My Great Qing, What a Mess

They were powerful ministers at the heart of the capital, far above the common run of officials. They oversaw military affairs, investigated grain and military expenditures, and managed the waterways. They probably made a tidy sum on the side, too. They served eight emperors and shaped more than two centuries of Qing history, while keeping plenty of the court's little schemes to themselves. They were the Qing dynasty's governors-general of Zhili! This “Governors-General of Zhili Reporting on Their Tenure” gathering tells the story of the Qing emperors' closest “men.” The attendees are the 68 governors-general who held office over the years, while the judges are the emperors Yongzheng, Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, Xianfeng, Tongzhi, and Guangxu. The governors-general tell you what they did and achieved in Zhili, and, while they're at it, how they shaped history.