Institutional Background
The Bureau of Reception and Tribute (Zhuke Qingli Si) was one of four Qing Board of Rites administrative sections. It managed guest ritual involving the reception of foreign or tributary missions, formal treatment of envoys, and the regulated provision of gifts and hospitality. Its name did not designate an agency responsible for ordinary travellers throughout the country.
Responsibilities and Historical Practice
The Draft History of Qing explains that the bureau determined lodging provisions, food, and grants by reference to the distance of a tributary route, the number of envoys, and the scale of gifts presented. It also undertook some reward-related business following the completion of officially sponsored books. Other divisions of the Board of Rites dealt with ceremonial rules, sacrificial services, and court provisions; their duties should not be merged with those of this bureau.
Interpreting the Record
Under the administrative reorganization of 1906 (Guangxu 32), the bureau was renamed the Taichang Bureau. Consequently, references to the two titles in documents from different periods must not be taken as evidence that two separate offices of those names necessarily existed simultaneously throughout the Qing.
Sources and Bibliography
- Source reference 1 — zh.wikisource.org
- Source reference 2 — zh.wikisource.org
- Source reference 3 — zh.wikisource.org
- Source reference 4 — zh.wikisource.org
References reproduce links supplied with the Chinese research manuscript. Individual historical claims have not all been independently verified against the primary sources.
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