# Viceroy of Southern Rivers

The Viceroy of Rivers and Waterways in Jiangnan Overseeing Military Affairs, better known simply as the Viceroy of Southern Rivers or Viceroy of Southern Rivers and Waterways, was a government office in China proper during the Qing dynasty. The office was based in Qingjiangpu (清江浦), which is now a district of Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province. The Viceroy usually held the rank of a deputy first-grade official or a regular second-grade official. The Viceroy was in charge of dredging and embankment projects in the waterways of Jiangsu Province.

## History

The office of Viceroy of Rivers and Waterways was created in the early Qing dynasty. In 1677, during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor, Jin Fu (t 靳輔, s 靳辅, Jìn Fǔ, 1633–1692) served as the Viceroy of Rivers and Waterways and his headquarters were in Jining, Shandong Province. As Huai'an, Jiangsu Province was near the intersection of the Yellow River, Huai River and Grand Canal, the waterworks in that area became of prime importance. Since the Viceroy's office was too far away from Huai'an, the Qing government created a separate branch for the Viceroy's office at the northwest of Qingjiangpu (清江浦; a district of present-day Huai'an, Jiangsu Province) to facilitate the Viceroy's job of overseeing the waterworks.
In 1729, the Yongzheng Emperor split the Viceroy of Rivers and Waterways into the Viceroy of Southern Rivers based in Qingjiangpu, and the Viceroy of Eastern Rivers based in Jining. In the following year, he created the Viceroy of Northern Rivers, which was then concurrently held by the Viceroy of Zhili. The Viceroy of Southern Rivers oversaw a total of four circuits, 24 subprefectures and 24 battalions of military forces.
In the early Qing dynasty, the central government provided an annual amount of 4.5 million silver taels to the Viceroy of Southern Rivers for construction and maintenance projects. When the rivers overflowed, the central government provided additional funds to the Viceroy. At the same time, numerous instances of corruption occurred when the Viceroy and his subordinates embezzled the funds and produced work of substandard quality. The area around Qingjiangpu developed rapidly and became a thriving centre of commerce, business and recreation, with dozens of streets filled with rows of shops, restaurants, teahouses, bathhouses and brothels.
In 1855, the Xianfeng Emperor ordered the Yellow River to be redirected northward from Lanyi County, Henan Province towards Changyuan County, Dongming County and Zhangqiu Town in Shandong Province, and then from the Ji River in Shandong Province towards the Bohai Sea.
In 1860, the Nian rebels attacked and captured Qingjiangpu from government forces and then burnt down the Viceroy's office and the surrounding areas. The Qing government abolished the Viceroy of Southern Rivers in the following year.
As of today, the garden of the Viceroy's office has been restored and is now known as Qing Yan Garden.

