Ye Mingchen - Early Career

Early Career

Ye came from a scholarly family in Hubei province and was awarded the highest degree in the imperial exams in 1835, after which he briefly held the position as a compiler in the imperial elite school, the Hanlin Academy. In 1838, Ye received his first official appointment as prefect of Xing'an in Shaanxi province and he subsequently rose rapidly through the ranks in the Qing civil service. In the following years he served as circuit intendant of Yanping in Shanxi provinces, salt inspector in Jiangxi, surveillance commissioner in Yunnan and financial commissioner first in Hunan, later in Gansu and finally Guangdong province.