The intendant (taotai) had its origins in the Ming era, but became
regularly established only during the Ch'ing period. The focus of this study is
to provide an analysis of adjustment and change of intendant system in the early
Ch'ing period, as well as to help us to understand contrasts in continuity and
change of the intendant between Ming and Ch'ing governments.
This study is separated into four sections. The first section, "The Adjustment
of Intendant System in Ch'ing Administration and Its Factors", analyses the
various reasons for the Ch'ing government adjusted intendant system and the
number of intendants in each provincial government. The second section, "The
Functions and Powers of Intendant", argues the various types and functions of
intendants and their meanings in the early Ch'ing administrative system. The
third and fourth sections, "The Appointment of Intendants", deal with the
complicated methods in which intendants were appointed and the qualifications
for intendants were regulated under early Ch'ing rule.
The li-pu (the Board of Civil Affairs) took charge of the list of intendant's
candidates and ranked those candidates according various standard of evaluation,
like merits, but the real power for selection and appointment of intendants was
controlled by the emperor directly. The governors-general and governors in the
provincial governments could use their relations with the emperor, or stress the
importance of geographical needs to influence the decision of the emperor for a
particular person to the post of intendant within their administrative sphere.
In the process of the appointment of intendants, it was conspicuous that li-pu
struggled for its powers of ranking suitable candidates for the post of
intendant against those governors-general and governors.