Censorate

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The Censorate (御史台 yùshǐtái, later 都察院 dūcháyuàn) was a top-level surveillance agency in ancient China, first instituted in 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 emperor.^[1] They were "the eyes and ears" of the emperor and checked administrators at each level to prevent corruption and misdoings, a common feature of that period. There are stories told about righteous censors revealing corruption as well as censors who accepted bribes. Generally speaking, they were feared and disliked and hence they constantly had to move around to perform their duties.

[edit] See also

• Three Departments and Six Ministries
• Grand Secretariat

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Li, Konghuai (2007) (in Chinese). History of Administrative Systems in Ancient China. Joint Publishing (H.K.) Co., Ltd.. ISBN 978-962-04-2654-4. 
• Lu, Simian (2008) (in Chinese). The General History of China. 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 12 (1/2): 134–187. doi:10.2307/2718206.