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 Jìn Fǔ, 16331692) 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 Portrait 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 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
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