In the book "Mirror Image of Late Qing Dynasty Officialdom-A Study of Du Diary", the author studied the diaries written by Du, a county official in late Qing Dynasty, sorted out many historical details from the diaries of more than ten years, and showed us the officialdom ecology, official duties and tax revenue and expenditure of the county government in late Qing Dynasty. Because of the privacy of the diary itself, almost everything recorded in the diary is true, but perhaps because of the perspective, the description of some things will be subjective and even exaggerated. But this does not affect its historical value.
In the book, the author sorts out many details of Du's official life, such as getting along with his boss and colleagues, among which the etiquette between officials and how to give gifts are refreshing. With regard to various subordinate organizations of state and county yamen, the author classifies them according to the diary, and describes in detail the working and living conditions of fund-raisers and relatives of officials, "family members (servants)", bookkeepers and officials. And how to obtain "income" through their own advantages and resources, exposing the cruel survival law of society at that time. It is difficult to really understand the real life of these people through film and television works or novels, but through Du's diary, we seem to be in that era and see their past with our own eyes.
This may be mainly influenced by Bao Qingtian and other TV dramas. In my opinion, yamen is a very mysterious place, with large plaques hanging high in the mirror, chiefs with long sticks standing on both sides, and all kinds of instruments of torture that give people goose bumps. During the trial, the county magistrate patted the board and shouted "Bold and unruly, hell to pay", which made people feel particularly familiar with the scene. Regarding Du's trial, there are no such details in the book. The author sorts out the ins and outs of some cases and Du's consideration of trial. With regard to torture, there are many examples of the use of "standing cages" and other instruments of torture. In the era when criminal investigation methods were relatively backward, state and county officials made the final decision mainly through multi-party evidence collection, and they had great discretion, so it was difficult to guarantee the fairness of the results.
There are many records about collecting money and grain in the diary, which we rarely see in film and television works, but there are many studies in academic circles. Therefore, the author sorts out some unnoticed details in his diary, such as the people who participated in the Cui Zheng process and the various means used, which can be used for reference by researchers. As for the income of state and county officials, there are many examples in the book. Although Du did not directly write how he got the gray income in his diary, he could infer the source and amount of income through some side descriptions and Du's writing about the income of other state and county officials. Although most of the income comes from money, grain and Cui Zheng, other sources such as deed tax, "public ceremony" or "official ceremony", gifts from others, bail bribes and so on. In addition, relatives of state and county officials will also have various sources of income, some of which are quite large. As for the expenditure of state and county officials, of course, it is indispensable. Its expenses mainly include donations (that is, compulsory payment of part of the money for official expenses), various official duties, support for superiors at all levels and many other aspects. In some places, if the income is low or state and county officials "can't continue to operate", they will suffer losses, make ends meet, and even be dismissed, with a very tragic outcome.
The book Mirror Image of Officialdom in Late Qing Dynasty gives me a feeling of deja vu, but sometimes it is refreshing. Some details seem to have been seen somewhere, but some did not expect that, for example, the above-mentioned state and county officials would lose money. The author has studied this huge diary for many years, and has paid great patience from recognizing handwriting to speculating the details recorded in the diary. If readers are interested in the history, political system and tax system of the late Qing Dynasty, they can further study the original text of Du Diary after reading this book. This book is the best recommendation for understanding the officialdom of the Qing Dynasty.