Official Systems Through the Ages (Part Two) cover

Official Systems Through the Ages (Part Two)

Rating 3.3
Word count
77K words
Chapters
79
ISBN
9787807119906

Tags

Summary

Chinese culture is a culture that values peace and upholds the ideal personality of the golden mean. When diverse cultures converge, it excels at integration—favoring neither partiality nor resentment, prizing harmony and balance—enabling the Chinese nation to grow and thrive. Chinese culture is like a sea into which a hundred rivers flow, vast and boundless. A History of Chinese Culture recounts China's extraordinary journey from prehistory to the present: the opening of territory, the formation of the nation, social evolution, economic and cultural development, and political transformation.

Editor's review

As a scholarly work that systematically traces the evolution of ancient China's official system, The Official Systems of Successive Dynasties (Volume II) derives its value not only from its compilation of historical sources but also from its rigorous academic framework and clear historical narrative. Rather than a mere roster of offices, the book examines the establishment of official posts within the political, economic, and social structures of specific historical periods, revealing the logic of rule and the jockeying for power behind 'creating offices to meet tasks.' Its reading threshold is moderate: it can serve as advanced reading for history enthusiasts and as a reliable reference on institutional history for researchers in related fields. Editor Xing Chunru's approach reflects solid historiographical grounding, with judicious selection of materials and clear organization; it is particularly strong in clarifying the complex evolution of official systems in the later dynasties—Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing. The analysis of key institutional turning points, such as the disintegration of the Three Departments and Six Ministries system and the rise of the Grand Secretariat and Grand Council, is insightful and helps readers understand the deeper trajectory of ancient China's political system from centralization to autocracy. Overall, this is a dense, highly scholarly monograph on institutional history whose core value lies in using the 'official system' as a window onto the actual operation and internal tensions of ancient China's state governance.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Advanced history enthusiasts with a strong interest in the history of ancient Chinese political institutions
  • University students or young faculty in humanities and history who need to supplement their knowledge of official-system history
  • Authors of ancient literature or historical fiction who need to understand official posts and the workings of power
  • Students of traditional culture seeking a systematic understanding of traditional social structures and the roots of bureaucratic culture

Not a good fit for

  • Readers seeking only light, highly narrative popular history
  • Readers impatient with institutions, regulations, and technical terms who want quick conclusions

Reading tips

  1. Recommended to be read in sequence with The Official Systems of Successive Dynasties (Volume I) to form a complete overview of institutional evolution
  2. Can be read alongside specific historical events or biographies to deepen understanding of how institutions actually operated
  3. Reading may be supplemented with historical maps of territorial boundaries or diagrams of central government bodies to enhance spatial and organizational understanding

About the publisher

Liaohai Publishing House China · Founded in 1996

Liaohai Publishing House is a comprehensive publisher known for textbooks and the collation of ancient works. Its publishing scope covers state-approved textbooks, local curriculum materials, supplementary educational books, and national and local ancient-text compilation projects, while also extending into humanities fields such as Eastern philosophy. Its catalog contains about 4,694 titles, with representative works including the multi-volume Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), and its author resources include classic writers and works such as Sima Qian and Confucius. Grounded in educational publishing and the transmission of traditional culture, the press maintains sustained investment in ancient-text collation, forming a publishing profile that balances textbooks and scholarship. Due to limited public information, its more specific publishing directions and features require further supplementation.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 《中国文化知识大观园》编委会
  3. 编写说明
  4. 二、官称制度
  5. 三公
  6. 九卿
  7. 卿监
  8. 三省六部
  9. 尚书省
  10. 中书省
  11. 门下省
  12. 政事堂
  13. 六部
  14. 内阁
  15. 御史台
  16. 翰林院
  17. 枢密院
  18. 谏院
  19. 太学
  20. 国子监
  21. 行台
  22. 都督
  23. 先秦俸禄
  24. 先秦会盟
  25. 司寇
  26. 尹
  27. 令尹
  28. 史
  29. 师
  30. 尉
  31. 八校尉
  32. 卫士
  33. 丞相
  34. 太尉
  35. 御史大夫
  36. 太常
  37. 少府
  38. 光禄勋
  39. 卫尉
  40. 太仆
  41. 廷尉
  42. 大鸿胪
  43. 宗正
  44. 大司农
  45. 执金吾
  46. 大司马大将军
  47. 领尚书事
  48. 仆射
  49. 中常侍
  50. 司隶校尉
  51. 刺史
  52. 总管府
  53. 同中书门下平章事
  54. 节度使
  55. 观察使
  56. 团练使
  57. 防御使
  58. 转运使
  59. 宣抚使
  60. 招讨使
  61. 经略使
  62. 支度使
  63. 度支使
  64. 安抚使
  65. 盐铁使
  66. 观军容使
  67. 枢密使
  68. 监军
  69. 参知政事
  70. 审官院
  71. 监司
  72. 三衙
  73. 吏部四选
  74. 户部左右曹
  75. 行中书省
  76. 帝师
  77. 宣政院
  78. 大司农司
  79. 通政院

