受命 於天 既壽 永昌
32-669: Imperial Seal refers to the seal used by East Asian imperial families to endorse imperial edicts. Heirloom Seal of the Realm , the official seal of the Chinese Empire Imperial Seal of Manchukuo , the official seal of the Manchukuo during World War II Imperial Seal of the Mongols , the official seal of various Mongol-led regimes Imperial Seal of Japan , one of
64-722: A physical symbol of the Mandate of Heaven . The Heirloom Seal was lost around the end of the Tang dynasty (618–907) or during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907–960). In 221 BC, the Seal was created when Qin Shi Huang destroyed the remaining Warring States and united China under the Qin dynasty . Heshibi was a famous piece of jade stone which previously belonged to
96-747: A set of square-shaped official seals. The People's Republic of China initially adopted a similar square seal, but this fell out of use by 1954. Several seals have since been claimed as the lost Heirloom Seal, but none have held up under scrutiny. In at least one case, the seal concerned was found to be a personal seal of an emperor, rather than the Heirloom Imperial Seal. Grand chancellor (China) The grand chancellor ( Chinese : 宰相 ; pinyin : Zǎixiàng , among other titles), also translated as counselor-in-chief , chancellor , chief councillor , chief minister , imperial chancellor , lieutenant chancellor and prime minister ,
128-577: The Cao Wei dynasty , Jin dynasty , Sixteen Kingdoms period, Southern and Northern dynasties period, Sui dynasty and Tang dynasty , but was lost to history in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907–960). The fate of the seal during and after the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period is not known. Three theories exist as to when, and how, it was lost: When the Ming armies captured
160-519: The Imperial Seal of China , was a Chinese jade seal allegedly carved out of the Heshibi , a sacred piece of jade . The Seal was created in 221 BC, shortly after Qin Shi Huang unified China and established the Qin dynasty , China's first imperial dynasty. The Heirloom Seal served as the imperial Chinese seal throughout the next millennium of Chinese history, and its possession was seen as
192-536: The Mandate of Heaven and why the Seal was carved in jade, China's most valued material for thousands of years. At the death of the second Emperor of Qin , his successor Ziying proffered the Seal to the new emperor of the Han dynasty , whereafter it was known as the "Han Heirloom Seal of the Realm". At the end of the Western Han dynasty in 9 CE, Wang Mang , the usurper, forced the Han empress dowager to hand over
224-622: The Qin dynasty (221–206 BC), the chancellor, together with the imperial secretary, and the grand commandant, were the most important officials in the imperial government, generally referred as the Three Lords . In 1 BC, during the reign of Emperor Ai , the title was changed to da si tu (大司徒). In the Eastern Han dynasty , the chancellor post was replaced by the Three Excellencies : Grand Commandant (太尉), Minister over
256-747: The Qing dynasties possessed it. Reducing the significance of the lost Heirloom Seal partly explains the Qing Emperors' obsession with creating numerous imperial seals — the Forbidden City in Beijing has a collection of 25 seals solely for the emperors' official use. In the early 20th century, as the Qing Empire pursued reforms to modernise its system of government, a series of official seals were created for use on documents and instruments of
288-586: The Secretariat (中書省), and the Chancellery (門下省). The head of each department was generally referred to as the chancellor . In the Song dynasty , the post of chancellor was also known as the "Tongpingzhangshi" (同平章事), in accordance with late-Tang terminology, while the vice-chancellor was known as the jijunsi . Some years later, the post of chancellor was changed to "prime minister" (首相 shou xiang ) and
320-634: The Six Dynasties period , the term denoted a number of power-holders serving as chief administrators, including zhongshun jian (Inspector General of the Secretariat), zhongshu ling (President of the Secretariat), shizhong ( Palace Attendant ), shangshu ling and puye (president and vice-president of the Department of State Affairs). In the Spring and Autumn period , Guan Zhong was
352-456: The Zhao state . Passing into the hands of the new Emperor of China , he ordered it made into his Imperial seal. The words, "Having received the Mandate from Heaven , may (the emperor) lead a long and prosperous life." ( 受命 於 天 , 既 壽 永昌 ) were written by Prime Minister Li Si , and carved onto the seal by Sun Shou. The Seal was carved from jade because, in ancient China, jade was symbolic of
