A Study On The Emperors' Information Channels In Song Dynasty

This dissertation concentrates on the information collection and operation for the emperors in Song Dynasty by analyzing of the distribution of buildings in royal court, the operation on the reports, the liege Zou-dui奏对, and particular political groups. On the basis of these analyses, the author aims to study further on the operation of the imperial power in Song Dynasty.The distribution of buildings in royal court and the location of all the delivering departments in the royal court, determined the features of different information channels and functions in the political operation. In the first part of the dissertation, the author discusses Nei dong men内东门(The inner east gate). The gate was very significant in Northern Song, but few researchers pay attention to this issue. The author points out that the special position was the most significant feature of Nei-dong-men内东门(The inner east gate). In view of the position of the gate, the emperors in Northern Song Dynasty often used the gate to get confidential information whcih could not be got through common channels. Contrasting Nei-dong-men and other delivering departments, the author argues how the emperors prevented themselves from being cheated through the distribution of buildings and multiple information channels.The relationship between the emperors and the chief and assisting councilors宰辅(zai-fu) determined the trends of the political situation. On the other hand, the operation of political information affected the formation and development of that relationship. In the second part, the author discusses how the emperors and the chief and assisting councilors宰辅(zai-fu) played their own role in the operation of the reports. In view of the operation of the reports, the author argues that the emperors of Song Dynasty gradually operated the government affairs in person with the assistance of the chief and assisting councilors宰辅(zai-fu), and they had closer co-operation in the operation of government affairs than anterior dynasties. On the other hand, they often had political struggles on the information. The co-operation and the struggles were both on the basis of the emperors'lack of abilities to operate the information.The Zou-dui奏对was significant for the officials. In the third part of this dissertation, the author studies on the relationship between the Zoudui奏对system and the liege communication by analyzing of a special Zou-dui奏对----Jing-yan经筵. Constructed with the common Zou-dui奏对such as Zhuan-dui转对and Lun-dui轮对, Jing-yan经筵got less restriction and freer atmosphere. In order to get information efficiently, the emperors used Jing-yan经筵to remedy defects in the common Zou-dui奏对. Moreover, the special communication way in Jing-yan经筵made a closer and more equal liege relationship than usual.In the fourth part, the author discusses the eunuch chiefly. When collecting information, the emperors in Song Dynasty often appointed heavy tasks to the eunuch and other private groups. In order to know the outside situation efficiently, the emperors established an easily controlled and secret information channel through them. While appointing the eunuch, the emperor guarded them through the officials. In most cases, the emperors collected information through all of them. For the emperor, the struggles between the eunuch and the officials expanded the information sources and made the judgment of the reliability of information more difficult.