Three departments and six ministries system

The three departments and six ministries system was a very influential political system in Chinese history. It took shape after the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - 24 AD), was officially established during the Sui Dynasty, and was further improved during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907).

According to its name, this system divided the imperial government into three different sectors. The three departments included Zhongshu Sheng, Menxia Sheng and Shangshu Sheng; the six ministries were Li4 Bu, Hu Bu, Li3 Bu, Bing Bu, Xing Bu, and Gong Bu, which were branches of Shangshu Sheng.

Three Departments
To some extent, the functions of the three departments resembled the political system in the US - the separation of the executive, legislative and judicial powers.

Zhongshu Sheng, which could be described as the imperial Secretariat, was initially set up during the Kingdom of Wei of the Three Kingdoms Period (220 - 280). The main functions of this department were transmitting the emperor's intention, overseeing confidential files, and issuing government orders.
Menxia Sheng, was first set up during the Jin Dynasty (265 - 420). It was originally an attendant organ of the emperor. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties (386 - 589), this department gradually became the most important part of the imperial regime. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the Menxia Sheng, along with the Zhongshu Sheng, oversaw the confidential files of the government, discussed state affairs, checked official orders, and had the right to dispute or ban orders.

Shangshu Sheng, the Department of State Affairs, was one of the highest authorities of central government from the Wei and Jin Dnasties to the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279). Its major responsibility was to carry out orders which had been written by Zhongshu Sheng, checked by Menxia Sheng, and rejudged by the emperor.

Six Ministries
All six ministries were under the administration of Shangshu Sheng, and each ministry governed four smaller departments called Si.
Li4 Bu managed human resources as we might say today. It was in charge of appointing, dismissing, promoting, demoting, selecting, and evaluating state servants.
Hu Bu was primarily in charge of the territorial resources and financial affairs of the state. Specifically, it managed the farmland and the census register as well as the taxation and distribution of salaries.

Li3 Bu mainly dealt with rites. It was involved in the etiquette of military, diplomatic, religious, and school affairs.
Bing Bu chiefly took charge of the weapons and the books on strategies available for military officials and was also in charge of announcing military orders.
Xing Bu was like today's judicial court and police bureau. Its duties were to examine and approve all sorts of laws and to check and investigate criminal cases from all over the country.

Gong Bu was responsible for affairs related to a variety of projects, such as transportation, water conservation, farmland cultivation, and the employment of labor and personnel.

Judgment
Compared with the previous conventional political system, the Three Departments and Six Ministries system of the Sui Dynasty divided the administrative power formerly held by Cheng Xiang (the prime minister in ancient times) and limited the power of regional military generals. Therefore, the royal power held by the emperor was greatly increased.

Sui Dynasty

the grand canal

Started from 581 and ended in 618, the Sui Dynasty lasted for only 38 years and had only three emperors. With a tyrannical second emperor - Emperor Yang, the Sui Dynasty was often compared to the Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 206 BC). However, the whole nation was reunified and certain economic and political advances were achieved in the period.

Establishment
At the end of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (386 - 589), the whole nation had undergone a long period of division. People who had endured sufferings of war were longing for the unification but neither the Northern Dynasties nor Southern Dynasties realized this goal.
In Northern Zhou Dynasty (557 - 581), Yang Jian, who was born to the noble class and was the Chengxiang (Prime Minister) of the last emperor, monopolized the political and military power and suppressed the separatist forces as well as some other royal forces. In 581, Yang Jian replaced Northern Zhou with Sui and proclaimed himself Emperor Wen. Thus the Sui Dynasty was founded, with Chang'an (currently Xian) the capital and Luoyang the auxiliary capital. In 589, the Sui Court defeated the last of the Southern Dynasties, Chen, and unified the whole nation.

Economical and Political Prosperity
As a result of the reunification, the society became stable and peaceful which encouraged economical and political development.
At the beginning of the Sui Dynasty, the agricultural acreage increased greatly which promoted the crop yield. The skills industry made some new advances with the shipbuilding technology reaching a new high level. Meanwhile, the commerce in Luoyang was fairly prosperous and in order to develop the national economy, a series of policies, such as Juntian (equal division of fields) System and Zutiao (tax moderation) System, were carried out. This equally distributed the farmland and moderated the tax rates while increasing the fiscal revenue.
In order to enhance the communication between southern and northern areas, Emperor Yang ordered his people to dredge a grand canal running from north and south. Centering on Luoyang, the Grand Canal was more than 2.5 miles long and functioned as the main artery in the Nation's transportation. The Grand Canal played an important role in economical and cultural exchange between southern and northern areas.

There were also many changes in political life. A new political system - Three Departments and Six Ministries was established - the first in Chinese history. Under this system, the royal power was enhanced and the work division in the court became detailed. Since the Sui Dynasty, the method of selecting talent was thoroughly overhauled. The traditional Jiupin Zhongzheng (nine ranks of officials) Hierarchical System was replaced by the Imperial Examination System, which connected studying, the taking of examinations and attaining an official position. It had a profound influence on the selection of talent in Chinese history.

Decline and Ruin
The decline of the Sui Dynasty started from the second monarch, Emperor Yang, who was a typical tyrant. His reputation was that of a son who lacked respect for his parents, committed patricide and usurped the throne.

Emperor Yang led a luxurious and corrupt life. Upon gaining the throne, he employed two million laborers to build the second capital city of Luoyang and was even reputed to have cruised along the river in a large dragon ship, with thousands of ships following in attendance.

Craving greatness and success, Emperor Yang also waged war against Gaoli (currently Korea). Both burdensome military service and heavy corvee labor forced peasants to leave their farmland. Later, famine was common and caused by the resulting desolation leaving all the countryside in extreme misery.

In 611, peasants from Mt. Changbaishan in Shandong began a rebellion. Before long, rebels from all over the country formed into several powerful groups. Among them, the main military force was called the Wagang Army which was led by Zhai Rang and Li Mi. The force captured the granary of the Sui Court and issued the food to the peasants.
As a result, the regime of the Sui Dynasty became rather unstable and in 618, when Emperor Yang was strangled by one of his subordinates, it completely collapsed.

Emperors of Sui Dynasty

Order	Name	Notes	Reign Time (years)
1	Sui Wendi (Yang Jian)	He was father-in-law of the last emperor of Northern Zhou; After the emperor died, he seized the throne for himself and established the Sui Dynasty	581 - 604
2	Sui Yangdi (Yang Guang)	The second son of Sui Wendi; known as a tyrant who led the Sui Dynasty to decline	604 - 617
3	Sui Gongdi (Yang You)	The last emperor of Sui Dynasty who yielded the throne to Li Yuan (later Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907))	617 - 618