Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies
- Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies / Volume 71 / Issue 03 / October 2008, pp 509-528
- Copyright © School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London 2008
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X08000864 (About DOI), Published online: 20 October 2008
Research Article
The organs of Han imperial government: zhongdu guan, duguan, xianguan and xiandao guan
Michael Loewea1
a1 University of Cambridge
Abstract
Passages in received texts and in recently found legal documents show the different ways in which four terms refer to offices of Han imperial government; zhongdu guan indicates offices of the central government in the capital city; duguan signifies offices controlled by the central government but posted to work in the commanderies and counties; xianguan refers to just those offices but it is often used of “the government” in general, and in exceptional cases it specifies the emperor in person; xiandao guan were the offices of provincial government established in the counties (xian) and marches (dao).
