Ministry of Rites

For historical Japanese ministries, see Ministry of Ceremonies (Japan) and Department of Divinities.

The Ministry or Board of Rites was one of the Six Ministries of government in late imperial China. It was part of the imperial Chinese government from the Tang (7th century) until the 1911 Xinhai Revolution. Along with religious rituals and court ceremonial the Ministry of Rites also oversaw the imperial examination and China's foreign relations.

Ministry of Rites
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	禮部
Simplified Chinese	礼部
Literal meaning	Rites Ministry
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Lǐbù Wade–Giles Li Pu
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabet	Lễ Bộ
Chữ Hán	禮部
Manchu name
Manchu script	ᡩᠣᡵᠣᠯᠣᠨ ᡳ ᠵᡠᡵᡤᠠᠨ
Möllendorff	dorolon i jurgan

A Ministry of Rites also existed in imperial Vietnam. One of its tasks was enforcing the naming taboo.

History

Under the Han, similar functions were performed by the Ministry of Ceremonies. In early medieval China, its functions were performed by other officials including the Grand Herald. Under the Song (10th-13th centuries), its functions were temporarily transferred to the Zhongshu Sheng. Its administration of China's foreign relations was ended by the establishment of the Zongli Yamen in 1861.

Functions

• Management of imperial court ceremonies and ritual offerings.
• Registration and supervision of Buddhist and Taoist priests within China.
• Management of the Imperial examinations.
• Foreign relations.

See also

• The Book of Rites
• Ministry of Ceremonies under the Han
• Bureau of Buddhist and Tibetan Affairs (Yuan) and Board for the Administration of Outlying Regions (Qing), overseeing Tibetan Buddhism
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs (China)
  • Office of the Commissioner (Hong Kong)
  • Office of the Commissioner (Macau)
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Taiwan)
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Vietnam)
• Ministry of Education (China)
  • Education Bureau
• Ministry of Education (Taiwan)
• Ministry of Education and Training
• Ministry of Culture and Tourism (China)
  • Home Affairs Bureau
  • Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture
• Ministry of Culture (Taiwan)
• Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Vietnam)
• State Administration for Religious Affairs under the PRC State Council
• United Front Work Department

References

Sources

• Hucker, Charles (1985). A Dictionary of Official Titles in Imperial China. Stanford University Press. pp. 306–07.
• Keliher, Macabe (2019). The Board of Rites and the Making of Qing China. Oakland: University of California Press. ISBN 9780520300293.