In the Ming Dynasty, the county magistrate was regarded as a third-class official with a high status. They are responsible for the administrative areas at the state, provincial and county levels and are the representatives of local political power. In addition, the sheriff is also responsible for the maintenance of public security, tax administration, judicial trial and other duties, with greater power, and can decide everything at the first level. "
In the Qing dynasty, the magistrate was also regarded as a third-rate official. However, their rights and responsibilities are limited. The Qing dynasty paid attention to the system and norms of official management, and the authority of the magistrate was limited to civil litigation and general management tasks. The Qing dynasty set up special officials to handle important criminal cases, and the county magistrate could not interfere with their work.
In a word, the sheriff is mainly responsible for local administration, civil trial and public security maintenance. There was a magistrate in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, but in the Qing Dynasty, the duties and powers of the magistrate were limited.