Beneficial from the point of view of personal advancement the purchase system unleashed a host of administrative and other evils, and therefore can be studied also as a form of corruption.
During the late Ch’ing period many of the normal features of the bureaucracy examinations, triennial merit assessments, punishments, introductions and recommendations, laws of avoidance, etc. were thrown into disregard as a result of the purchase system. A few examples of the consequences of the sale of office will suffice.