation of biographical materials on 25,000 Qing-era figures organized according to native place.

Ming-Qing funü zhuzuo 明清婦女著作 Ming-Qing Women's Writings

Though not an index per se, this full-text database of writings by women who lived in the late imperial period allows for searching by name, and can be useful for locating biographical information of women who left a literary oeuvre.

Qingdai shiren youmu biao 清代士人游幕表. Shang Xiaoming, Beijing: Zhonghua Shujv (2005).

This index documents scholars who did not start their careers by becoming officials, but by joining "think tanks" of officials, 游幕. Brief biographical information and major works are listed.

Qingdai gedi jiangjun dutong dachen deng nianbiao 清代各地將軍都統大臣等年表. Zhang Bojiang, ed. Taipei: Wenhai Press (1979).

Lists military officials of various ranks and all parts of the Qing empire from 1796-1911.

Dictionary of Ming Biography, 1368-1644 (The Ming Biographical History Project of the Association for Asian Studies). 2 vols. L. Carrington Goodrich and Chaoying Fang, eds. New York: Columbia University Press (1976). EAL 2259.7/0990.

This work has earned a place beside Hummel's Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period. It is based largely upon original Ming documents. Lives of nearly 650 representative figures are explored. There are indices of names, books, and subjects.

Eminent Chinese of the Ch’ing Period. 2 vols. Arthur Hummel, Jr., ed. Taiwan: Ch'engwen Pub (1970).

Though it is now more than 60 years old, “Hummel” (as it is affectionately known) remains an essential reference work that belongs in the library of every scholar working on the Qing. Compiled by an international team of fifty scholars, its publication set a new standard in Qing studies. Writing in the preface, Hu Shi declared, “Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period is more than a biographical dictionary. It is the most detailed and the best history of China of the last three hundred years that one can find anywhere today.” There are 808 sketches (of which 190 are of bannermen) in the form of encyclopedic biographical narratives, complete with bibliography. Only people who died before 1912 are given biographical sketches in their own right, but other figures living afterwards and important at the time are mentioned. The indexes are very carefully done. Also included are some Ming figures who were thought to have had considerable influence on the life and thought of Qing figures.

A digitized, searchable database based on Hummel ("New ECCP Reader") is being prepared by Pamela Crossley at Dartmouth College, and can be found on this page. Note that using the app requires downloading and installing special software (available from the site). 

Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: The Qing Period, 1644-1911. Lily Lee and Clara Lau, eds. Armonk, NY: ME Sharpe (1998).

Most historical biographies (primary sources) are on lives of men; so are most biographical dictionaries (secondary sources). This biographical dictionary on Qing women is an attempt to get a fuller picture of Qing personalities. The editors choose to include women of outstanding achievement in a field of study, profession, or trade; and women who have had some special influence over their own era or on posterity. These include palace women, female scholars from intellectual families, writers from all ethnic backgrounds (Manchu, Mongolian, Han Chinese, etc.), and women who worked in cultural trades (such as inkstone carving, martial arts, and storytelling).

Qingshi liezhuan 清史列傳. Wang Zhonghan, Beijing: Zhonghua Shujv (1987).

Contains detailed, authoritative biographies of many officials who served under the Qing; indexed in MQNAF. Compiled from materials kept in the Historiographical Bureau (Guoshiguan 國史館), the entries here are fuller than those included in the biographies section 列傳 of the Qingshi gao, and should be used in preference to that (coverage is the same). First published in 1928; the punctuated edition of 1987, edited by Wang Zhonghan, is the best version to use.

Baqi tongzhi 八旗通志 and Qinding Baqi tongzhi 欽定八旗通志. Ortai et al., eds. Taipei: Taiwan Shangwu Yinshu Guan (1983).

The biographies sections of these two works offer very full information on prominent and lesser-known bannermen, including Hanjun and Mongol bannermen as well as Manchus. It also serves as an institutional history of each of the 24 banners (8 each of Manchu, Mongol, and Hanjun).

Baqi Manzhou shizu tongpu 八旗滿洲氏族通譜, see also Manchu version. Ortai et al., eds, (1744).

This collection of biographies of important Manchus is organized by clan and was intended in part to establish who could legitimately claim Manchu banner status through membership in a clan recognized as Manchu (though some of the clans listed in this work are of Mongol, Korean, or even Chinese origin, these too had been officially granted membership in the Manchu banners by the Qing state). Thus it has a heavily genealogical focus, including information on the descendants of the people whose biographies are featured, even when those descendants were not themselves important enough to have their own biography.

