The Traditional Chinese Censorate and the New Peking Regime

Abstract

The “People's Government” at Peking, which has been functioning since October, 1949, under the sponsorship of the Chinese Communist Party, includes a system of disciplinary surveillance over government personnel that in several aspects is reminiscent of one of the world's most remarkable institutions. This is the Chinese Censorate, traditionally a highly systematized organ of administrative and political control that was an integral, and usually a prominent, part of China's governmental structure for more than two thousand years.The new control system in China bears only a partial resemblance to the old. It is even possible that China's censorial heritage may not have had any part in shaping its development. However, since that heritage may conceivably channel its future development in directions that would be unforeseeable and unexplainable in any other context, it would appear to be desirable to take a fresh look at this long-lived institution. Aside from prospects of future influence, the Censorate, as a unique and, in its setting, a durable solution to the universal and ever-present problem of control in government, has intrinsic significance for students of political science.

It's Not Just a Visit: Receiving Government Officials’ Visits and Firm Performance in China

“…Visits by officials within their governmental jurisdictions have a long history in China (Hucker, 1951;Walker, 1947). In order to oversee the workings of local administrations, emperors in China relied upon personal visits to different regions (de Crespigny, 1981).…”

“…In addition, the early Han dynasty (from 206 B.C. to 220 A.D.) instituted a system of touring inspectors, through which officers of the central government were sent from the capital to travel throughout the administrative regions known as commanderies in order to monitor the conduct of administrations, while commandery-level officers were sent to tour the counties and report to the commandery capital (Hucker, 1951). Though the system of touring inspectors underwent successive organizational development, it survived dynastic changes and internal disunity in China until the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949.…”

“…RGOV refers to the practice of companies hosting formal visits made by government officials, who may be of different levels of seniority. Visits by officials within their governmental jurisdictions have a long history in China (Hucker, 1951; Walker, 1947). In order to oversee the workings of local administrations, emperors in China relied upon personal visits to different regions (de Crespigny, 1981).…”

Tackling Corruption at its Source: The National Corruption Prevention Bureau

“…As the key party anticorruption organization, the CDIC has, since its inception, been tasked with monitoring party cadres to prohibit the use of party positions for personal gain. 2 Reincarnated as the Central Control Commission (CCC) in the 1950s and dissolved during the Cultural Revolution, the CDIC was recreated in 1977 as part of Deng Xiaoping's reforms, with the party constitution calling for discipline inspection commissions (DICs) down to the county level and the military regimental level within the People's Liberation Army (PLA). 3 The CDIC is responsible for monitoring the behavior of party members, and CDIC handbooks and regulations typically list six general types of mistakes (cuowu); political, economic, organizational, dereliction of one's duty, opposition to the party's socialist morals, and violations of integrity laws and regulations (weifan lianjie zilu guiding).…”

Anti-corruption campaign in China: An empirical investigation

“…3 Based onHucker (1951). "tigers".Notes: Data of number of national leaders is from http://cpc.people.com.cn/GB/64162/394696/index.html(2023.03.03).…”