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The Grand Council in the Ch'ing Dynasty

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2011

Alfred Kuo-liang Ho
Alfred Kuo-liang Ho
Affiliation:
Stanford Research Institute, Stanford, California
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Extract

The Grand Council, Chün-chi-ch'u, which functioned mainly as a secretarial and consultative agency to the Emperor, was the most important institution of the Ch'ing Dynasty. The Grand Councilors, Chün-chi Ta-chen, had daily audience with the Emperor to assist him in making decisions on important government policies and administrative matters and in drafting and despatching edicts. From time to time the Grand Councilors were sent by the Emperor to the provinces as trouble shooters to deal with urgent matters such as war operations, flood control or investigation of provincial officials.

Type
Articles
Information
The Journal of Asian Studies , Volume 11 , Issue 2 , February 1952 , pp. 167 - 182
Copyright
Copyright © The Association for Asian Studies, Inc. 1952

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References

1 The translation of Chinese terms, titles and names is based on Arthur Hummel, W., Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Dynasty, Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office, 1943Google Scholar; Meyers, William F., The Chinese Government, Shanghai, 1896Google Scholar: Brunnert, H. S. and Hagelstrom, V. V., Present Day Political Organization of China, Shanghai, Kelly and Walsh, 1912.Google Scholar The Chinese characters for the terms, titles and names appearing in the above mentioned books will not be given here.

2 Fairbank, and Teng, , “The Types and Uses of Ch'ing Documents,” Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, 5 No. 1, (Jan. 1940) 33.Google Scholar

3 Po-wu-yüan, Ku-kung, Ch'ing Chün-chi-ch'u Tang-an Mu-lu , Pei-ping, 1930Google Scholar, hereafter cited as CCCCTAML; Weng T'ung-ho, Chün-chi-ch'u Jih-chi, hereafter cited as CCCJC.

4 Chang-chü, Liang, Shu-yüan Chi-lüeh , 1875Google Scholar, hereafter cited as SYCL.

5 In the Chia-ch'ing period, a Grand Councilor, Ho Shen, ordered officials to send him copies of the special memorials they sent the Emperor. The Emperor stopped this irregular procedure. SYCL, 1: 9–10.

6 Ibid., 1: 10 and 19.

7 For instance in the case of Emperor T'ung-chih, Grand Councilors Li Hung-tsao and Prince Kung were given the power to act for the Emperor.

8 Yi, Chao, “Chün Chi Ch'u” in Yen-p'u tsa-chi . Second edition, 1877, 32: 1Google Scholar, hereafter cited as YPTC.

9 SYCL, 22: 11; Governor General of Formosa, Shinkoku gyōsei hō, Tokyo, 1915, 1: 326Google Scholar, hereafter cited as SGH.

10 Chin-liang, , Ch'ing-ti Wai-chi , Peiping, 1934, 114.Google Scholar

11 SYCL. 13: 18–20b.

12 SCH, 1: 390–1.

13 Ibid., 1: 370.

14 SYCL, 13: 20b.

15 Ibid., 13: 20b.

16 Ta Ch'ing Hui-tien, Shanghai, the Commercial Press, 1908, 3: 1Google Scholar, hereafter cited as TCHT; SGH. 1: 405.

17 Chin-tsao, Liu, Ch'ing-ch'ao hsü Wen-hsien-t'ung-k'ao, Shanghai, the Commercial Press, 1936, 118: 8778Google Scholar, hereafter cited as CCHWHTT; K'ang-chi, Ch'en, Lang-ch'ien chi-wen , 1884, 1: 2Google Scholar, hereafter cited as LCCW.

18 Kung-lu, Ch'en, Chung-kuo Chin-tai Shih, Shanghai, the Commercial Press, 1936, 661Google Scholar, hereafter cited as CKCTS.

19 Ibid., 233.

20 YPTC. 1: 2–3b; SYCL; Chih-ch'eng, Teng “T'an Chün-chi-ch” in Shih-hsueh Nien-pao, Peiping, Yenching University Press, 1937, 2Google Scholar, No. 4, 193–8, hereafter cited as SHNP; CKCTS, 660.

21 SHNP. 2, No. 4, 194.

22 CCHWHTK, 118: 8773.

23 SYCL, 12: 2.

24 Ibid., 12: 2.

25 A Grand Councilor, Tung Kao served 38 years from 1779 to 1791, and from 1799 to 1818; see Erh-hsün, Chao, Ch'ing Shih Kao, Mukden, 1937, 56Google Scholar, hereafter cited as CSK.

26 For instance, Fu-heng served 26 years from 1745 to 1770, his sons Fu-lung-an served 16 years, Fu-k'ang-an served 5 years, and Fu-ch'ang-an served 19 years. Their service in the Grand Council covered a period of 55 years. See CSK, 56.

27 CSK, Biography, 226.

28 In the Hsien-feng and T'ung-chih periods, a few secretaries were temporarily added and they were dismissed after a short time. SYCL, 13: 3b–4; SHNP, 2, No. 4, 195.

