Ministry of Rites

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The Ministry of Rites ( Chinese  禮部 , Pinyin Lǐbù ) was one of the six ministries of Imperial China .

It existed in this form from the Tang Dynasty until the fall of the monarchy in 1911. Before that, its responsibilities were divided between several positions, including the grand master of ceremonies , the grand herald and the head of the ancestral clan . During the Song period , they were temporarily observed by the secretarial office .

The duties of the Ministry of Rites included:

  • The implementation of the Confucian state cult including the court ceremony and the imperial sacrifices.
  • Certain matters affecting the Buddhist and Taoist priesthood.
  • The holding of the official examinations (736 taken over by the Ministry of Personnel ).
  • The maintenance of the relations with foreign states liable to pay tribute - to which the European states were initially included . With the establishment of the Zongli Yamen in 1860, the Ministry of Rites gave a large part of the relevant competencies to it.

literature

  • Michael Loewe : The China of the Emperors: the historical foundations of modern China , Neff-Verlag, Vienna / Berlin 1966, S. 184ff.