A Study on Daofu Asking for Instructions and Daily Government Affairs in the Qing Dynasty— Also on Instructions Writing and Its Characteristics

In the Qing Dynasty, the election of Daoyuan (“道员”) and Zhifu (“知府”) was highly valued by the emperor and the central government. In addition to the division of complexity and simplicity, and the division of the official rank, it is also necessary to establish a system of asking for instructions, present a memorial to the emperor, and ask and answer questions between the emperor and the minister face to face. During this process, the Daofu (“道府”) successively communicated and interacted with officials of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Changban (“长班”), the officials of Military Aircraft, Sula (“苏拉”), the ministers of Military Aircraft, the eunuch, the emperor (and the empress dowager), etc., which constructed a vivid “stage drama” integrating events, characters, behaviors, space and time. Viewing the stage and perusing the scene can not only fill the gap between official records and administrative operations, but also strengthen the sense of history and the sense of the scene that officials are summoned. The emperors’ Zhupi (“朱批”) and officials’ memories produced during this period provided important materials for later generations to observe the governance and government operation in the Qing Dynasty. However, influenced by subjective factors, Zhupi has a strong subjectivity, and there are additions, deletions and modifications in memory, which need to be examined when using.