The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-02-13
SUBSCRIPTIONS
OFFICIAL RANK IN CHINA.
i...e4 and Duties of the Multitude Of
Civil Officers.

The French find that in the war with
nina they have to contend with an army
that is we'll Differed, if deficient in every
other respect Civil and military officials
uTe never wanting in the Celestial kingdom,
and are more numerous than in any other
country. In any province or town the
stranger is surprised to meet every now
and then dignitary wearing ball or
globule on his hat. These balls are called
spheres properly, and are about an inch
in diameter, They serve the same pur
pose as our "stars, buttons, and bars,
IN marking the rank of the officer wearing
them, and may be seen in countless num-
bers at the seat of war to-day. We shall
have to hear of the wearers Of these
spheres frequently before the war is con-
cluded, and q statement of the order of
official precedence will be instructive in
aiding us to understand the war news.
Collectively these men are known as 1.-The
two nine ranks, and in generic sense
rs "our twenty nine classes of the able
eyes. ="
Everything is SO differently constituted
that it is quite impossible to translate the
military titles so as to give comparative
idea of Chinese rank. This is made the
more difficult from the fact that the mill
tary officials are generally held in con-
tempt, and precedence in command is
given in time of war to talented civilians.
Indeed, the civil officials are of the first
consideration, and are mentionable before
the officials of the army.
In the first class of the civil rank are
the six sshang shu, or presidents of the
six great boards 0he sin-tu). who wear a
carbuncle sphere at court and coral in
ordinary dress. In the second class of the
first civil rank are the tsung-tu,
OF governors general of the pro
vinces. They are the direct re-
representatives. of the emperor, with the
power of life and death in their hands.
They are commonly members of the war
board
In the first class of the second civil rank
are the fu-t'ai, or vice governors, standing
heutenants to the tsung-tu. They also re-
side at the capitals of the provinces, and
may be called into the war board. They
wear red sphere. The second class Of
the second rank are the fan TAIL the pro-
vincial secretaries of finance. They wear
q red sphere.
In the first class of the third civil rank
are the nieh-tai, provincial judges They
wear light blue. sphere. The second
class Of the third rank are the len-luu-ssu,
or provincial sub commissioners. They
wear dark blue sphere.
In the first class of the fourth civil rank
are the iang-tai provincial grain (tax) col
lectors, wearing an opaque blue sphere. The
ofacer of the same rank and class IS the
tao-tai, of whom we often hear. He is
district lord of three towns, and wears q
dark Opaque sphere The second class of
the fourth rank are the flu, department.
projects wearing dark blue Opaque ball.
The chih.si.chin-chire are the first class
OF the fifth rank, and correspondent to
sub-prefects. They wear a clear-gl
sphere. Their officer is'the chih-si tung
chih, who wears like sphere. The tung-
chi is the second class of the fifth rank,
and the chin chou is the third class.
These are district judges, and wear a
small crystal sphere
The sixth rank are the tung-pan, deputy
sub-prefects' of department, wearing a
porcelain sphere. The seventh rank are
the chih-hsien, magistrates, with gilt
sphere. The eighth rank are the hsien-
cheng assistant to the chig-hsien. They
wear carved gilt sphere The first class
of the ninth rank are the chu-pu, village
mayors They wear a small gilt sphere,
as also do their assistants, hsien-chien, who
comprise the second class of the ninth
rank.
Thus in the nine ranks are presidents,
governors, vice governors, financial secre-
taries, provincial judges, sub-commission-
ers, collectors, department projects, and
sub-prefects, deputies. district judges,
magistrates. and assistant magistrates, and
mayors and vice mayors.