The Research Of Ming Dynasty's Administrative Supervisory System

The supervisory system, as an important composition of our country's political system, has a very long and continuous history in China. China's ancient supervisory system sprouted in Xia, Shang and Zhou Periods, basically shaped up in Qin and Han Periods, matured and was almost perfect in Sui and Tang Periods. The development and changes of the supervisory system before Ming dynasty showed two tendencies: one is that the supervisory system and the expostulatory system combined, the other is that the status of the central censor was raised continuously. These two tendencies reflected the continuous reinforcement of the feudalistic despotism imperial power. As the development of China's feudal society, the supervisory system was gradually reduced to a tool of the feudal emperors to consolidate and expand their imperial power.Ming dynasty superseded Yuan dynasty and the expansion of the feudal imperial power in Ming dynasty almost reached acme. The supreme rulers in Ming dynasty racked their brains and used every possible method in the creation and improvement of the supervisory system in order to meet the demand of the imperial power's expansion. The administrative supervisory system of Ming dynasty, which inherited the previous and enlightened the following, was highly developed and characteristic. In Ming dynasty, the supervisory organs were more independent. The supervisory organs, which acted as the emperors' snoops, were not subordinate to any organization and were only responsible for the emperors. The supervisory organs' setting up and function fixed eyes upon the supervisory organs' powers' being discrete and made balance meanwhile in order to safeguard the supreme imperial power. The construction process of Ming dynasty's administrative supervisory system was exactly a process of the feudal imperial power's strengthening and the purpose of Ming dynasty's administrative supervisory system's construction was exactly to consolidate the extreme sovereign centralization in this way. Ming dynasty's administrative supervisory system extremely depended on the feudal imperial power and was its accessory. Although Ming dynasty's administrative supervision was comprehensive, close, and highly developed, its true function was very limited under the extreme imperial power politics and its function was only realized to some extent. Ming dynasty's administrative supervisory system was engraved with "imperial power" and "personal rule". Ming dynasty's administrative supervision was founded on personal rule from beginning to end, so many abuses and defects of this system was also very obvious. Today, governing our country according to law and administration according to law are vigorously driven ahead and the supervision toward administration is strengthening. Ming dynasty's administrative supervisory system has some enlightenment significance to us. This article is on the basis of above thinking and attempts to make a new combing and investigation on Ming dynasty's administrative supervisory system in order that it can have some positive effect on our country's better launching the campaign against the decayed phenomena in our society and advocating the honest and upright actions, reinforcing the administrative supervision and even the total construction of ruling our country by law.This article includes five parts. The first part mainly clarifies the writer's purpose and significance about choosing this topic. The second part expounds the history background of Ming dynasty's administrative supervisory system's coming into being from three aspects: inheritance and development of the previous dynasties' supervisory systems; mandarin serious decayed phenomena in the period between Yuan and Ming dynasty and the demand of rectifying it; the continuous reinforcement of feudal imperial power. The third part introduces the basic contents of Ming dynasty's administrative supervisory system. It includes four aspects: Ming dynasty's supervision legislation; Ming dynasty's administrative supervisory organs' setting up, function and the mechanism of balance between them; Ming dynasty's mechanism of choosing and assessing supervisory officials; Ming dynasty's spy organizations. The fourth part gives an analysis and appraisement of Ming dynasty's administrative supervisory system from six aspects: supervision legislation; system design; supervisory pattern; supervisory efficacy; supervisory subject; choosing and assessing supervisory officials. The last part is the concluding remarks of this article and the enlightenment significance of Ming dynasty's administrative supervisory system to our country's administrative supervisory system's construction today is also revealed in this part.