According to the "Examination of Hukou" in Wenxian Tongkao published in 1317, there was a minister for population management during the Zhou Dynasty named Simin (), who was responsible for recording births, deaths, emigrations and immigrations. The Rites of Zhou notes that three copies of documents were kept in different places. The administrative divisions in Zhou Dynasty were a function of the distance to the state capital. The top division nearest the capital was named Dubi (), top division in more distant areas were named Xiang () and Sui (). Families were organized under the Baojia system.