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The Da-Qing yitong zhi 大清一統志 "Records of the Unity of the Great Qing" is the imperial geography of the Qing empire 清 (1644-1911). A description of the whole empire was an important and desirable task for each greater dynasty in China. The imperial geography of the Qing empire was several times rearranged before a final version was finished in 1744. The first version was started in 1686 under the guidance of Xu Qianxue 徐乾學. The 1744 version totaled 342 juan "scrolls". Several changes in administration, especially in the border regions, made necessary a second edition that was published in 1784, the 424 juan long version from the Qianlong reign 乾隆 (1736-1795). Again, great changes in population structure - and thus in the structure of administative and fiscal organisation - led to a third version of the Da-Qing yitong zhi finished in 1842 XXX, the so-called Jiaqing 嘉慶 version in 560 juan.
Beginning with the capital Beijing, the imperial geography describes every province and prefecture of the Qing empire, ending with the border regions and the tributary states.
Source: Chen Kewei 陳可畏 (1992). "Da-Qing yitong zhi 大明一統志", in: Zhongguo da baike quanshu 中國大百科全書, Zhongguo lishi 中國歷史, vol. 1, p. 143. Beijing/Shanghai: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe.
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