The circuit intendant of Shanghai or the daotai of Shanghai, also
formerly romanized
In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and transcription, ...
as taotai or tao tai, was an
imperial Chinese official who oversaw the
circuit of
Shanghai
Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
, then part of
Jiangsu
Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...
Province, in the
Qing Empire
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
. He oversaw the area's courts, law enforcement, civic defense, canals, and customs collection. As well as areas within modern Shanghai, his remit also included
Qidong in present-day Jiangsu.
The position was only compensated at the senior fourth rank (), the seventh level from the top in the 9 rank, 18 level system, but, in addition to other sources of income, it was seen as a springboard to higher office within the empire.
History
The original seat of the circuit was at
Taicang. It was moved to Shanghai in the 18th century. The first foreign settlement in Shanghai, the
British Concession, was established by the Land Regulations () undertaken on the initiative of the intendant
Gong Mujiu. His was the one who signed it on behalf of the
Qing government on 29 November 1845.
Lin Gui approved the British consul
Rutherford Alcock's proposal to extend the British boundary west from Barrier Road (, today's Henan Rd.) to
Thibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...
Road (, now Xizang Rd.) on 27 November 1848. On 6 April 1849, he signed the agreement with
Charles de Montigny formalizing and delineating the city's
French Concession. An intendant was also involved with the establishment of the
Shanghai International Settlement
The Shanghai International Settlement () originated from the 1863 merger of the British Concession (Shanghai), British and American Concession (Shanghai), American list of former foreign enclaves in China, enclaves in Shanghai, in which Brit ...
upon the merging of the British and American settlements in 1863.
The intendant was forced to flee the
Small Sword Society in 1853 amid the chaos surrounding the
Taiping Rebellion
The Taiping Rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War or the Taiping Revolution, was a civil war in China between the Qing dynasty and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The conflict lasted 14 years, from its outbreak in 1850 until the fall of ...
.
[.]
The intendants of the 1870s and '80s resisted
French plans to expand their concession southwest, particularly the construction of a road through Shanghai's Ningbo Cemetery to connect the French Concession with
Xujiahui
Xujiahui (, , romanized as: Zikawei, Ziccawei, or Siccawei) is a locality in Shanghai. It is a historic area of commerce and culture administratively within Xuhui District, which is named after the locality. The area is a well-known precinct for s ...
(then "Siccawei"). One of the intendants in the 1890s finally yielded upon an agreement by the French to pay the duly assessed value of the land condemned, but the demolition of the cemetery walls in July 1898 prompted riots which killed twelve and the landing of
French troops to protect the construction workers.
List
See also
*
Mayor of Shanghai
*
Old City of Shanghai
The Old City of Shanghai (; Shanghainese: ''Zånhae Lo Zenshian''), also formerly known as the Chinese city, is the traditional urban core of Shanghai. Its boundary was formerly defined by a defensive wall. The Old City was the county seat for t ...
References
Citations
Bibliography
* {{citation , last=French , first=Paul , title=The Old Shanghai A–Z , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c-8TGS600gQC , publisher=Hong Kong University Press , location=Hong Kong , date=2010 , isbn=978-988-8028-89-4 .
History of Qing dynasty by region
Politics of Shanghai
History of Jiangsu