Manzhou mingchen zhuan 滿洲名臣傳 Jv Hua Shu Shi compiled, China: Jvhua Shushi (1765).

This collection contains biographies of famous Manchu officials starting from the Nurgaci Reign to the early Jiaqing Reign. The compilers of this collection remains unknown.   

Han mingchen zhuan 漢名臣傳, compiled by Qing Guo Shi Guan, Taipei: Mingwen Shujv (1985).

Similar to the Manzhou Mingchen zhuan, this collection contains famous Han officials starting from the Nurgaci Reign to the early Jiaqing Reign, it was compiled by the Qing Guo Shi Guan. 

Erchen zhuan 贰臣傳. Guo Shi Guan eds. Taipei: Mingwen Shujv (1985).

This two volumes contain biographies of Ming officials who surrendered to the Qing. The first volume are those who made great contributions to the Qing, and the second volume are those who did not.    

Nichen zhuan 逆臣傳. Taipei: Guangwen Shujv (1972).

This collection was compiled in the year 1783, and it contains biographies of rebels from the foundation of the dynasty to the year 1775.  

Guochao qixian leizheng 國朝耆獻纇徵. Li Huan eds.

This collection biographies of over ten thousands of Qing figures covering from the year 1616 to 1850. 

Qing ru xue'an 清儒學案. Xu Shichang, Tianjin: Xushi Jia (1938).

This collection contains biographies of 1169 Qing scholars 

Qingdai beizhuan quanji 清代碑傳全集. Chen Jinlin, ed. 2 vols.Shanghai: Shanghai guji Press (1987).

This is a collection of four separate works published during the Qing and early Republic, originally under the editorship of Qing scholar Qian Yiji. The work is modeled on Song and Ming workds in bringing together the texts of 7,300 inscriptions bearing on the lives of over 5,500 individuals. Organization is by the affiliation of the individual, and within that by reign.

Jinshi renwu zhi 近世人物志. Compiled by Jin Liang (1878-1962), Beijing: Beijing tushuguan cbs (2007).

The compiler, Jin Liang 金梁 (a Manchu) was an important figure in the project of Qingshigao. Instead of writing up new biographies, Jin Liang compiled this work by quoting original diary entries of contemporaries deemed credible, namely the diaries of Weng Tonghe, Li Ciming, Wang Kaiyun and Ye Changchi. More than 600 late Qing officials were documented.

Qingdai difang renwu zhuanji congkan 清代地方人物傳記叢刊. Jiang Qingbo ed. 11 vols. Yangzhou: Guangling shushe (2007).

This series contains over 25,000 individual biographies selected from local gazetteers and biographies. It covers a wide range of geographical locations as well as people from different social status. This complements 清代傳記叢刊 and the two have very little in the way of overlaps.

Guochao shuhuajia bilu 國朝書畫家筆錄. Dou Zhen (b.1847) ed. Tianjin: Tianjin guji cbs (1997).

This is a biographical dictionary of painters and calligraphers of the Ming and Qing periods.

Qingdai zhu Zang dachen zhuanlue 清代驻藏大臣传略. Wu Fengpei, Xizang Renmin cbs, Lhasa: Xizang Renmin Press (1988).

This gives a list of officials who served in Tibet during the Qing - a position not included in Qian Shifu.

 

The preceding items furnish information on persons (mostly men!) who lived during the Ming and Qing periods. For all historical periods, the following may be consulted.

Lidai renwu nianli beizhuan zongbiao 歷代人物年里碑傳綜表. Jiang Liangfu, ed. Hong Kong: Zhonghua Shujv (1961).

A revised version of earlier editions (1937, 1959), this work includes about 12,000 individuals, arranged chronologically by birth dates, and gives the following information: name, zi, hao, native-place, age, birth and death year (in both western calendar years and the Chinese method of reign period and year), and sources for further information. A surname index is also provided.

Ershiwushi renming da cidian 二十五史人名大辭典. Huang Huixian, ed. 2 vols. Zhengzhou: Zhongzhou Guji Press  (1997).

