Related Research Articles
Throughout Chinese history,"Emperor" was the superlative title held by the monarchs who ruled various imperial dynasties or Chinese empires. In traditional Chinese political theory,the emperor was the "Son of Heaven",an autocrat with the divine mandate right to rule all under Heaven. Emperors were worshiped posthumously under an imperial cult. The lineage of emperors descended from a paternal family line constituted a dynasty,and succession in most cases theoretically followed agnatic primogeniture. The emperor of China was an absolute monarch.
Tusi,often translated as "headmen" or "chieftains",were hereditary tribal leaders recognized as imperial officials by the Yuan,Ming,and Qing dynasties of China,and the Later Lêand Nguyễn dynasties of Vietnam. They ruled certain ethnic minorities in central China,western China,southwestern China,and the Indochinese peninsula nominally on behalf of the central government. As succession to the Tusi position was hereditary,these regimes effectively formed numerous autonomous petty dynasties under the suzerainty of the central court. This arrangement is known as the Tusi System or the Native Chieftain System. It should not be confused with the Chinese tributary system or the Jimi system.
The Zhongshu Sheng,also known as the Palace Secretariat or Central Secretariat,was one of the departments of the Three Departments and Six Ministries government structure in imperial China from the Cao Wei (220–266) until the early Ming dynasty. As one of the Three Departments,the Zhongshu Sheng was primarily a policy-formulating agency responsible for proposing and drafting all imperial decrees,but its actual function varied at different times. The department traces its origins back to the Han dynasty.
Charles Oscar Hucker was an American historian and Sinologist who was a professor of Chinese language and history at the University of Michigan. He was regarded as one of the foremost historians of Ming dynasty China and a leading figure in the promotion of academic programs in Asian Studies during the 1950s and 1960s.
The Three Departments and Six Ministries system was the primary administrative structure in imperial China from the Sui dynasty (581–618) to the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). It was also used by Balhae (698–926) and Goryeo (918–1392) and various other kingdoms in Manchuria,Korea and Vietnam.
The Ministry or Board of Rites was one of the Six Ministries of government in late imperial China. It was part of the imperial Chinese government from the Tang until the 1911 Xinhai Revolution. Along with religious rituals and court ceremonial the Ministry of Rites also oversaw the imperial examination and China's foreign relations.
The Imperial Clan Court or Court of the Imperial Clan was an institution responsible for all matters pertaining to the imperial family under the Ming and Qing dynasties of imperial China. This institution also existed under the Nguyễn dynasty of Vietnam where it managed matters pertaining to the Nguyễn Phúc clan.
Zhuangyuan,or trạng nguyên in Vietnamese,variously translated into English as principal graduate,primus,or optimus,was the title given to the scholar who achieved the highest score on highest level of the Imperial examination,Metropolitan examination and Palace examination in ancient China and Vietnam.
A xunfu was an important imperial Chinese provincial office under both the Ming and Qing dynasties. However,the purview of the office under the two dynasties differed markedly. Under the Ming dynasty,the post originated around 1430 as a kind of inspector-general and ad hoc provincial-level administrator;such a xunfu is usually translated as a grand coordinator. However,since the mid-17th century,xunfu became the title of a regular provincial governor overseeing civil administration in the Qing dynasty.
Investigating censors were Censorate officials in imperial China's civil bureaucracy between the Sui (581–618) and Qing (1644–1912) dynasties. They were in charge of investigations and impeachment,including duties such as:
The Menxia Sheng,sometimes translated as the Chancellery,was one of the departments of the Three Departments and Six Ministries government structure of imperial China. It advised the emperor and the Zhongshu Sheng,and reviewed edicts and commands. As the least important of the three departments,it existed in name only by the Song dynasty while its functions were delegated to the other two departments. In 1129,the Chancellery was merged with the Central Secretariat.
The Bureau of Military Affairs was the central government agency in charge of a state's military forces during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period,Liao dynasty,Song dynasty and Yuan dynasty. It was headed by the Shumishi.
The Nine Courts were nine service agencies in Imperial China that existed from the Northern Qi dynasty (550–577) to the Qing dynasty (1644–1912). Headed by the Nine Chamberlains,the offices were subordinate to the Three Departments and Six Ministries. They were mostly ceremonial in nature and held a fair amount of power. During the Ming dynasty,the heads of the nine court transitioned away from referring to the nine courts,but to the Six Ministries,the Censorate,the Office of Transmission,and the Grand Court of Revision. The number of courts was not always nine throughout history.
The Five Directorates were five service agencies in the central government of the Sui,Tang,and Song dynasties of China,apart from the Nine Courts.
The Palace Library was a central government agency in Imperial and monarchical China,Korea,and Vietnam generally in charge of maintaining and archiving the collection of the monarch's documents.
The Ministry or Board of Revenue was one of the Six Ministries under the Department of State Affairs in imperial China.
The Ministry of Works or of Public Works was one of the Six Ministries under the Department of State Affairs in imperial China.
The Court of the Imperial Stud,also known as the Court of the Imperial Stables,was a central government agency in several imperial Chinese and Vietnamese dynasties. It was generally in charge of managing state horse pasturage,stables and corrals,as well as maintaining the vehicles for use by the imperial household and members of the central government. In China,the office was created during the Northern Qi dynasty (550–577) and continued until the Qing dynasty (1644–1912). In Vietnam,it was created by LêThánh Tông in 1466,and continued until the Nguyễn dynasty.
The Court of Imperial Entertainments,also known as the Court of the Imperial Banquets,was a central government agency in several imperial Chinese and Vietnamese dynasties. It was generally in charge of catering for the imperial household,central government officials,and imperial banquets honoring foreign envoys and other dignitaries. In China,the office was created during the Northern Qi dynasty (550–577) and continued until the Qing dynasty (1644–1912). In Vietnam,it was created by LêThánh Tông in 1466,and continued until the Nguyễn dynasty.
The administration of territory in dynastic China is the history of practices involved in governing the land from the Qin dynasty to the Qing dynasty (1644–1912).
References
- Hucker, Charles O. (1985). A Dictionary of Official Titles in Imperial China. Stanford University Press. p. 142.
- Hucker, Charles O. (1985). A Dictionary of Official Titles in Imperial China. Stanford University Press. p. 476.
  | This article related to the history of China is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This article related to the history of Vietnam or its predecessor states is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |