Censorate

Censorate
Pre-Ming
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese
Literal meaningTerrace of Imperial Scribes/historians
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinYùshǐ Tái
Wade–Giles4-shih3 t'ai2
Ming, Qing
Chinese
Literal meaningMetropolitan/Chief/General Inspection Court
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinDūchá Yuàn
Wade–GilesTu1-ch'a2 Yüan4
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabetĐô sát viện
Chữ Hán都察院

The Censorate was a high-level supervisory agency in Imperial China, first established during the Qin dynasty (221–207 BC).[1] It was a highly effective agency during the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). 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.[2] The investigating 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.

  1. ^ Xue, Deshu; Qi, Xiuqian. "Research on Supervision System in Ancient China and Its Contemporary Reference" (PDF). Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research. 319: 415.
  2. ^ Hucker (1958), p. 49