To quickly check through the 30,000 biographies of any of the 25 standard histories, this is the reference tool of choice. Contains summaries and basic information on these and thousands more people. Thoroughly indexed. If you are simply hoping to locate the liezhuan of a certain person, your other option is to access the digitized database of dynastic histories and search there under the person's name.

Gujin renwu bieming suoyin 古今人物別名索引. Chen Deyun ed. Beijing: Guojia Tushuguan Press (2010).

Listing 70,000 names, this is the most complete and comprehensive index of alternate names available. Arranged by stroke count. Most useful when you are trying to establish the “real” name of a famous person and you know only his studio name or other nickname.

Zhongguo lidai renming dacidian 中国历代人名大辞典. Zhang Huizhi 张撝之, Shen Qiwei 沈起炜, Liu Dezhong 刘德重, eds. Shanghai: Shanghai guji Press (1999).

Contains biographical data of approximately 54,500 famous people from antiquity to the 1911 revolution.

Zhongguo renming da cidian 中國人名大辭典. Zang Lihe et al., ed. Shanghai: Shangwu Yinshu Guan (1980).

Nearly 40,000 people are included with most coming from the dynastic histories. It gives neither dates nor sources, and the entries are often incredibly brief (sometimes only 2 or 3 lines per individual). Includes an appendix of alternate names for people included in the directory. Widely reproduced and hence widely used, it is not to be relied on except for quick, incidental reference.

Zhongguo lishi da cidian 中國歷史大辭典(清史卷), 14 vols (2 vols. on Qing).  Dai Yi, Luo Ming, eds. Shanghai: Shanghai cishu Press (1992).

These volumes, despite being in simplified characters (even the indexes and stroke-order lists use jiantizi), are quite handy. They include not only people, but historical movements, events, periods, books, institutions, and organizations (secret societies, schools, academies, and the like). Information for individuals includes: dates (if available), family background, native-place, and major events (usually, but not always without specific dates). The comprehensive “historical” coverage makes these volumes fairly useful.

 

China Biographical Database 中國歷代人物傳記資料庫 (CBDB)

Maintained by the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University 費正清中國研究中心, the Institute of History and Philology of Academia Sinica 中研院歷史語言研究所, and the Center for Research on Ancient Chinese History at Peking University 北京大學中國古代史研究中心, CBDB is a free Chinese-English relational database containing biographical information for approximately 470,000 individuals from the seventh through the nineteenth century (as of May 2020). The database is being continually updated and expanded. Though perhaps not as narratively robust as MQNAF, CBDB is the most comprehensive prosopographical database for China. It can be used both as a reference tool and as a research tool for statistical, social network, and spatial analysis of middle and late imperial Chinese history. One can query the data by time, by office, by place, by text genre, by person, and by various combinations of these. Data in the CBDB can be accessed through either an online query system (English and Chinese versions available) or a downloadable Microsoft Access Database under Windows. 

The China Historical Christian Database (CHCD)

The China Historical Christian Database (CHCD) quantifies and visualizes the place of Christianity in modern China (1550-1950). It provides users the tools to discover where every Christian church, school, hospital, orphanage, publishing house, and the like were located in China, and it documents who worked inside those buildings, both foreign and Chinese. Collectively, this information creates spatial maps and generates relational networks that reveal where, when, and how Western ideas, technologies, and practices entered China. Simultaneously, it uncovers how and through whom Chinese ideas, technologies, and practices were conveyed to the West.

 

Lists of scholar-officials

The most basic and vital information about any elite male in pre-20th century China was the date of his degree and his place in the government. It is important to establish these data if you can for people whose lives you are researching, as they may lead to other useful connections. (For how these connections worked, read Iona Man-Cheong, The Class of 1761 (Stanford, 2004)). The following works are helpful in this regard.

Ming-Qing like jinshi timing beilu 明清歷科進士題名碑錄. Li Zhouwang and Depei, eds. 3 vols. Taipei: Huawen Shujv (1969).

Exhaustive work compiled first in the early Qing and then on a running basis through the Qing to 1904. Gives the names and native places of all jinshi from the Ming and Qing reigns. Arranged by name (there is an index - see the next entry).

Ming-Qing jinshi timing beilu suoyin 明清進士題名碑錄索引. Zhu Baojiong and Xie Peilin, eds. 3 vols. Taipei: Wenhai Press (1981).

