In the Qing Dynasty, officials at all levels, especially those taking up positions as principal local officials, had to rely on a team to carry out their work. This team consisted of four types of people: (1) private secretaries, (2) document clerks, (3) family servants and long-term affiliated servants, and (4) yamun runners. Among them, private secretaries and document clerks were of the commoner’s rank, while family servants, long-term affiliated servants, and yamun runners were of the inferiors rank.