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Evolution
Qin and Western Han Dynasties
In the Qin Dynasty and early Han Dynasty, the Prime Minister (丞相) was assisted by the Grand Censor (御史大夫), who, along with the Grand Commandant (太尉), were collectively known as the Three Excellencies. The Grand Censor had two deputies: one stationed in the palace, called the Censor-in-Chief (御史中承), responsible for managing the censors who served inside the palace; and another stationed outside the palace, called the Deputy Censor (御史丞). In the early Han Dynasty, policies were proposed by the Prime Minister through Advisors (给事中), who would present them to the emperor for approval. Once approved, the Censor-in-Chief and his subordinates would record the imperial decree (often indicated by 「The Emperor says yes」) and relay it out of the palace under the name of the Grand Censor to be implemented by the Prime Minister's office. The Censor-in-Chief and censors serving inside the palace also reviewed documents and reported any illegal activities. During the reign of Emperor Wu (武帝), the Central Secretariat began handling official documents, and the role of the Censor-in-Chief gradually shifted to managing the archives and secretarial duties at Lantai, overseeing the thirteen provincial Inspectors (刺史), monitoring officials in various commanderies and states, and auditing reports and financial records. From then on, it was stipulated that all memorials should be submitted to the Office of the Secretariat, while any accusations against the Three Excellencies or the Nine Ministers must be submitted to the Censorate.
Eastern Han and Later Dynasties
Emperor Ai (漢哀帝) changed the title of Prime Minister to Grand Master of Ceremonial (大司徒) and that of Grand Censor to Grand Works Commissioner (大司空). After power shifted to the Secretariat, the roles of Grand Master of Ceremonial and Grand Works Commissioner often became honorary titles. The Censor-in-Chief thus became the head of the Censorate, while the role of Deputy Censor diminished. During the Eastern Han (东汉), the Censor-in-Chief was sometimes dispatched by the court to suppress civil unrest in local regions. This position continued to be held in subsequent dynasties with occasional changes in title: Cao Cao (曹操) renamed the Censor-in-Chief (御使中丞) to Palace Corrector, emphasizing their role in correcting the etiquette and behavior of officials; during the Northern Wei (北魏), it was sometimes called Middle Commandant. In the Southern and Northern Dynasties period, the position of Grand Censor was often abolished or left vacant even when established, making the Censor-in-Chief the de facto head of the Censorate without doubt. The Sui (隋) Dynasty only appointed a Grand Censor and did not appoint a Censor-in-Chief , due to naming taboos (the founder of the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Wen of Sui (隋太祖), was named Yang Zhong). The Tang (唐朝) Dynasty, Five Dynasties, and Song (宋) Dynasty all appointed both a Grand Censor and a Censor-in-Chief, but the appointment of Grand Censors was rare, so the Censor-in-Chief remained the head of the Censorate. The "Tongdian" records: 「Although the role of the Censor-in-Chiefs during the Eastern Jin Dynasty often attracted talented individuals, noble scholars were still reluctant to take it.」 Liu Song's Wang Qiu told his cousin Wang Shenglang (王球) when he was appointed as Censor-in-Chief: 「You will no longer be a noble scholar after taking this position.」 During the Liang Dynasty, Xiao Zixian (萧子显) frankly stated that 「noble families have long avoided serving in the Censorate,」 and Liu Xiu of Peiguo County, who served as Censor-in-Chief during the Southern Qi Dynasty, retired soon after. He once noted that over the sixty years of the Liu Song Dynasty, 53 people held the position of Censor-in-Chief, with an average tenure of only about one year. Historian Zhou Yiliang commented: 「From the Liu Song to the Liang Dynasties, the role of Censor-in-Chief was not highly regarded.」 During the Ming (明朝) Dynasty, the Censorate was abolished and replaced by the Board of Censors, thus ending this position. In the Qing (清朝) Dynasty, Governors-General (巡抚) often held the title of Deputy Chief Censor, which was considered equivalent to the role of Censor-in-Chief （御史中丞）, and they were commonly referred to as Censors-in-Chief.
Modern Resonance
In 1911, after the Xinhai Revolution and the founding of the Republic of China, the Control Yuan was established, which is equivalent to the role of censors according to the ideas of revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen. The current Director of the National Supervisory Commission of the People's Republic of China holds a rank and function similar to that of the Censor-in-Chief.
References
• 御史中丞 (Chinese)
The text above incorporates content created automatically using artifical intelligence.
Censor-in-Chief (御史中丞), an ancient Chinese official title, is a type of censor (御史).