Index to the preceding work, reproducing most of the information there regarding date of degree and native place (but not household type). There is another index (Pan Rongsheng, ed., Ming-Qing jinshi lu 明清進士錄, Pan Rongsheng ed., Beijing: Zhonghua Shujv (2006)) but this includes only 7,700 of the 51,624 jinshi degree holders from the Ming and Qing. What it lacks in comprehensiveness is partially compensated for by fuller entries, which include basic information on offices held, style and other names, and the title of the person's wenji, if it exists.

Jinshen lu 搢 /縉 紳錄. Washington, D.C.: Center for Chinese Research Materials. Microfilm, 99 reels. (1984)

This compilation, gathered and printed by private publishers in Peking during the Qing dynasty, lists government posts and the names of those who filled them. Originally published under different titles by various publishers, the documents assumed the general title Jinshen lu. As it was typically updated quarterly, four volumes of the Jinshen lu appeared every year.

The microfilm set includes, for example, an early issue, published in 1757 and entitled Da Qing zhiguan qianchu quanshu (Complete Listing of Official Transfers in the Qing Dynasty). Between the publication of the 1757 edition and the 1917 edition in this set many titles appeared. The most frequently used title, however, was Da Qing jinshen quanshu (Complete Listing of Officials of the Qing Dynasty). Other titles used include Da Qing zhiguan qianchu timing lu (List of Official Transfers in the Qing Dynasty); Da Qing zhongshu beilan (Reference Guide to the Central Government of the Qing Dynasties); and Huangchao wenzhi guan lu (List of Civil Servants to the Imperial Government). After the downfall of the Qing, the series was published regularly under the new title Zhonghua jinshen quanshu (Complete Listing of Officials of China).

Each book begins by delineating the organization and functions of the central government. The rank, appointment procedure, salary, and official rites for each position appear in detail. Most books in the set list Manchu and Han officials at central and provincial levels, including each official's name, rank, degree, birthplace, and family background.

HYL owns approximately 135 original editions of these titles, from 1792 to 1912. Look under 大清搢紳全書.

The Lee-Campbell Research Group at HKUST developed an online database that allows search of names in the 缙绅录–notice that this is an evolving process and the database is not yet complete.

Tongguan lu 同官錄. (1850 - )

Unlike the Jinshen lu, the Tongguan lu was compiled by provincial governments and deals with the appointments and transfers of local officials ranking from governors to magistrates. Listings include biographical sketches. Due to frequent transfers of local officials, these lists were revised frequently. Microfilm titles put the name of the province before "同官錄." Various original editions (all 19th-c.) such as this one from Shandong are available in HYL. A great deal more information is given here, including names of parents, paternal and maternal grandparents, wives, siblings, and children.

Qingdai zhiguan nianbiao 清代職官年表. Qian Shifu, ed. 4 vols. Beijing: Zhonghua Shujv (1980).

The only reference book you need to find who served in what position when. Cleverly done to allow you to trace a man’s movements around the bureaucracy (this purpose can now more easily be served, however, by the Ming-Qing Archives Name Authority File).

Zhongguo diyi lishi dang’anguan cang Qingdai guanyuan lüli dang’an quanbian 中國第一歷史檔案館藏清代官員履歷檔案全編. FHA, comp. 30 vols. Shanghai: Huadong Normal University Press (1997) W 50.2.1

Contains facsimiles of the curriculum vitae (55,883 total) of many thousands of Qing officials, covering from the late Kangxi reign through the end of the Qing. A chronologically ordered list of those whose records are found within appears at the beginning of each volume. The index is in Volume 30.

Qingji zhiguan biao fu renwu lu 清季職官表附人物錄. Wei Hsiu-mei, ed. Beijing: Zhonghua Shujv (2013).

This is one of the major references for official positions in the Qing dynasty. It covers information related to the senior positions outside Beijing and the officials in the Central government from Qianlong 51 [1786] to Xuantong 2 [1910]. An electronic version of the book is now available online. Based on the data collected in this research, the Academia Sinica has also created a searchable database.

Literary collections (wenji 文集)

Qing political and social elites spent a great deal of time writing. Hence, literary collections are an extremely useful source for biographical information. These collected works often include government documents such as memorials and letters, essays, prefaces to other texts, poetries, funerary writings (such as eulogy and epitaph) for others, and so on.

Qingdai wenji pianmu fenlei suoyin 淸代文集篇目分類索引. Wang Zhongmin and Yang Dianxun , eds. Beijing Shi: Beijing tushuguan chubanshe (2003).

