The Ministry of Ceremonies () was one of the nine ministries of the Chinese
Han dynasty. The Minister of Ceremonies (), also known as Grand Master of Ceremonies, was the chief official in charge of religious rites, rituals, prayers, and the maintenance of
ancestral temples and altars. The role's title was changed to Upholder of Ceremonies () from 195 to 144 BC before reverting to the original title. Although his main concern was to link the emperor with the supernatural world and
Heaven
Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...
, he was also given the task of setting educational standards for the
Imperial University (est. 124 BC) and the academic chairs () who specialized in the
Five Classics, the canon of
Confucianism.
One of the Minister of Ceremonies' many subordinates was the Court Astronomer (; also known as the Prefect Grand Astrologer), who made
astronomical observations and drafted the annual
lunisolar calendar
A lunisolar calendar is a calendar in many cultures, combining lunar calendars and solar calendars. The date of Lunisolar calendars therefore indicates both the Moon phase and the time of the solar year, that is the position of the Sun in the Ea ...
. The Court Astronomer also upheld a
literacy test
A literacy test assesses a person's literacy skills: their ability to read and write have been administered by various governments, particularly to immigrants. In the United States, between the 1850s and 1960s, literacy tests were administered t ...
of 9,000
characters for nominees aspiring to become subordinate officials for either the Minister Steward or Palace Assistant Imperial Clerk. These nominees were often recommended subordinates of commandery-level Administrators. Other subordinates of the Minister of Ceremonies reported illegal acts at ancestral temples, prepared sacrificial offerings of food and wine at shrines and temples, and arranged for the music and dancing that accompanied ceremonies.
This would be the precursor to the
Ministry of Rites during the
Sui and
Tang
Tang or TANG most often refers to:
* Tang dynasty
* Tang (drink mix)
Tang or TANG may also refer to:
Chinese states and dynasties
* Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) b ...
dynasties, and the
State Administration for Religious Affairs in present-day China.
See also
*
Government of the Han dynasty
*
Ministry of Rites
*
State Administration for Religious Affairs
References
Citations
Sources
*
*
*
*
Government of Imperial China
Religion in China
Han dynasty
{{China-hist-stub