Censorate

The Censorate (Chinese: 御史台; pinyin: yùshǐtái, later 都察院 dūcháyuàn) was a high-level supervisory agency in ancient China, first established during the Qin Dynasty (221–207 BCE).

During the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), the Censorate was a branch of the centralized bureaucracy, paralleling the Six Ministries and the five Chief Military Commissions, and was directly responsible to the emperor. The censors were "the eyes and ears" of the emperor and checked administrators at each level to prevent corruption and malfeasance, a common feature of that period. Popular stories told of righteous censors revealing corruption as well as censors who accepted bribes. Generally speaking, they were feared and disliked, and had to move around constantly to perform their duties.

See also

• Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China
• Three Departments and Six Ministries
• Grand Secretariat

References

• Hucker, Charles O. (December 1958). "Governmental Organization of The Ming Dynasty". Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies (Harvard-Yenching Institute) 21: 1–66. doi:10.2307/2718619. JSTOR 2718619. 
• Li, Konghuai (2007). History of Administrative Systems in Ancient China (in Chinese). Joint Publishing (H.K.) Co., Ltd. ISBN 978-962-04-2654-4. 
• Lu, Simian (2008). The General History of China (in Chinese). New World Publishing. ISBN 978-7-80228-569-9. 
• Wang, Yü-Ch'üan (June 1949). "An Outline of The Central Government of The Former Han Dynasty". Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies (Harvard-Yenching Institute) 12 (1/2): 134–187. doi:10.2307/2718206. JSTOR 2718206.