清代以"沖繁疲難"四字對政區進行分等,并依據各府廳州縣所占字數的不同將其劃分為最要缺、要缺、中缺、簡缺,分別將其選任權力交予地方督撫與吏部。通過對"沖繁疲難"及"最要缺""要缺""中缺""簡缺"分別予以制度梳理、量化統計、GIS分析,可以看到清朝如何將千差萬別的地理狀況按照"沖繁疲難"四字予以標準化,作為替代性指標反映各地交通位置、行政事務、賦稅征收、地方治安的空間差異,有針對性地依據治理難度來調配有限的官僚資源,包括在大一統體制下有意擢升邊疆地區的級別以吸引行政能力更強的官員前往赴任。本文通過對新建立的《縉紳錄》量化數據庫中數百萬清朝官員信息數據的追蹤,進一步探究了政區分等如何影響到官員的出身、選任以及晉升,為理解當代中國官員選拔制度提供了長時段的觀察視角。

The Qing government ranked all the administrative regions according to the four criteria,Chong,Fan,Pi,Nan,or namely transportation,administrative workload,tax collection,and criminal rate,and based on the ranking of the regions,local officialdom was categorized as the most crucial,the crucial,intermediate,and simple positions. Using historical research on the institutional change,the quantitative analysis and the GIS analysis,this research investigates how the Qing government distributed the limited bureaucratic resources based on this ranking system. It shows how the ranking system influenced the selection and promotion of local officials in the long run. In particular,it argues that the Qing government intentionally raised the rank of regions in the frontier to attract officials with higher administrative capabilities to take the positions there. This research may shed some light on the contemporary Chinese system of official selection and promotion as well.