Tthe Qing dynasty is often also referred to as the Manchu dynasty. There is sometimes a more or less explicit assumption that there was a racial or ethnic based opposition to them (for instance I found leaving the queue hairstyle for instance mentioned as an act of rebellion at the end of the dynasty).
Is my understanding that there was a racial or ethnic tension with Manchu holding power valid correct or do I read too much in the use of Manchu to designate the dynasty (i.e. is it just a convenient nickname for the dynasty but the ethnic aspect more or less rapidly dissolved)?
If my understanding is correct, I've three additional questions:
Were all Manchu favoured or just a subgroup of noble and military?
The Qing dynasty seems to have kept most of the traditional meritocratic administration system used by the Ming. How did it integrate the power structure of the Manchu?
What would be a good reading for a non historian (in French or in English)
You're definitely not incorrect in concluding there was considerable ethnic tension within the Empire. There were numerous Han and Muslim rebellions against the Qing, and multiple emperors were animated by worry than their Han subjects would succeed in swallowing their Manchu power base; Manchu documents reveal that they were very much aware of the disparity of numbers, and jealously guarded Manchu identity.
Most Manchu lived as part of the Eight Banners, wherein the state granted land or income to the families of men who fought for the dynasty. The 'banner people' numbered about three million before the conquest of China was undertaken in earnest, so its fair to say a large majority of the Manchu received some form of government favor de jure, though after the conquest, it was common for the garrison cities established throughout the empire to devolve into slums little better than those inhabited by the Han majority, and the martial skill of the Eight Banners evaporated with the end of the Qianlong Emperor's conquests.
For one, the ultimate benefactor the examination system was the Manchu Emperor; by holding the keys to the kingdom and requiring those aspiring towards government posts to subject themselves to him, he legitimated the Manchu regime, and tightly restricting quotas (about one in seventy for the Chinese provinces, much lower in the Eight Banners) instilled a sense of gratitude and loyalty in the majority Han ministers of the Chinese territories. Additionally, major positions were held jointly by a Han scholar and a Manchu noble to ensure their loyalty, and allowed officials to submit secret memorials directly to the Emperor, without any screening by the potentially disloyal Han. On top of that, the Qing also had a few unique institutions to keep power in the hands of the Manchu, like the Council of Princes and the Office of Military Secrets, which formed the highest organs of the dynastic state.
Three good english introductions to Qing history i can name off the bat are 'The Class of 1761', 'What Remains', and 'Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom'; centering on the Examinations for the first and the Taiping Rebellion for the last two, the relationship between the Manchu state and the Han scholar gentry is at the center of all three.