Department of State Affairs

The Department of State Affairs or Shangshu Sheng (尚書省) was one department in the Three Departments and Six Ministries government structure officially established since the Sui dynasty in the history of China. As one of the three departments, it was the highest executive institution of the imperial government since the Sui dynasty. Developing from the Shangshu Tai (尚書臺) in the Eastern Han dynasty, the name Sheng (省) was inherited even though the institution was now removed from the Imperial Court. The head of the Department is Shangshu Ling (尚書令). The Director was known as chancellor but was often absent. The Right and Left Deputy Directors (尚書左僕射、尚書右僕射) actually shouldered the duties. Beneath the Deputy Directors were the Right and Left Assistant Clerks (尚書左丞、尚書右丞) who had the Right and Left Excellency (左、右司郎中) to assist with their daily work and were in charge of the Six Ministries. The general office of the Department of State Affairs was called the Dou Sheng (都省).

Department of State Affairs
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese尚書省
Simplified Chinese尚书省
Literal meaningSecretary's department
Vietnamese name
VietnameseThượng thư tỉnh
Korean name
Hangul상서성

The Department controlled the Six Ministries, which included the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of the Public Works.[1] During the Jurchen Jin dynasty, the emperor Wanyan Liang abolished the Zhongshu Sheng and the Chancellery in 1156, leaving only the Department of State Affairs in charge of the whole government. This enlarged the power of the emperor, as the Department of State Affairs simply executed the orders of the emperors, who became absolute monarchs. Branch offices of the Department of State Affairs known as the Xing Shangshu Sheng (行尚書省) or Xing Tai (行台) was established in other parts of the empire. During the Yuan dynasty however, the Zhongshu Sheng replaced the Department of State Affairs as the top government agency.

The Department of State Affairs was additionally institutionalized in 1270, but was soon abolished in 1272. The head of the Department was normally a single Director (令). It was established again in 1287 and 1309, but was likewise abolished in 1291 and 1311 respectively, after which the Zhongshu Sheng alone served.[2] The Department of State Affairs was established in these short periods to deal with financial affairs such as during the "New Deals" of Külüg Khan (Emperor Wuzong), who also changed the branch offices of the Zhongshu Sheng (i.e. the Branch Secretariats) to those of the Department of State Affairs or Xing Shangshu Sheng before it was changed back by his successor Ayurbarwada Buyantu Khan (Emperor Renzong). The early Ming dynasty adopted the Yuan Zhongshu Sheng, but the Department of State Affairs was never again established. The abolishment of the Zhongshu Sheng by the Ming in 1380 marked the end of the Three Departments system.

See also
  • Ming government

References
  1. An Introduction to Chinese History and Culture, by Qizhi Zhang, p157
  2. Marco Polo Was in China: New Evidence from Currencies, Salts and Revenues, by Hans Ulrich Vogel, p141
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