Zongli Yamen

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Zongli Yamen (Traditional Chinese: 總理衙門; Simplified Chinese: 总理衙门; Hanyu Pinyin: Zǒnglǐ Yámen; Wade-Giles: Tsungli Yamen) was the name of the government office/department of foreign relations (or Foreign Office) of imperial China during the Qing dynasty. It was established by Prince Gong in 1861, following the Convention of Peking.

[edit] The Meaning of the Name

Zongli yamen is a traditional abbreviation of the official name in Chinese, Zongli geguo shiwu yamen (總理各國事務衙門), literally meaning "Office in charge of Affairs of All Nations". The corresponding name in Manchu, the other official language of the Qing Empire, was Geren gurun i baita be uherileme icihiyara yamun. A common misconception is that the Yamen's name means the "Premier's Office". This arose because the word Zongli (总理) is now used in Chinese to refer to the Premier or Prime Minister of a country. In fact, the name Zongli Yamen is an abbreviation of its full name, which makes it the bona fide office of foreign affairs.

[edit] Function in Qing Bureaucracy

The Zongli yamen had a relatively low formal status in the Qing administrative hierarchy and its members served concurrently in other government agencies, which further weakened its position. Furthermore, the Zongli yamen was not the sole policy making body in foreign affairs, a prerogative which still rested in the hands of the emperor. While the Yamen remained an important body for a few decades after its foundation, its influence was soon overshadowed by influential officials such as Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang. In 1901, the Zongli Yamen was replaced with the Qing Foreign Office (外務部, Wàiwùbù), which had equal status to other ministries in the government.

[edit] References

• Immanuel C. Y. Hsü. China's Entrance into the Family of Nations: The Diplomatic Phase, 1858 -1880. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1960.

• Banno Masataka. China and the West, 1858-1861: The Origins of the Tsungli Yamen. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1964.

• H B Morse. International Relations of the Chinese Empire. 3 volumes. London and New York: by Longman and Green, 1910-18.