Abstract

Applying the methodology of quantitative analysis, the writer, in this paper, comparatively analyzes three fundamental variables, namely, home provinces, backgrounds, and personal interrelations of the mu-yu [幕友] [staff members] of Tseng Kuo-fan's mu-fu [曾國藩幕府] as well as its related organizations [hereafter referred to as Tseng's mu-fu], who entered by periods from 1853 through 1872.

The major findings of this study are as follows. Owing to Tseng's mu-yu coming from all provinces and parts of then whole China, and less than 15 percents of them from Tseng's native province of Hunan, Tseng was not really "the progenitor of nineteenth-century regionalism" in China. Geographical and political factors, as well as Tseng's principles of wide acceptance and careful hire were the key factors that determined the distributive change of the home provinces of Tseng's mu-yu. The diagram of the backgrounds of Tseng's mu-yu looks like a pyramid, which was composed of chin-shih [進士], chu-jen [舉人], kung-chien-sheng-yuan [貢監生員], the others, the common people and the unknown. At its upper level were located Tseng's mu-yu with chin-shih and chu-jen degrees, at its middle level were located Tseng's mu-yu with kung-chien-sheng-yuan degrees, while at its lower level were located the others, the common people and the unknown. The ratio of the three levels was 3:3:4. With the exception of the middle level, the tendency of increase of the upper and lower levels were positive. It was the degree of strength and weakness of the attraction of Tseng's mu-fu that determined the change of the ratio of every level. The personal interrelations between Tseng and his mu-yu almost included all the interpersonal relations. The unspecified personal interrelations, that constituted almost 70 percents, and increased promptly at every stage except the third one, were the most of the personal interrelations. Only more than ten percents of Tseng's mu-yu came from Hunan province. It is apparent that they descended from the first stage through the last one. And it, therefore, is very clear that Tseng eagerly needed every variety of human talent, no matter whether their home provinces, backgrounds, personal interrelations, to enter his mu-fu in order to deal with the increasingly complicated, heavy affairs confronted by him.

Keywords: Tseng Kuo-fan, Mu-fu system, local administration of the Ch'ing, unofficial political organization, Quantitative Analysis