The Qing dynasty,officially the Great Qing,was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last imperial dynasty in Chinese history. The dynasty,proclaimed in Shenyang in 1636,seized control of Beijing in 1644,which is considered the start of the dynasty's rule. The dynasty lasted until 1912,when it was overthrown in the Xinhai Revolution. In Chinese historiography,the Qing dynasty was preceded by the Ming dynasty and succeeded by the Republic of China. The multi-ethnic Qing dynasty assembled the territorial base for modern China. It was the largest imperial dynasty in the history of China and in 1790 the fourth-largest empire in world history in terms of territorial size. With over 426 million citizens in 1907,it was the most populous country in the world at the time.
Throughout Chinese history,"Emperor" was the superlative title held by the monarchs who ruled various imperial dynasties. 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 Chinese Dragon,also known as the loong,long or lung,is a legendary creature in Chinese mythology,Chinese folklore,and Chinese culture at large. Chinese dragons have many animal-like forms such as turtles and fish,but are most commonly depicted as snake-like with four legs. Academicians have identified four reliable theories on the origin of the Chinese dragon:snakes,Chinese alligators,thunder worship and nature worship. They traditionally symbolize potent and auspicious powers,particularly control over water.
The Forbidden City is a palace complex in Dongcheng District,Beijing,China,at the center of the Imperial City of Beijing. It is surrounded by numerous opulent imperial gardens and temples including the 22 ha (54-acre) Zhongshan Park,the sacrificial Imperial Ancestral Temple,the 69 ha (171-acre) Beihai Park,and the 23 ha (57-acre) Jingshan Park. It is officially administered by the Palace Museum.
The nine-rank system,also known as the nine-grade controller system,was used to categorize and classify government officials in Imperial China. Created in the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms,it was used until the Song dynasty,and similar ranking systems were also present in the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty.
A yamen was the administrative office or residence of a local bureaucrat or mandarin in imperial China,Korea,and Vietnam. A yamen can also be any governmental office or body headed by a mandarin,at any level of government:the offices of one of the Six Ministries is a yamen,but so is a prefectural magistracy. The term has been widely used in China for centuries,but appeared in English during the Qing dynasty.
The scholar-officials,also known as literati,scholar-gentlemen or scholar-bureaucrats,were government officials and prestigious scholars in Chinese society,forming a distinct social class.
The Lifan Yuan was an agency in the government of the Qing dynasty of China which administered the empire's Inner Asian territories such as Mongolia and oversaw the appointments of Ambans in Tibet. Until the 1860s,it was also responsible for the Qing's relations with the Russian Empire.
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 Nine Gates Infantry Commander was a military appointment used in the Qing dynasty (1644–1912) of China. The officer holding this appointment was in charge of safeguarding and monitoring traffic,and overseeing the opening times of the nine gates of the imperial capital,Beijing. The nine gates were Zhengyang Gate,Chongwen Gate,Anding Gate,Fucheng Gate,Xizhi Gate,Dongzhi Gate,Xuanwu Gate,Desheng Gate,and Chaoyang Gate. The officer's judicial responsibilities included night patrol,fire fighting,security checks of civilians,the apprehension and arrest of criminals,and prison keeping. He was also responsible for the security of the Forbidden City. Throughout the history of the Qing dynasty,the position was always held by Manchus rather than Han Chinese.
Dragon robes,also known as gunlongpao or longpao for short,is a form of everyday clothing which had a Chinese dragon,called long (龍),as the main decoration;it was worn by the emperors of China. Dragon robes were also adopted by the rulers of neighbouring countries,such as Korea,Vietnam,and the Ryukyu Kingdom.
Hanfu are the traditional styles of clothing worn by the Han Chinese. There are several representative styles of hanfu,such as the ruqun,the aoqun,the beizi and the shenyi,and the shanku.
The New Qing History is a historiographical school that gained prominence in the United States in the mid-1990s by offering a major revision of history of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty of China.
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 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 Court of Imperial Sacrifices,also known as the Court of Sacrificial Worship,was a central government agency in several imperial Chinese and Vietnamese dynasties. It was generally in charge of conducting major state sacrificial ceremonies according to ritual regulations. 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 political systems of Imperial China can be divided into a state administrative body,provincial administrations,and a system for official selection. The three notable tendencies in the history of Chinese politics includes,the convergence of unity,the capital priority of absolute monarchy,and the standardization of official selection. Moreover,there were early supervisory systems that were originated by local factions,as well as other political systems worthy of mention.
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).
The Qing dynasty (1644–1912) was the last imperial dynasty of China. The early Qing emperors adopted the bureaucratic structures and institutions from the preceding Ming dynasty but split rule between the Han and Manchus with some positions also given to Mongols. Like previous dynasties,the Qing recruited officials via the imperial examination system until the system was abolished in 1905. The Qing divided the positions into civil and military positions,each having nine grades or ranks,each subdivided into a and b categories. Civil appointments ranged from an attendant to the emperor or a grand secretary in the Forbidden City (highest) to being a prefectural tax collector,deputy jail warden,deputy police commissioner,or tax examiner. Military appointments ranged from being a field marshal or chamberlain of the imperial bodyguard to a third class sergeant,corporal or a first or second class private.
