The intro. (緒論) implies that the text was composed in 1914 or 1915 (“three years having not yet elapsed since the foundation of the Republic”); it deplores the disorderly condition of the country at large, and more particularly the erratic way officials are selected in the different provinces and the lack of experience and qualification of the new local officials and absence of dependable regulations, which might put the future of the new Republic in jeopardy. The present work is part of an effort encouraged by the president of the Republic (i.e., Yuan Shikai 袁世凱) to train local officials, a problem always encountered at the start of dynasties once military conquest is over. It attempts to instill new administrators with the values of the hallowed mid-Qing bureaucratic elite. The body of the work consists of extracts from well-known guanzhen texts by such authors as Wang Huizu (the single most cited author), Wang Fengsheng, Li Fu, Chen Hongmou, Yuan Shouding, Yuan Mei, Pan Biaocan, Xie Jinluan, Liu Heng, Tian Wenjing, Ye Zhen (all represented in the present bibliography), and more. The exact citations are not provided. The texts are distributed among the following chapters: “Foundations of government” (治原), “Policies” (政略), “Managing one’s family” (持家), “Hiring people” (用人), “Serving superiors” (事上), “Dealing with subalterns” (接下), “Selecting good advice” (取善), and “Rejecting bad practices” (屏惡).