| A universal guide for China studiesChinese History - Ming Dynasty 明朝 (1368-1644) |
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Ming Dynasty |  period before (Yuan Dynasty)next period (Qing)  | |
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 |  The basic pattern of governmental institutions in China has been the same for two thousand years, but every dynasty installed special offices and bureaus for certain purposes. The Ming administration was also structured in this pattern: the Grand Secretariat (內閣 neige; before: 中書省 zhongshusheng) was assisting the emperor, besides are the Six Ministries (六部 Liubu) for Personnel (吏部 libu), Revenue (戶部 hubu), Rites (禮部 libu), War (兵部 bingbu), Justice (刑部 xingbu), and Public Works (工部 gongbu), under the Department of State Affairs (尚書省 shangshu sheng). The Censorate (都察院 duchayuan; before: 御史台 yushitai) surveilling the work of imperial officials was also an old institution with a new name. The nominal -and often not employed- heads of government, like since the Han Dynasty, were the Three Dukes (三公 sangong: the Grand Mentor 太傅 taifu, the Grand Preceptor 太師 taishi and the Grand Guardian 太保 taibao) and the Three Minor Solitaries (三孤 sangu).The first emperor of Ming in his persecution mania abolished the Secretariat, the Censorate and the Chief Military Commission (都督府 dudufu) and personally took over the responsibility and administration of the respective ressorts, the Six Ministries, the Five Military Commissions (五軍府 wu junfu), and the censorate ressorts: a whole administration level was cut out and only partially rebuilt by the following emperors. The Grand Secretariat was reinstalled, but without employing Ground Counsillors ("chancellors"). The ministries, headed by a minister (尚書 shangshu) and run by directors (郎中 langzhong) stayed under direct control of the emperor until the end of Ming, the Censorate was reinstalled and first staffed with investigating censors (監察御史 jiancha yushi), later with censors-in-chief (都御史 du yushi).Of special interest during the Ming Dynasty is the vast imperial household that was staffed with thousands of eunuchs, headed by the Directorate of Palace Attendants (內史監 neishijian), and divided into different directorates (監 jian) and Services (局 ju) that had to administer the staff, the rites, food, documents, stables, seals, gardens, state-owned manufacturies and so on. Famous for its intrigues and acting as the eunuch's secret service was the so-called Western Depot (西廠 xichang). Princes and decendants of the first Ming emperor were given nominal military commands and large land estates, but without title (compare the Han and Jin Dynasties, when princes were installed as kings).The Ming emperors took over the provincial administration system of the Mongols, and the 13 Ming provinces (省 sheng) are the origin of the modern provinces. On the provincial level, the central government structure was copied, and there existed three provincial commissions: one civil, one military, and one for surveillance. Below province level were the prefectures (府 fu) under a prefect (知府 zhifu) and subprefectures (州 zhou) under a subprefect (知州 zhizhou), the lowest unit was the district (縣 xian) under a magistrate ( 知縣 zhixian). Like it had been use during the former dynasties, a travelling inspector or Grand Coordinator (巡撫 xunfu) the Censorate controlled the work of the provincial administrations. New during the Ming Dynasty was the travelling military inspector (總督 zongdu).Official recruitment was exerted by an examination system that theoretically allowed everyone to link the ranks of imperial officials if he had enough time, money and strenth to learn and to write an "eight-legged essay" (baguwen 八股文). Passing the provincial examinations, scholars were titled Cultivated Talents (xiucai 秀才), passing the metropolitan examination, they obtained the title jinshi 進士 "Graduate". Go back to the Ming Dynasty introduction page and learn more about Ming Dynasty economy, arts, literature, government... | |
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