Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of tables
- Preface
- Chronological table of emperors
- Abbreviations
- 1 The sources
- 2 The central administration
- 3 The local administration
- 4 The army
- 5 The salaries of the officials
- 6 Civil service recruitment
- 7 Power in government
- 8 Conclusion
- Notes
- Appendix: Official titles of the Han dynasties, Chinese–English
- Quoted literature
- Index
7 - Power in government
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 August 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of tables
- Preface
- Chronological table of emperors
- Abbreviations
- 1 The sources
- 2 The central administration
- 3 The local administration
- 4 The army
- 5 The salaries of the officials
- 6 Civil service recruitment
- 7 Power in government
- 8 Conclusion
- Notes
- Appendix: Official titles of the Han dynasties, Chinese–English
- Quoted literature
- Index
Summary
The Han emperors reigned passively or actively depending on their inclinations. But the power of even the most forceful rulers was not unlimited. As the officials never tired of reminding them, the state was the empire of Emperor Kao, founder of the Han. It did not belong to the individual ruler (e.g. HHS 32,62:4a). Or, put differently, the empire belonged to the people, not the Son of Heaven (HS 85:15a).
There existed no written constitution in Han China, and the wielding of power was based on custom. The emperor shared power with the officials, and the officials shared it with each other. Expressed in lofty terms, This meant that the sovereign should subordinate his own interests and private feelings to the welfare of the state, that he needed the assistance of wisely chosen officials, that loyal officials should criticize the shortcomings of the sovereign, that he should accept such remonstrances, that officials should not be guided by self-interest, and that faithful advisers were a priceless treasure for an enlightened sovereign. Reality was different, and harmonious relations between the throne and officialdom were relatively rare. Decisions came out of conflict. Neither emperor nor officialdom were all-powerful. Han government depended on a system of checks and balances, in which various interests struggled for influence but none ever gained absolute control. The emperor was no autocrat, and his performance was under continuous institutional scrutiny.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Bureaucracy of Han Times , pp. 143 - 155Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1980