Databases for the Study of Qing (1644-1911) Political and Educational Elites

Cameron Campbell, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

We introduce historical datasets of 18th and 189 century Qing (1644-1911) elites that the Lee-Campbell Group have recently constructed, analyzed, and in some cases made publicly available, with an emphasis on datasets completed in the last two years. We will discuss methodological issues related to the linkage, cleaning and analysis of these datasets. The datasets we introduce are all large, individual-level, and longitudinal, and amenable to the application of techniques from the digital humanities and social sciences to explore topics related to study the inter- and intragenerational mobility of elites in 18th and 19th century China, as well as their spatial origins and circulation, and their qualifications. The core of these datasets is the China Government Employee Dataset-Qing Jinshenlu (CGED-Q JSL), which currently consists of 4,433,600 records of 327,618 officials for the period between 1760 and 1912. These records record officials’ posts and other information at three-month intervals for the duration of their careers. The CGED-Q Examination Records (ER) provide information about the family backgrounds of 45,000 holders of examination degrees including the Metropolitan Degree (Jinshi) the Provincial Degree (Juren). Since 2023, we have been transcribing the information in the original sources about the kinship networks of these degree holders, including their names and relationship to the degree holder, so that by November 2024 the CGED-Q ER will contain approximately 800,000 names of individuals related to the degree holders. The CGED-Q Resume Archive (RA), constructed in 2023, contains 50,000 resumes submitted by officials in advance of audiences with Emperors. These resumes provide information about the role of office purchase and introductions by patrons in the appointment and promotion of a subset of officials.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 71. Databases for the Quantitative History of China