Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/812

 456

CHINA.

(Chung Kwoh, ' The Middle Kingdom.') Reigning Emperor.

Tsait'ien, Emperor — Hwangti — of China ; born 1871 ; the son of Prince Ch^un, seventh brother of the Emperor Hien-Feng ; succeeded to the throne by proclamation, at the death of Emperor T'ung-chi, January 22, 1875 ; he was married February 26, 1889.

The present sovereign, reigning under the style of Kwangsii, is the ninth Emperor of China of the Manchu dynasty of Ts'ing, which overl"hrew the native dynasty of Ming, in the year 1644. There exists no law of hereditary succession to the throne, but it is left to each sovereign to appoint his suc- cessor from among the members of his family of a younger generation than his own. The late Emperor, dying suddenly in the eighteenth year of his age, did not designate a successor, and it was in consequence of arrangements directed by the Empress Dowager, widow of the Emperor Hien-Feng, pre- decessor and father of T'ung-chi, in concert with Prince Ch'un, that the infant son of the latter was made the nominal occupant of the throne. Having become of age the young Emperor nominally assumed government in March 1887. In February 1889 he undertook the full control, but on September 22, 1898, an Imperial edict was issued announcing that the Emperor had resigned power to the Empress Dowager, who has since retained the direction of affairs.

Government.

The laws of the Empire are laid down in the Ta-ts'ing-hwei-tien, or ment of the State to be based upon the government of the family.
 * Collected Regulations of the Ts'ing dynasty,' which ])rescvibe the govern-

The supreme direction of the Empire is vested in the Chiin Chi Ch'u, the Privy Council, or Grand Council. The administration is under the supreme direction of the Nei-ko or Cabinet, comprising four members, two of Manchu and two of Chinese origin, besides two assistants from the Han-lin, or Great College, who have to see that nothing is done contrary to the civil and religious laws of the Empire, contained in the Ta-ts'ing-hwei-tien and in the .sacred books of Confucius. These members are denominated ' Ta-hsio-shih,' or Ministers of State. Under their orders are the Ch'i-pu, or seven boards of government, each of which is presided over by a Manchu and a Chinese. These boards are : — (1) the board of civil appointments, which takes cognisance of the conduct and administration of all civil officers ; (2) the board of revenues, regulating all financial affairs ; (3) the board of rites and ceremonies, which enforces the laws and customs to be observed by the people ; (4) the military board ; (5) the board of public Avorks ; (6) the high tribunal of criminal jurisdiction ; and (7) the admiralty board at Tientsin, established in 1885.

Independent of the Government, and theoretically above the central administration, is the Tu-ch'a-yuen, or board of public censors. It consists of from 40 to 50 members, under two presidents, the one of Manchu and