Department of State Affairs

History

The Department of State Affairs originated as one of the posts of the Six Chief Stewards (六尚, Liu Shang) that were responsible for headgear, wardrobe, food, the bath, the bedchamber, and correspondence and edicts (尚書, shàngshū) during the Qin dynasty. The position of Chief Steward for Writing was elevated in importance during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han (r. 141–87 BC), who tried to escape the influence of the Grand Chancellor and Censor-in-Chief (御史大夫, yushi dafu) by relying on other officials. Emperor Guangwu of Han (r. AD 25–57) created the Department of State Affairs under the Chief Steward for Writing, organizing it as the head of the six sections of government. It was headed by a director (令, ling) and a vice-director (僕射, puye), assisted by aides (丞, cheng) "of the left and right side" and 36 attendant gentlemen (侍郎, shilang), six for each section, as well as 18 clerks (令史, lingshi), three for each section. These six sections later became the Six Ministries and their chief stewards and the director and the vice-director of the Department of State Affairs were collectively known as the Eight Executives (八座, bazuo).