ABSTRACT
This chapter gives an overview of the organization and functions of the Qing Astronomical Bureau on an institutional level. Aiming to remove the difficulties that readers might have when examining Qing state papers related to the Astronomical Bureau and to facilitate an understanding of the contents of this book, this chapter summarizes the organizational regulations relevant to the Astronomical Bureau from the level of the bureau to its subordinated sections and then to the individual officials, including the job requirements for each employee in the Bureau. It ends with a discussion of the role of the Superintendent in managing the Astronomical Bureau from the Qianlong reign onwards.
