Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 3.djvu/746

 CHINA

666

CHINA

The Tsung-shi are the imperial clansmen, descendants of Hien Tsu (1583-1615), the founder of the Manchu dynasty, and are distinguished by their yellow girdles; all affairs relating to the imperial famuy are treated by the Tsung-jen-fu, the Imperial Clan Court. There are eight princely families with perpetual inheritance: Li T'sin-wang, Prince of Li; Jui T'sin-wang, Prince of Jui; Yu Ts'in-wang, Prince of Yu; Su Ts'in-wang Prince of Su; Cheng Ts'in-wang, Prince of Cheng; Chwang Ts'in-wang, Prince of Chwang; Shun-ch'eng Kiun-wang, Prince of Shun-ch'eng; K'e-k'in Kiun- wang, Prince of K'e-kin. I Ts'in-wang, Prince of I, not included in the eight, is also perpetual.

The central government includes: (1) the Kiun-ki Ch'u, Council of State, created by Yung Cheng in April, 1 732, including a few ministers and sixty secretar- ies, Chang-king; (2) the Nei-ko or Grand Secretariat, including four grand secretaries, Ta-hio-she or Chung T'ang, two Manchus, and twoChinese, each designated by one of the pavilions of the Imperial Palace: Wen Hwa-tien, Wu Ying-tien, T'i Jen-ko, Tung-ko ; under the Ming dynasty, the Chung T'ang were called Ko- lao; this was the title of the celebrated Paul Siu (Siu Kwang-k'i); two assistant grand secretaries styled Hie-pan Ta-hio-she; (3) the ministerial boards or Liu Pu, which, prior to 1906, numbered six : Li Pu, Board of Civil Appointments; Hu Pu, Board of Rev- enue; Li Pu, Board of Rites; Ping Pu, Board of War; Iling Pu, Board of Justice; Kung Pu, Board of Public Works. The Yo Pu or Board of State Music is a dependency of the Board of Rites. Some of these boards or ministries have been remodelled, and new ones created since 1906, and they now include, besides the Wai-wu Pu, the following boards: Li Pu, the Board of Civil Office; the Min-cheng Pu, Board of Home Affairs; the Tu-chi Pu, Board of Finance; Hio Pu, Board of Education, or of public Instruc- tion; Fa Pu, Board of Justice; the Lu-kiun Pu, Min- istry of War; Nung-kung-shang Pu, Board of Agri- culture, Works, and Commerce; the Yu-chw'an Pu, Board of Posts and Communications, including steam navigation, posts, and telegraphs; Li Pu, Board of Rites ; Siun-king Pu, Board of Public Safety. Previous to 1906 each board had two presidents (Shang-shu), Manchu and Chinese, two senior vice-presidents (Tso She Lang), and two junior vice-presidents (Yeo She Lang) ; there are now one presi dent and two vice-presi- dents. The Tsung-li Ko Kwo-she-wu Yamen, com- monly called Tsung-li Yamen, the Foreign Office, was created by Hien Fung, 20 January, 1861, after the war with France and England; previously foreign affairs had I icon dealt with by the Li Fan-yuan, board for the administration of vassal countries, controlling Mon- golia, Tibet, etc. and formerly Russia; the Li Fan- yuan has now become a ministry of colonies; the Tsung-li Yamen was replaced (24 July, 1901) by the Wai-wu Pu. The Court of Censors or Censorate (Tu Ch'a Yuan) has two presidents (Tu Yu-she), four vice-presidents, twenty-four supervising censors (Liu- k'o), divided into six boards, and thirty-eight cen- t u-che), distributed over fifteen Tao or circuits. The llan-lin Yuan, college of academicians, has two presidents (Chang-yuan Hio-she). There are also the Kan Tze Kien or imperial college, and K'in-t'ien Km n, "I- board of astronomy, etc.

