On the Exercise of Dual Control and Symbolic Control by Governors in the Late Ming and the Early Qing Dynasties

In the late Ming and the early Qing Dynasties,the areas controlled by a provincial governor or a district governor overlapped.As a result it was very common for an area to be governed by two governors.While a provincial governor was in charge of administrative services for the whole province,a district governor was responsible for military operations within a particular district.Two governors cooperated in the dealing of some affairs,providing instructions for intendants of circuit or listen to their reports about civil affairs.The governor-general in the late Ming Dynasty were in control of several provinces in name,while they actually governed only one province and exerted symbolic control over its neighboring areas.