Formation And Transmission Of Population Statistics In Qing Dynasty

The purpose of this paper is aim to make careful analysis on population data of the Qing dynasty. By discriminating between items and formats of demographic records, this paper tries to trace the sources of population statistics system of the Qing dynasty and establishes a series of population figures in order to make observation between ideological institution and empirical operation.It’s shown by results that the procedure of ding assessment (人丁编审) and bao-jia registration (民数汇报) is both the similar one, which can be divided as two steps. One is actual operation by magistrates of county and prefecture while the other is report and check by provincial officials. Textual tools applied widely in the first step is called detailed list of ding assessment. Records produced in the second step are more complicated than those used in the former one. Those texts, including Palace Memorials and detailed list of population, are considered to be sources of population data while veritable records of Qing dynasty and gazetteers are regarded as receiver of population figures.All individual population figures, especially those for total population, must be subjected to a searching evaluation. First of all, the textual accuracy should be checked. For decades of transmission and handling of modern scholars, many copying and printing errors have crept in. Once the accuracy of textual figures has been checked, it should be tested to further analysis. As part of carrying out the emendation and evaluation of population figures, all available collateral data that will helpful in evaluating individual figures or trends should be assembled.