Pri ivincial Administration. — There are eighteen provinces (Shi-pa-sheng) ; these sheng are divided into Tao (circuits), I'u (Prefectures), T'ing (indepen- dent sub-prefectures), Chou, and Hien; indepen dint chou are called Chi-li Chou. Tin- Eighteen inces, together with Sin-kiang, an- under eight > in ml or viceroys (T tung I u or

n and twelve governors, three of whom are independent. The eight viceroyalties are the Chi-li, Liang-kiang (including Kiang-su, Ngan- hw< i. and Kiang-si), Min-che (Fu-kien, Che-kiang), Liang-hou (Hu-pe, Hu-nan), Liang-kwang (Kwang-

tung, Kwang-si), Yun-kwei (Yun-nan, Kwei-chou), Shen-kan (Shen-si, Kan-su), and Sze-ch'wan. Each province is presided over by a governor (Siun-fu, Fu-t'ai) except Chi-li, Fu-kien, Kan-su, Sze-ch'wan, Kwang-tung, Yun-nan, and Kan-su; there is one in Sin-kiang; the Fu-t'ai of Shan-tung, Shan-si, and Ho-nan are not under a governor-general but are directly under Peking. Immediately after the governor are the high provincial treasurer - (Pu-cheng She-sze or Fan-t'ai), the high provincial judge (Ngan-ch'a She-sze or Nieh-t'ai), the salt controller (Yen-yun She-sze), and the grain intend- ant (Liang-tao) ; these various officials constitute each provincial government under the collective name of Tu-fu Sze-tao. Next in order come the Fen-siun Tao: the intendant of a circuit (Tao-t'ai —98 in all), the prefect of a Fu (Che-fu— 181), the T'ung-che (170); the T'ung-p'an (141); the Che- chou (140); the Che Hien, district magistrate (1290); there is a Hio-cheng (Hio-yuan, Hio-t'ai), or pro- vincial director of instruction in each province, who presides at the prefectural examinations.

The Chinese functionaries known to Europeans as Mandarin (from mandar, command) are called Kwan by the Chinese ; there are nine ranks of kwan, divided into civil and military officials, who are distinguished by the button worn on the official hat, by the square embroidered badge on the breast and back of official robes (a bird for the civil, a quadruped for the mili- tary), and by the clasp of the girdle.

INSIGNIA OF OFFICIAL RANK

1

Button

Embroidery

CIVIL

MILITARY

1

3

4

S

6 7 8

9

Ruby or trans- parent red stone

Red coral

Sapphire Lapis lazuli

Crystal

Opaque white

Plain gold

Chased gold Silver

Crane

Golden Pheasant Peacock

Wild Goose

Silver Pheas- ant

Egret

Mandarin

Duck Quail Longtailed

jay

Unicorn

Lion

Leopard Tiger

Black Bear

Tiger Cat Mottled Bear

Seal

Rhinoceros

Jade set in rubies

Gold set in

rubies Chased gold Chased gold

with silver

button Plain gold

with silver

butt., I,

M ol aei of

pearl Silver

Clear horn Buffalo horn

A provincial official down to Tao-t'ai inclusive is styled Ta-jen (great man) ; from Che l'u to ( 'he Hien, the name is Ta Lao-ye (great old father"!; for the rest Lao-ye (old father). Various forms of distinc- tion are awarded for public services; the princi- pal is the Ling-che (the feather), of which there are three grades corresponding to degrees of distinction: the three-eyed, the two-eyed, and the one-eyed pea- cock feather ( K'ung Tsio-ling) anil the crow feather (Lan-ling, blue feather). The chief distinction for military men is the Iling-kwa or Hwang-ma-kwa (yellow riding jacket). There are nine degrees of nobility, either transmissible to a certain number of ancestors or descendants (she-si), or hereditary forever (she-si-wang): Kung (duke), Hon (marquis), Pe (earl — together designated as Ch'ao Pin), I (viscount), Nan (baron). K'ing-ch'e Tu-yu, K'i-tu- yu, Yun-k'i-yu, Ngen-k'i-yu. The translations sometimes given the tirst live titles are indicated in

parentheses. The residence of a mandarin holding

a Seal is called a Yamen; that of a mandarin without a Seal, a Kung-SU.

KnreATiON. — Formerly Chinese children, after being taught to read and write, had to learn such elementary books as the "San-tze-king" (Three-