Study on the functions of the three-port commerce minister in the Qing Dynasty

The three-port commerce minister was a new official position established in Tianjin after the Second Opium War in order to adapt to the internal and external changing situation.It was started in 1861 and terminated after the Tianjin Missionary Case of 1870.Chong Hou,a Manqing nobleman,was always the minister. At the beginning,the minister was in charge of business and foreign affairs.Afterwards,the functions of it extended to military training,the defense of marine territory,the administration of local government and local political affairs.The evolution of the functions of the minister resulted from the joint action of foreign invaders,the central government of the Qing Dynasty and Chong Hou himself.