清代缙绅录量化数据库与官员群体研究

The Qing Jinshenlu Database: A New Source for the Study of Qing Officialdom

本文主要介绍基于清代缙绅录构建大规模量化数据库的步骤和初步成果,并探讨利用历史大数据定量分析的方法研究清代官员群体的独特优势和潜力。清代缙绅录记载了中央及地方文武职官员的基本信息,每年四季出版。清代缙绅录量化数据库基于《清代缙绅录集成》的部分约有280万条记录,如果将研究组目前整理的海内外其他图书馆所藏缙绅录版本统计在内,总数据量或可达到500万条以上。目前清代缙绅录量化数据库构建初具雏形,可以支持系统的定量分析。更为重要的是,经验证,缙绅录量化数据库可与基于朱卷、题名录、同年齿录等其他相关史料构建的量化数据库进行匹配连接,具有成为研究清代官员群体及士人阶层最全面、系统、基础的核心量化数据库的巨大潜力。

This essay introduces a major new database,based on the Jinshenlu,for the study of Chinese officialdom and Chinese society during the last imperial dynasty,the Qing,who ruled from 1644 to 1911.For almost two centuries,the Qing government and private publishers published a Jinshenlu every three months with the names and particulars of all civil,and sometimes military,officials. We are transcribing400 of these quarterly editions dating from 1661 to 1917 into a database,beginning with 206 containing approximately 2 800 000 records of 400 000 officials republished by the Tsinghua University Library as the 《清代缙绅录集成》.Based on our initial transcription of 652 984 records of 145 770 officials from 47 editions,we demonstrate the potential of these data for the study of official careers. We contrast bannermen,who had their own appointment system,with civil officials who passed the civil service examinations,and other officials who purchased their appointments. Moreover,we demonstrate that these Jinshenlu records can be linked to records in other systematic sources on the Qing imperial lineage,on examination degree holders,and on office purchasers. The resulting combined data provide an important opportunity to understand Qing political and social elites.