## List of Viceroys of Southern Rivers

| # | Name | Start of term | End of term | Notes |
| | Yengišan 尹繼善 | March 1729 | April 1729 | Acting Viceroy |
| 1 | Kong Yuxun 孔毓珣 | April 1729 | May 1730 | Died in office |
| | Kang Hongxun 康弘勳 | 1730 | 1730 | Acting Viceroy |
| | Ji Zengyun 嵇曾筠 | May 1730 | January 1734 | Acting Viceroy; left office for filial mourning |
| | Ji Zengyun 嵇曾筠 | 1734 | 1734 | |
| 2 | Gao Bin 高斌 | 1734 | 1734 | Concurrently held the appointment of Salt Commissioner of the Two Huais |
| | Zhao Hong'en 趙宏恩 | 1735 | 1735 | Acting Viceroy |
| 3 | Gao Bin 高斌 | January 1736 | September 1741 | |
| | Bai Zhongshan 白鍾山 | January 1735 | December 1736 | As Deputy Viceroy |
| | Liu Yongcheng 劉永澄 | January 1735 | December 1736 | As Deputy Viceroy; later as acting Viceroy for a year |
| | De'ermin 德爾敏 | December 1736 | January 1738 | As Deputy Viceroy; later as acting Viceroy for two years |
| | Sun Jun 孫鈞 | 1740 | 1741 | As Financial Officer of Southern Rivers |
| 4 | Wanyan Wei 完顏偉 | September 1741 | January 1743 | |
| 5 | Bai Zhongshan 白鍾山 | January 1743 | April 1746 | |
| 6 | Zhou Xuejian 周學健 | October 1746 | August 1748 | |
| | Gu Cong 顧琮 | April 1746 | October 1746 | As Viceroy of Caoyun |
| | Gao Bin 高斌 | August 1748 | September 1753 | Acting Viceroy |
| | Zhang Shizai 張師載 | 1750 | September 1753 | Acting Viceroy |
| | Celeng 策楞 | September 1753 | October 1753 | Acting Viceroy |
| | Bai Zhongshan 白鍾山 | 1753 | 1754 | Acting Viceroy |
| 7 | Yengišan 尹繼善 | October 1753 | January 1755 | |
| | Bai Zhongshan 白鍾山 | 1755 | 1755 | As Viceroy of Eastern Rivers |
| 8 | Fulehe 富勒赫 | January 1755 | November 1756 | |
| 9 | Liu Tongxun 劉統勳 | November 1756 | | Aibilong was acting Viceroy before Liu Tongxun arrived to assume office |
| | Zhuang Yougong 莊有恭 | 1756 | 1757 | As Provincial Governor of Jiangsu |
| 10 | Aibilong 愛必達 | November 1756 | February 1757 | |
| 11 | Bai Zhongshan 白鍾山 | February 1757 | April 1761 | |
| | Ji Huang 嵇璜 | February 1757 | April 1761 | As Deputy Viceroy |
| 12 | Gao Jin 高晉 | April 1761 | April 1765 | |
| 13 | Li Hong 李宏 | April 1765 | September 1771 | Died in office |
| 14 | Wu Sijue 吳嗣爵 | September 1771 | April 1776 | Died in office |
| 15 | Sazai 薩載 | April 1776 | February 1779 | |
| | Debao 德保 | 1777 | 1777 | Acting Viceroy |
| | Li Fenghan 李奉翰 | February 1779 | March 1780 | Acting Viceroy |
| 16 | Chen Huizu 陳輝祖 | March 1780 | January 1781 | |
| | Li Fenghan 李奉翰 | January 1781 | February 1781 | Acting Viceroy |
| 17 | Li Fenghan 李奉翰 | February 1781 | March 1789 | |
| | Kang Jitian 康基田 | March 1789 | April 1789 | Acting Viceroy |
| 18 | Lan Dixi 蘭第錫 | April 1789 | January 1798 | Died in office |
| | Li Fenghan 李奉翰 | January 1798 | January 1798 | Acting Viceroy |
| 19 | Kang Jitian 康基田 | January 1798 | March 1800 | |
| 20 | Wu Jing 吳璥 | March 1800 | January 1805 | |
| 21 | Xu Rui 徐端 | January 1805 | July 1806 | Became Deputy Viceroy from July 1806 |
| 22 | Dai Junyuan 戴均元 | July 1806 | April 1808 | |
| | Xu Rui 徐端 | July 1806 | April 1808 | As Deputy Viceroy |
| | Nayancheng 那彥成 | January 1809 | February 1809 | As Deputy Viceroy |
| | Xu Rui 徐端 | April 1808 | January 1809 | Acting Viceroy |
| 23 | Wu Jing 吳璥 | January 1809 | August 1810 | Left office due to illness |
| | Xu Rui 徐端 | February 1809 | August 1810 | As Deputy Viceroy |
| 24 | Xu Rui 徐端 | August 1810 | December 1810 | |
| | Xu Rui 徐端 | December 1810 | August 1811 | As Deputy Viceroy |
| 25 | Jiang Youxian 蔣攸銛 | December 1810 | January 1811 | |
| | Songyun 松筠 | January 1811 | January 1811 | Acting Viceroy |
| 26 | Chen Fengxiang 陳鳳翔 | January 1811 | September 1812 | |
| | Chu Pengling 初彭齡 | September 1812 | September 1812 | Acting Viceroy |
| 27 | Li Shixu 黎世序 | September 1812 | March 1824 | Died in office |
| | Sun Yuting 孫玉庭 | 1821 | 1821 | Acting Viceroy |
| | Sun Yuting 孫玉庭 | 1824 | 1824 | Acting Viceroy |
| 28 | Zhang Wenhao 張文浩 | March 1824 | December 1824 | Demoted and chained to construction site for a month due to mismanagement, banished to the Xinjiang border patrol, d. 1836 |
| 29 | Yan Lang 嚴烺 | December 1824 | April 1826 | |
| 30 | Zhang Jing 張井 | April 1826 | April 1833 | Left office due to illness |
| | Pan Xi'en 潘錫恩 | May 1826 | May 1829 | As Deputy Viceroy |
| 31 | Linqing 麟慶 | April 1833 | September 1842 | Temporarily left office for filial mourning from May to September 1833 |
| | Zhang Jing 張井 | May 1833 | September 1833 | Acting Viceroy in Linqing's absence |
| | Chen Luan 陳鑾 | 1839 | 1839 | Acting Viceroy |
| 32 | Pan Xi'en 潘錫恩 | September 1842 | October 1848 | Left office due to illness |
| | Liao Hongquan 廖鴻荃 | 1842 | 1842 | As Secretary of Works |
| | Zhou Tianjue 周天爵 | 1842 | 1842 | Acting Viceroy |
| | Li Xingyuan 李星沅 | October 1848 | October 1848 | Acting Viceroy |
| 33 | Yang Yizeng 楊以增 | October 1848 | February 1856 | Died in office |
| | Shao Can 邵燦 | February 1856 | February 1856 | As Viceroy of Caoyun |
| 34 | Gengchang 庚長 | February 1856 | June 1860 | |
| | Wang Mengling 王夢齡 | June 1860 | July 1860 | Acting Viceroy |