Qing Draft Women "system Study

The institution of "Selecting Xiunvs", established by the Qing imperial family for their self-need and the administration of the Eight Banners, is an institution that unmarried women are selected among the Eight Banners and the Three Banners of ministry of the interior regularly for the imperial family. The system of Selecting Xiunvs in Qing Dynasty can be divided into two: one is to select Xiunvs from the Eight Banners once every three years, the other is to select Xiunvs from the Three Banners of ministry of the interior once every year. Xiunvs selected from the former is for the purpose of either increasing the number of imperial concubines or being betrothed to the sons or grandsons of the emperor. Xiunvs selected from the latter, also called "maids of honor", are to serve the royal court as maids. Although the range of selecting changed with time, it basically covered from the nobility at top to the house-slaves serving for generations at bottom.The institution, continued to be used from the reign of Shunzhi to the end of the Qing Dynasty, had undergone more than 200 years and left behind profound influences upon the Manchu society in the fields of marriage, finance, custom and convention, etc.Based on the previous studies, the paper makes use of the collection of archives and historical literatures from the No.1 Historical Archives and researches further the institution of Selecting Xiunvs with historical methods of analysis, statistics and comparison on a practical and realistic principle. This paper includes four chapters altogether. Chapter One is a brief introduction of the previous studies and the population administration of the Eight Banners. Chapter Two investigates the Selection of Xiunvs from the Eight Banners under the reign of Guangxu on the basis of relative files and archives of that time. By fanning out from point to area, the paper then analyzes the procedures and ranges of Xiunv- Selection throughout the Qing Dynasty. Chapter Three mainly discusses the Selection of Xiunvs from the Three Banners of ministry of the interior, and also investigates the conditions of their being selected and getting out of the royal court according to the relative archives of ministry of the interior. Chapter Four, with the help of the statements in the three chapters above, analyzes the influences of the Xiunv-Selection Institution upon the Manchu society.By the analysis of historical materials, it can be seen that there is a close connection between the institution of Selecting Xiunvs and the most important institution of Eight Banners. The selection of Xiunvs was carried out under the institution of Eight Banners, but it did influence the institution of Eight Banners and even the rule of Qing Dynasty. Therefore, by researching into the Xiunv-Selection Institution, the paper aims at not just learning a certain institution, but discussing further the social condition of Manchus also. Through the investigation of the changes and reasons of changes in the institution of Selecting Xiunvs, and also the influences of it upon the Manchu society, this paper has lay a foundation for further studies of the institution of Eight Banners and Manchu society.