Official documents selected by the author dating to his magistracies in Shangcai 上蔡 (twice in acting capacity, 1894-96 and 1900-01) and Zhenping 鎮平 (1897-99) in southern Henan. His two major preoccupations were irrigation, and local defense and baojia (prominently during his second Shangcai tenure). Xu is said to have expounded his ideas in an imperial audience to which he had been called on the recommendation of the Henan governor, following which he was put in charge of dredging two rivers in southern Henan. The 36 documents, totalling 213 folios in continuous page-numbering, are said in the postf. to represent only ten percent of the whole. They include proclamations (示) to the populace on matters of customs and law and order and to subordinates, and correspondence with superiors (禀) on various matters, notably hydaulic works, and including some judicial affairs. The prefs. and postf. describe Xu as an official whose virtues and dedication are “not of this time” (非今之吏), and whose accomplishments call for publication as models for future generations. Xu says in his pref. that he published this selection of gongdu rather than being constantly asked for handwritten copies.