TheShangshu Sheng, sometimes translated as theDepartment of State Affairs,Imperial Secretariat, orExecutive Bureau, was one of the departments of theThree Departments and Six Ministries government structure. It was the primary executive institution ofimperial China, head of theSix Ministries, theNine Courts, and the Three or Five Directorates. The Six Ministries consisted of theMinistry of Personnel, theMinistry of Revenue, theMinistry of Rites, theMinistry of War, theMinistry of Justice, and theMinistry of Works.^[1] The Department of State of Affairs existed in one form or another from theHan dynasty (206 BC – AD 9) until theYuan dynasty (1271–1368), but was never re-established in the followingMing dynasty.

The Department of State Affairs originated as one of the posts of the Six Chief Stewards (六尚,Liu Shang) that were responsible for headgear, wardrobe, food, the bath, the bedchamber, and correspondence and edicts (尚書,shàngshū) during theQin dynasty. The position of Chief Steward for Writing was elevated in importance during the reign ofEmperor Wu ofHan (r. 141–87 BC), who tried to escape the influence of theGrand Chancellor andCensor-in-Chief (御史大夫,yushi dafu) by relying on other officials.Emperor Guangwu of Han (r. AD 25–57) created the Department of State Affairs under the Chief Steward for Writing, organizing it as the head of the six sections of government. It was headed by a director (令,ling) and a vice-director (僕射,puye), assisted by aides (丞,cheng) "of the left and right side" and 36 attendant gentlemen (侍郎,shilang), six for each section, as well as 18 clerks (令史,lingshi), three for each section. These six sections later became theSix Ministries and their chief stewards and the director and the vice-director of the Department of State Affairs were collectively known as the Eight Executives (八座,bazuo).^[2]

The power of the Department of State Affairs decreased in the succeedingWei andJin dynasties as some of its functions and authority were delegated to the Central Secretariat and Chancellery. The posts of director and vice-director also became less important as it was bestowed upon high ministers and noble family members who did not participate in the real administrative work of the department. The paperwork became the purview of clerks, whose increasing influence frightenedEmperor Wu ofLiang. Emperor Wu decreed that only members of thenobility should become clerks, but none of the nobles were willing to assign their sons to such work. Members of the department refused to cooperate with the emperor and resisted any changes to administration. The Department of State Affairs in theSixteen Kingdoms and theNorthern Dynasties tended to work more similarly to theSouthern Dynasties over time but were dominated by "barbarian" peoples such as theXianbei.^[2]

During theSui dynasty (581–618), the post of director was often left vacant while two vice-directors,Gao Jiong andYang Su, handled affairs.^[2]

During theTang dynasty (618–907), the post of director continued to usually be left vacant. When it was filled, the position was held by thecrown prince, as withLi Shimin (r. 626–649) andLi Shi (r. 779–804). To weaken the power of the vice-director, nowde facto head of the institution, the position was divided between "left and right" vice-directors, the former being senior to the latter. At times the vice-directors were comparable in power with the grand chancellors and sometimes even superseded him. However by the mid-Tang period, the chancellors had regained their predominance and the vice-directors of the Department of State Affairs lost their default status aschancellors, needing to be specially and individually named as such to participate in policy-making discussions. Sometimes the Left Vice-Director of the Department of State Affairs was the same person as the Director of the Chancellery. Thereafter the department became a purely executive institution. The six sections of government were formally divided into the Six Ministries, each headed by a separate minister (shangshu). The six divisions were replicated at the prefectural level, each directly reporting to their respective ministries in the central government. In addition to the Six Ministries, the Department of State Affairs was also in charge of theNine Courts and the Three or Five Directorates. The Department of State Affairs was one of the largest employers in the government and provided posts and income to many officials. The institution was abolished during theMongolianYuan dynasty (1271–1368), with sporadic attempts to reintroduce it in 1270, 1287, 1309, and 1311 due to financial difficulties. The attempts never lasted for more than a few years.^[3] It was never reëstablished in the followingMing dynasty.^[2]

TheNine Courts throughout most of Chinese history were:

The Three or Five Directorates were originally the Directorates of Waterways, Imperial Manufactories, and Palace Buildings. In theSui dynasty, the Directorate of Armaments or Palace Domestic Service was sometimes counted as one. The Sui andTang dynasties also added the Directorate of Education to the list. The Directorate of Astronomy was added during theSong dynasty.

• Zhongshu Sheng
• Menxia Sheng

• Government of Imperial China
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• Government of the Yuan dynasty
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