FAQ

What are the book's narrative focus and scholarly features?
The book focuses on the evolution of the official system from the Song through the Qing dynasty. Its scholarly distinction lies in analyzing institutional change within specific historical contexts, emphasizing dynamism and practicality rather than static description. It clearly outlines the institutional path by which centralization was strengthened in the late imperial era.
What background knowledge is required before reading?
A basic understanding of the sequence of Chinese dynasties and familiarity with common generic titles such as chancellor, minister, and prefect are required. Some ability to read classical Chinese will help in understanding the cited primary sources.
What unique value does this book offer compared with similar works?
As a thematic compilation, the book is concentrated in its materials and clear in structure. Its distinctive contribution is a concise, systematic introduction to the sinicization and distinctive features of official systems in non-Han dynasties such as Liao, Jin, and Yuan.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Xing Chunru Author · China

Xing Chunru is a Chinese full-time book editor about whom publicly available information is limited. He has long compiled popular series for institutions such as Liaohai Publishing House. His output is considerable, with more than 700 titles held in the collection, covering fields such as art history, science and military affairs, politics and history, language and writing, and film and television. Representative works include Chinese Martial Arts (Part II), A History of Chinese Art, A History of Chinese Science and Technology, A Course in the Art of Language, Famous Paintings and Masterpieces, and the series A Grand Garden of Chinese Cultural Knowledge. These books present specialized knowledge in an accessible style, emphasizing systematic organization and readability, and are intended for young readers and general audiences, helping to popularize and guide understanding of traditional culture, art appreciation, and language expression.

李穆南 Author

Li Munan: publicly available information is limited, and details of his life, such as nationality and dates of birth and death, are not clearly recorded. Nevertheless, the 229 works held in the library indicate a prolific compiler with wide-ranging interests. His works focus mainly on Chinese culture and history, and representative titles include Chinese Martial Arts (Volume Two), The Grand Compendium of Chinese Cultural Knowledge: Science and Military Volume, The Grand Compendium of Chinese Cultural Knowledge: Politics and History Volume, The History of Ancient Chinese Literature, The History of Contemporary Chinese Literature, Poems of Successive Dynasties, and Residential Architecture and Folk Customs (Volume One). The common categories cover culture, popular science, general biography, and history readers, showing that his writing centers on knowledge popularization and cultural dissemination. His subjects span literary history, folk customs, military science, and political history, and are mostly aimed at general readers. Overall, Li Munan's body of work is extensive and emphasizes the systematic organization of traditional Chinese culture and historical knowledge, giving him a certain accumulated presence and influence in the compilation of popular cultural reading materials.

Jie Baofeng Author · Chinese · 1976

Jie Baofeng, born in 1976 and a native of Qianguo, Jilin, is of Han ethnicity and serves as an assistant researcher. He is currently director of the Jilin Provincial Local Chronicles Museum, a member of the Standing Committee of the Jilin Provincial CPPCC, and vice chair of the Jilin Provincial Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy, and has long been engaged in compiling local chronicles. He has planned and published more than ninety chronicles and gazetteers, including the Illustrated Gazetteer of the Colonial Governing Institutions of the Puppet State of Manchukuo, and has served as chief editor of numerous history and popular science series, gaining extensive experience in document organization and knowledge dissemination. His works span a wide range of subjects, including folk literature, inspirational growth, and social fiction, with 970 titles held in the collection. These include multivolume editions of traditional classics such as the Classic of Mountains and Seas and The Complete Works of Guiguzi, as well as accessible popular readings, reflecting an editorial approach that balances scholarship with readability.

刘心莲 Author

Liu Xinlian is a Chinese compiler credited with a considerable number of titles, though public information about her is limited, and her nationality, dates of birth and death, and personal background are not clearly recorded. Judging from the 182 works held in the collection, her writing focuses mainly on cultural popularization and general knowledge books, covering such subjects as Chinese martial arts, political history, science and military affairs, emperors and eunuchs of successive dynasties, imperial examination top scholars, and myths and legends. The common categories include culture, popular science, history readings, folk literature, and general biography. Representative works include Chinese Martial Arts (Volume II), The Grand View of Chinese Culture: Political and Historical Volume, The Grand View of Chinese Culture: Science and Military Volume, Emperors of Successive Dynasties, and Myths and Legends. Overall, her editorial style leans toward accessible introductions for general readers, emphasizing systematic organization and readability, making it suitable for ordinary readers seeking to understand traditional culture and historical knowledge.

More by the same author

Top rated in the same category