Ruan Yuan, 1764-1849: The Life and Work of a Major Scholar-Official in Nineteenth-Century China before the Opium War

Chronology of Ruan Yuan’s Government Appointments

Chronology of Ruan Yuan’s Government Appointments Office Location Rank1 Appointment Hanlin Bachelor 翰林院庶吉士 Beijing 1790 Proof Reader (Wu Ying Dian) 武英殿纂修 Beijing 1789/5 Imperial Diarist 起居住官 Beijing 1790/2 On Duty at Imperial Study 在南書房行走 Compiler Second Class 翰林院編修 Beijing 7A 1790/3 Junior Supervisor of Instruction Beijing 4A 1791/3 詹事府少詹事 Senior Supervisor of Instruction Beijing 3A 1791/11 詹事府正詹事 Sub-Chancellor of Grand Secretariat Beijing 2B 內閣學士 On Duty at Wen Yuan Ge 文淵閣 Director of Studies (Shandong) 山東學政 Jinan 1793/6 Director of Studies (Zhejiang) 浙江學政 Hangzhou 1795/8 1. Even before the imperial era (221 BC) Chinese civil service and personnel had been graded systematically by rank (pin 品). The Qing followed the Ming system in grading the offices and the officials into nine ranks, each further divided into two degrees (deng 等), therefore eighteen categories in total, in descending order from Rank 1A to 9B. Stipends in terms of cash (tael 兩 of silver) and rice (in quantity of shi 石) were also specified. See H. S. Brunnert and V. V. Hagelstrom, Present Day Political Organizations of China (1912), and Charles O. Hucker, A Dictionary of Official Titles in Imperial China (1985). For a simplified chart of the ranking system and stipends, see Immanuel Hsü, The Rise of Modern China (1995 edition), p. 62. xvi Chronology of Ruan Yuan’s Government Appointments Office Location Rank Appointment Vice President (Board of Rites) 禮部侍郎 1795/9 On Duty at Imperial Study Beijing 2A 1798–9 Vice President (Board of War) 兵部左侍郎 On Duty at Imperial Study Beijing 2A 1799/2 Vice President (Board of Revenue) Beijing 2A 1799/4 戶部左侍郎 Assistant Examiner of Metropolitan Beijing 1799 Examination 會試副考官 Acting Vice President (Board of Rites) Beijing 2A 1799/7 禮部左侍郎管理國子監算學 Governor of Zhejiang 浙江巡撫 Hangzhou 2B 1799–1805 Vice President (Board of Revenue) Beijing 2A 1807 戶部左侍郎 Vice President (Board of War) 兵部左侍郎 Beijing 2A 1807 Governor of Zhejiang 浙江巡撫 Hangzhou 2B 1807/12 Compiler Second Class (Hanlin Academy) Beijing 7A 1810/10 翰林院編修 Sub-expositor (Hanlin Academy) Beijing 4B 1810/5 翰林院侍講 Imperial Diarist 起居住官 Beijing 1810/10 Revisor (State Historiographer’s Office) Beijing 1810/11 國史官總輯 Junior Supervisor of Instruction Beijing 4A 1811/9 詹事府少詹事 Sub-Chancellor of Grand Secretariat Beijing 2B 1812/1 內閣學士 Vice President (Board of Rites) 禮部左侍郎 Beijing 2A 1812/1 Vice President (Board of Works) 工部右侍郎 Beijing 2A 1812/5 Director-General of Grain Transport Huai’an 2A 1812 漕運總督 淮安 Chronology of Ruan Yuan’s Government Appointments xvii Office Location Rank Appointment Governor of Jiangxi Nanchang 2B 1814 江西巡撫 南昌 Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent (honorary title) 太子少保 Governor of Henan Kaifeng 2B 1816/8 河南巡撫 開封 Governor-General of Hu Guang Wuchang 2A 1817/10 湖廣總督 武昌 Governor-General of Guangdong Canton 2A 1817 and Guangxi2 兩廣總督 廣州 Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou Kunming 2A 1826 雲貴總督 昆明 Assistant Chief Examiner of Beijing 1833 Metropolitan Examination 會試副總裁 Assistant Grand Secretary 協辦大學士 Kunming 1B 1833 Grand Secretary (Tiren Ge) Beijing 1A 1835/3 In Charge of Board of War 體仁閣大學士管理兵部 Senior Vice-President of the Censorate Beijing 1835/10 都察院左都御史 Reader, Palace Examination 殿試閱卷大臣 Beijing 1836 Senior Professor (Hanlin Academy) Beijing 1836 翰林院教習大臣 Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent (honorary title) 1838 太子太保 Grand Mentor of the Heir Apparent3 (honorary title) 1846 太子太傅 2. Since the governor-general also controlled military and naval forces as well as being the emperor’s eye and ear over all the personnel in the provinces, he also held the ex-officio titles of President of the Board of War (兵部尚書) and Senior Vice-President of the Censorate (都察院左都 御史). 3. Ruan Yuan was the sixth person in the Qing dynasty to be so honoured during his lifetime. ...