Palace Attendant () was a title in

Imperial China The history of China spans several millennia across a wide geographical area. Each region now considered part of the Chinese world has experienced periods of unity, fracture, prosperity, and strife. Chinese civilization first emerged in the Y ...

comparable to that of ''Chief Minister'', also known as '' Grand chancellor'' or ''Counselor-in-chief''. These are in turn collective terms designating the chief policy maker of the central government in Imperial China. They designated the head of the central government during the Qin and Han dynasties and during the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin dyna ...

period, the "highest official advisor to the

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

History

The term ''Chief Minister'' denoted a chancellor (''xiangguo'', 相國; ''chengxiang'', 丞相) in

Western Han The Han dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) and a warring int ...

and

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

. In Western Han, the Chief Minister's lieutenants, ''da sikong'', ''lyushi dafu'' (censor-general), ''da sima'' and ''taiwei'' (respectively, commander and defender-in-chief), were also chief ministers. In Easter Han it nominally denoted a ''situ'' (chancellor), ''sikong'' (censor-general), and ''taiwei'' (defender-in-chief). In the Six Dynasties period the term ''Chief Minister'' denoted several holders of power serving as top administrators. Among them are ''zhongshun jian'' (inspector general of the Secretariat), ''zhongshu ling'' (President of the Secretariat), ''shizhong'' (palace attendant), and ''shangshu ling'' and ''puye'' (president and vice-president of the Department of State Affairs). During the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

and the

Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty ( ) was a short-lived Dynasties of China, Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 581 to 618. The re-unification of China proper under the Sui brought the Northern and Southern dynasties era to a close, ending a prolonged peri ...

, the Three Departments' chiefs were "chief ministers by default," though during the Sui unofficial, "''de facto''" chief ministers were appointed as well. The status and functions of ''Shizong'' underwent great changes. It designated a close minister serving the Emperor.

Notable ''Shizhong''

* Lu Wan (died 194 BC),

Western Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) and a warring in ...

Wei Qing Wei Qing (died Jun 106 BC?In Emperor Wu's biography in ''Book of Han'' and volume 21 of ''Zizhi Tongjian'', the record of Wei Qing's death appeared after the 4th month of the 5th year of the ''Yuan'feng'' era. Thus, it is likely (but not certai ...

(died 106 BC), Western Han dynasty * Chen Qian (522–566),

Chen dynasty The Chen dynasty (), alternatively known as the Southern Chen (南陳 / 南朝陳) in historiography, was a Dynasties in Chinese history, Chinese imperial dynasty and the fourth and last of the Northern and Southern dynasties#Southern dynasties, ...

* Chen Shubao (553–604), Chen dynasty * Lü Pi (died 461),

Northern Wei dynasty Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei ( zh, c=北魏, p=Běi Wèi), Tuoba Wei ( zh, c=拓跋魏, p=Tuòbá Wèi), Yuan Wei ( zh, c=元魏, p=Yuán Wèi) and Later Wei ( zh, t=後魏, p=Hòu Wèi), was an imperial dynasty of Chi ...

* Yuan Xie (died 508), Northern Wei dynasty

References

{{Reflist Government of Imperial China Government of the Sui dynasty Government of the Tang dynasty