Abstract:

The founding of county and township patrolman system in the late Qing Dynasty is not only a significant attempt of
the Qing government to replace the old Tuanlian and Bao-jia system with a modern police force in maintaining local security，
but also an important part in New Policy. Nanbu Archives contain relevant historical data of the founding of patrolman system
in Nanbu County in late Qing dynasty. We can find out some geographical features of the patrolman system from the archives.
The patrolman system was under dual leadership of xunjng Dao and county magistrate，and the patrolmen mainly came from
local young people with varied education backgrounds. The patrolman system was mainly funded by a variety of taxes which
sometimes fell short. Due to the lack of professional staff officers，inadequate education of ordinary patrolmen，and the negative
attitude of local officials，the patrolman system in Nanbu failed to perform effectively. Other problems also exist in the
performance of the patrolman system in Nanbu County: unclear definition of leadership and police duties，rigid administration
and separation of functions of officials at different levels，which，to a certain extent，contribute to bankruptcy of bureaucracy
reform in Qing Dynasty.

Key words: Nanbu County, country patrolman system, New Policy in late Qing dynasty, local policing, Nanbu Archives