Censorate

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The Censorate (御史台 yùshǐtái, later 都察院 dūcháyuàn) was the part of the Chinese bureaucracy that made sure government officials were doing their jobs, during the Qin dynasty and later dynasties.

During the Ming Dynasty, the Censorate was a branch of the centralized bureaucracy, directly responsible to emperor. They were "the eyes and ears" of the emperor and checked administrators at each level to prevent corruption and misdoings, a common feature of that period. There are stories told about righteous censors revealing corruption as well as censors who accepted bribes. Generally speaking, they were feared and disliked and hence they constantly had to move around to perform their duties.