

Most of the administrative institutions of the Qing Dynasty were inherited from the Ming period. –Su Chung (the name given to Japanese-American Yokiko Toshima, when she married a man whose family had close ties to Emperor Puyi) from her book Court Dishes of China, first published in 1965.Įach emperor conducted the state religious rites deemed necessary to maintain the harmonious balance between heaven and the nation.
FORBIDDEN GAME SUMMER DIES FREE
Nevertheless, he was not as free as an ordinary person, for he still had to give daily audiences and promulgate instructions considering the documents submitted to him … The only amusements the emperor could enjoy in the court were to attend a stage show, to practice calligraphy, and to paint. When the emperor lived in a detached palace, he could lead a comparatively free life, for he was exempted from the early-morning audience, he could dine with his consorts, and every manner and custom was simplified. Consequently, it was only natural that the emperor wished to stay away from court as much as possible. "As long as the emperor stayed within the court, he was restricted in every way by tradition. Due to strict observance of traditional conventions of the court, the freedom of the emperor was far less than that of an ordinary man." "No one in any dynasty of China ever lived a more rigidly controlled court life than the emperor of the Ch'ing.

At this time the emperor’s duties were complete and he could retire to his chambers. The papers were returned through the directorate of ceremonial office to the country administrative divisions after the emperor signed them off in red ink. Lunch time was followed by relaxation, when the emperor might unwind by composing poems or enjoying the garden. More than a hundred memorials came every day from all over the empire. There was a second audience at midday when the emperor’s main duties were to read and write comments on local government memorials, or reports. After breakfast, he opened and read the memorial presented by ministers and other officials. He would pick name cards of the officials from a plate prepared by the eunuchs. The emperor formally took breakfast at 7am in spring and winter, and 6am in summer and autumn.

He then returned to his chamber to snatch a little more sleep. The emperor used a palanquin (four guards at the front and several eunuchs to the rear) to reach the hall where he was needed for the daily audience with his courtiers. This early rising was called ch’ing chia, meaning, “Your appearance is begged in court”.