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#1732772272074384-902: The Great Qing Empire" (大清帝國之璽), and "The Seal of the Emperor of the Great Qing Empire" (大清帝國皇帝之寶). Of these, the Great Seal of the Great Qing Empire represented the official, modern "replacement" for the lost heirloom seal. The seal dies are in the collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing, and none show signs of use. After the fall of the Qing Empire in 1912, the Republic of China government likewise adopted
416-544: The Masses (司徒) and Minister of Works (司空). In 190, Dong Zhuo claimed the title "Chancellor of State" (相國) under the powerless Emperor Xian of Han , placing himself above the Three Excellencies. After Dong Zhuo's death in 192, the post was vacant until Cao Cao restored the position as "imperial chancellor" (丞相) and abolished the Three Excellencies in 208. From then until March 15, 220, the power of chancellor
448-469: The Seal to the coalition leader Yuan Shao who asked him for the seal, but Sun Jian refused. He swore that if he had the Seal, he might die a violent death, and set out for his home. Nevertheless, Yuan Shao told Liu Biao to block his way; Liu Biao did so, though he was unable to defeat Sun Jian. This began a rivalry between them, and Sun Jian, according to his oath, died a violent death in an ambush while fighting Liu Biao later on. Sun Jian's son, Sun Ce inherited
480-545: The Seal. The empress dowager, in anger, threw the Seal on the ground, chipping one corner. Later, Wang Mang ordered the corner to be restored with gold . This Seal passed on even as dynasties rose and fell. It was seen as a legitimizing device, signalling the Mandate of Heaven. During turbulent periods, such as the Three Kingdoms period, the seal became the object of rivalry and armed conflict. Regimes which possessed
512-636: The Yuan capital in 1369, it captured just one out of the eleven personal seals of the Yuan emperors. The Heirloom Seal was not found. In 1370, Ming armies invaded the Northern Yuan dynasty and captured some treasures brought there by the retreating Yuan emperor. However, once more the Heirloom Seal was not found. By the beginning of the Ming dynasty , the Seal was known to be lost. Neither the Ming nor
544-555: The chancellery after the reign of the Hongwu Emperor . The Qing dynasty bureaucratic hierarchy did not contain a chancellor position. Instead, the duties normally assumed by a chancellor were entrusted to a series of formal and informal institutions, the most prominent of which was the Grand Council . Occasionally, one minister may held enough power in the government that he comes to be identified, figuratively, as
576-531: The emperor, but during political turmoil or power struggles between the two roles the grand chancellor could also be the emperor's primary political competitor and opponent. This balance of power means that the relation between grand chancellor (and the scholar-officials they represent) and emperor holds great significance in the Confucian thought of governance and the relation of "lord and subject" (君臣). "Grand chancellor" can denote several positions. During
608-596: The first chancellor in China, who became chancellor under the state of Qi in 685 BCE. In Qin , during the Warring States period , the chancellor was officially established as "the head of all civil service officials." There were sometimes two chancellors, differentiated as being "of the left" (senior) and "of the right" (junior). After emperor Qin Shi Huang ended the Warring States period by establishing
640-551: The imperial government. Although square in shape following the traditional design, the seal dies themselves were made of wood, in imitation of western government precedents and, contrary to earlier Qing imperial seals which were bilingual ( Chinese and Manchu ), had only Chinese text . Four seal dies were carved: " The Seal of the Great Qing " (大清國寶), "The Seal of the Great Qing Emperor" (大清皇帝之寶), "The Great Seal of
672-463: The inner beauty within humans. Many tombs and burials from ancient China contained decorative jade, including a jade burial suit unearthed in 1968 that belonged to a Han prince, Liu Sheng . During the Han dynasty , the Chinese associated jade with immortality to a point where some individuals attempted to drink jade in liquid form to gain eternal life. This association further complements the idea of
