The Monarch And Inner-Outer Court Dualism In Late Imperial China

Abstract

If we want to understand the working of imperial authority at the peak of Chinese court society, we have to examine different modes and methods of transgression between inner and outer spheres used by both dynasties of late imperial China. What role did the inner- outer-court-dualism play in the late imperial era? What were the continuities in the Ming-Qing-transition, bracketing the two dynasties in a single period? In what ways did the Manchu monarchs alter the function of the palace system as the power base of imperial rule?. Keywords: inner- outer-court-dualism; late imperial China