Beginning in late 2014, with support from the Hong Kong Research Grant Council, we have been constructing a database of Qing officialdom based on the quarterly editions of the 缙绅录. We recently published an article in 清史研究 introducing this project and presenting some preliminary results. We show that during the Qing there were three entry ways to the Road to Success: political appointment largely of bannermen, examination qualifications, and purchased offices. A PDF of the Chinese-language paper is available along with English and Chinese language abstracts.
Here’s the full reference:
任玉雪 (Yuxue REN), 陈必佳 (Bijia CHEN), 郝小雯 (Xiaowen Hao), 康文林 (Cameron Campbell), 李中清 (James Z. Lee). 2016. “清代缙绅录量化数据库与官僚群体研究 清史研究 (The Qing Jinshenlu Database: A New Source for the Study of Qing Officials)” 清史研究 (Qing History Research). 2016年11月第四期:61-77.