29 SYCL, 14: 10 and 13.

30 SHNP. 2, No. 4, 198.

31 CCHWHTK, 118: 8778; SGH, 1: 342.

32 Yi, Chao, Ou-pei Ch'üan-chi , 32: 6–6bGoogle Scholar; hereafter cited as OPCC.

33 SYCL, 14: 8.

34 Ibid., 14: 4; YPTC, l: 6–6b.

35 SYCL, 14: 13.

36 For a summary of the procedure of the Grand Council, see Fairbank, and Teng, , “The Types and Uses of the Ch'ing Documents,” Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, 5Google Scholar, No. 1, 1–71.

37 For a detailed description of the officials authorized to present special memorials see TCHT, 82; CCHWHTK, 134; SYCL, 13.

38 The Grand Councilors took turns staying at the office over night and arriving at the office earlier than the others to be ready for an unexpected summons. YPTC, 1.

39 SYCL, 13: 11b; LCCW. 2: 1b.

40 As the Grand Councilors came in the eunuchs would withdraw, and the last Grand Councilor would draw the curtain.

41 SYCL. 13: 11b; SHNP, 2, No. 4, 196–197.

42 SHNP. 2, No. 4, p. 196.

43 SYCL, 13: 12.

44 Ibid., 22: 4b.

45 OPCC. 32: 4.

46 TCHT, 3: 1–1b.

47 CSK. 56: 1–25. There is a list of all the Grand Councilors.

48 Before the T'ung-chih period, there were only three princes who served for very short periods. CSK, 56; CCHWHTK, 118: 8774.

49 CSK, 56.

50 CCHWHTK, 118: 8777.

51 For instance, Fu-heng, Chao-hui and Ming-liang were relatives of the various empresses.

52 The following are cases in point: Ch'en Ta-shou, Councilor, 1748; Liu Lun, Councilor, 1750; Sun Shih-yi, secretary, 1762 and Councilor, 1789; Wu Hsiung-kuang, secretary, 1772, and Councilor, 1797; Chang Hsü , secretary, 1780, and Councilor, 1816; Ho Ju-lin , secretary, 1829, and Councilor, 1840; Ts'ao Yü-ying, secretary, 1846, and Councilor, 1861; Li T'ang-chieh, Councilor, 1862; and Lin Shao-nien , Councilor, 1906.

For Ch'en Ta-shou's biography, CSK, 313: 5; Kuan, Ch'ing-shih, Ch'ing-shih Lieh-chuan, Shanghai, 1928, 18: 34bGoogle Scholar, hereafter cited as CSLC; Yi-chi, Ch'ien, Pei-chuan-chi, Kiangsu, 1893, 26: 14bGoogle Scholar, hereafter cited as PCC.

For Chang Hsü's biography, CSK, 347: 6b; CSLC, 32: 35b; Li Huan, Kuo-cb'ao Ch'i-hsien Lei-cheng, Hsiang Yin, 1884, 34: 29, hereafter cited as KCCHLC; Ch'uan-sun, Miao, Hsü Pei-chuan-chi, 1910, 2: 13Google Scholar, hereafter cited as HPCC.

For Ho Ju-lin's biography, CSK, 381: 4; CSLC, 41: 28b; HPCC, 11: 1.

For Lin Shao-nien's biography, CSK, 444: 4b; Erh-ch'ang, Min, Pei-chuan-chi pu, Peiping, Yenching University Press, 1932, 6: 23Google Scholar, hereafter cited as PCCP.

For Liu Lun's biography, CSK, 308: 4b; CSLC, 20: 44; KCCHLC, 26: 29; Kuan, Ch'ing-shih, Han-ming Ch'en-chuan, Peiping, 21: 53b.Google Scholar

For Sun Shih-yi's biography, CSK, 336: 5; CSLC, 26: 38b; KCCHLC, 32: l4–35b.

For Wu Hsiung-kuang's biography, CSK, 363: 1; CSLC, 30: 29b; KCCHLC, 190: 1; HPCC, 21: 2b.

For Ts'ao Yü-ying's biography, CSK, 427: 2; CSLC, 47: 17b; HPCC, 12: 4b.

For Li T'ang-chieh's biography, CSK, 397: 2b; CSLC, 47: 7b; HPCC, 12: 1.

53 SYCL, there is a list of all the secretaries up to the T'ung-chih period.

54 CCHWHTK, 118: 8776.

55 SYCL, 13: 5–6b.

56 Ibid., 13: 5b.

57 SGH, 1: 342.

58 SYCL, 13: 6–10; Ch'ang, Wang, Ch'un-jung-t'ang chi , 1892, 47: 1.Google Scholar

59 SYCL. 7: 16b, and 14: 16b.

60 A secretary Hsü Pu-yün , in 1862, was exiled because he sent some in formation to a provincial official under investigation. SYCL, 14: 6b.

61 Ibid., 1: 20b.

62 Ch'en K'ang-ch'i, Lang-ch'ien Erh-pi , 1884, 9: 11.