This is an expanded version of the 1965 edition. It is an excellent index to the literary collections of Qing scholars. This useful reference offers a synopsis of each literary collection, and provides a detailed index which thematically categorizes the works ranging from Four Books and Five Classics to inscriptions and poetries.

Epigraphy (beiwen 碑文)

Funerary stelae were important biographical sources. They were conventionally divided into xingzhuang (an account of the deeds of a person, usually written just after he or she had died), a proper epitaph or muzhiming 墓誌銘 (a biography usually on a square stone buried with or near the coffin to identify the tomb's occupant), and a grave notice (a biography inscribed on stone and placed above ground to commemorate the dead). For the Qing, the main materials to consult are the following:

Qingdai beizhuan quanji 清代碑傳全集. Chen Jinlin, ed. 2 vols. Shanghai: Shanghai guji Press (1987).

This is actually a collection of four separate works published during the Qing and early Republic, originally under the editorship of Qing scholar Qian Yiji. The work is modeled on Song and Ming workds in bringing together the texts of 7,300 inscriptions bearing on the lives of over 5,500 individuals. Organization is by the affiliation of the individual, and within that by reign. The index, unfortunately, is done according to the four-corner system.

Qingdai Bei Zhuan Wen Tongjian 清代碑傳文通檢. Chen Naiqian, comp. Beijing: Zhonghua Shujv (1959).

Indexes over 1,000 commemorative stele inscriptions.

Chronological biographies (nianpu 年譜)

Nianpu (even in English, the Chinese term is most commonly used) are compilations of materials pertaining to the life of a single (and usually prominent) person, usually put together by his descendants (a handful were compiled autobiographically, hence called zixiu 自修 or ziding 自定). They offer detailed information on dates, positions, publications, acquaintances, and major milestones, organized in chronological order. There are roughly 1,000 of them from the Qing period, indexed in the work listed here.

Zhongguo lidai renwu nianpu kaolu 中國歷代人物年譜考錄. Xie Wei, ed. Beijing: Zhonghua Shujv (1992).

The most exhaustive index of nianpu ever compiled, well indexed and very comprehensive. See the notes in Wilkinson, p. 161.

Zhongguo nianpu cidian 中國年譜辭典. Huang Xiuwen, et al., ed. Shanghai: Baijia Press (1997). 

The online version is easy to view. There is also a new edition that came out in 2015, which Wilkinson says is currently the most comprehensive, though it does not entirely supersede Xie Wei. (Citation: Zhongguo nianpu dacidian 中國年譜大辭典. Huang Xiuwen, ed. Shanghai: Shanghai cishu, 2015.) The new edition is not yet available at the Harvard-Yenching Library, though a copy can be accessed via WorldCat. 

Finding an official

If you have the name of an official and want to obtain information about him such as when he obtained his degree, his rank, his hometown, or a biography, there are a number of places to look, although success is not guaranteed.

If you are looking to identify an official who has submitted a memorial to the throne, chances are good you will find that person in the electronic database of the Ming-Qing Archives Name Authority File 清代檔案人名權威資料查訊 (MQNAF) (see above under "Biographical indexes and finding aids." If you do not have access to a computer, you can check Qian Shifu,
清代職官年表. The index (by stroke count) is in Volume 4 and will lead you to the highest office held by that person; starting there, using the codes in the tables (these are all explained at the beginning of Vol. 1), you can easily trace a man's career back to the point at which he entered the middle levels of the bureaucracy (but not all the way down to the bottom). The index in Qian will also give you basic information as to home province (or banner affiliation) and courtesy names.

If your man has not surfaced in MQNAF, or if you know that he never rose very high in the ranks, see if you can find him from a source on the "lists of scholar-officials" listed above, especially 明清進士題名碑錄索引, which is indexed, easy to use, and provides the necessary data to track down more information about your official.

Once you know where your official served, you can then find him listed in the local gazetteer (search under 官表), which should also give further information about hometown and tenure (and which may or may not confirm what you have found in other sources). You may also want to check the gazetteer(s) from the official's own native place. If you are lucky, he will have a biography (look in 列專). You may discover, however, that your having neglected the annual sacrifice to Wenchang has not gone unnoticed, in which case you can try to find him or his kin in the 紳士 section.

Bibliography

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