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#1732772272074704-646: The intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Imperial_Seal&oldid=1113535568 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Heirloom Seal of the Realm The Heirloom Seal of the Realm ( traditional Chinese : 傳國玉璽 ; simplified Chinese : 传国玉玺 ; pinyin : chuán guó yù xǐ ), also known in English as
736-428: The official seal of Japan Imperial Seal of Korea , the official seal of the short-lived Korean Empire See also [ edit ] Seal (East Asia) Royal seal (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Imperial Seal . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to
768-719: The post of vice-chancellor was changed to "second minister" (次相 ci xiang ). In the late Southern Song dynasty , the system changed back to the Tang naming conventions. During the Mongol-founded Yuan dynasty , the chancellor was not the head of the Secretariat, but the Crown Prince (皇太子) was. After the establishment of the Ming dynasty , the post became the head of the Zhongshu Sheng again. The post
800-419: The right to decide and to draft edicts with other ministers, and the position of chief advisor to the emperor . This extended even to the ability to criticize the emperor's edicts and decisions. Thus, the grand chancellor served as the emperor's chief of staff and main political advisor, often exercising power second only to the emperor. In practice, the grand chancellor was often a trusted executive aide to
832-467: The seal and gave it to Yuan Shu so that he might lend him troops to take revenge for his uncle, who had been fighting Warlord Lu Kang. Yuan Shu then declared himself emperor under the short-lived Zhong dynasty in 197. This act angered the warlords Cao Cao and Liu Bei , leading to several crushing defeats by each army. The other warlords, even after being issued with an imperial decree, refused to help Cao Cao and Liu Bei in defeating Yuan Shu. When Yuan Shu
864-615: The seal declared themselves, and are often historically regarded, as legitimate. At the end of the Han dynasty in the 3rd century AD, General Sun Jian found the Imperial Seal when his forces occupied the evacuated Han imperial capital Luoyang , in the course of the campaign against Dong Zhuo , giving it to his chief, warlord Yuan Shu . The Romance of the Three Kingdoms says that one of Sun Jian's men betrayed him and told about
896-656: The use of a title Chingsang , from Chengxiang (丞相) for various high leaders, such as Pulad, the Yuan ambassador to the Ilkhan and for the deputy of the Western Mongol leader, the taishi . The title was also used in the Ilkhanate, for the vizier Buqa . Note: after the death of Hu Weiyong, the title of grand chancellor was abolished. The office of the Grand Secretariat assumed the de facto powers of
928-470: Was abolished after the execution of Hu Weiyong , who was accused of treason (though his conviction is still strongly disputed in present times because of a lack of evidence to prove his guilt). Still, appointments of the people who held the highest post in the government were called "appointment of prime minister" (拜相) until 1644. During and after the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty, the Mongols continued
960-566: Was defeated in 199 by Liu Bei, the Seal came into the hands of Cao Cao , whose son Cao Pi proclaimed the Wei dynasty as the legitimate successor state to Han in 220. The Seal remained in the hands of Wei dynasty emperors until the last emperor Cao Huan was forced to abdicate in Sima Yan 's favor, passing the Seal from Cao to Sima and establishing the Jin dynasty in 265. The Seal was passed through
992-509: Was greater than that of the emperor. Later this often happened when a dynasty became weak, usually some decades before the fall of a dynasty. During the Sui dynasty , the executive officials of the three highest departments of the empire were called "chancellors" (真宰相) together. In the Tang dynasty , the government was divided into three departments : the Department of State Affairs (尚書省),
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1024-423: Was the highest-ranking executive official in the imperial Chinese government . The term was known by many different names throughout Chinese history, and the exact extent of the powers associated with the position fluctuated greatly, even during a particular dynasty . Professor Zhu Zongbin of Peking University outlined the role of "grand chancellor" as one with the power to oversee all jurisdictional matters,
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