Censorate

The Censorate was a high-level supervisory agency in Imperial China, first established during the Qin dynasty (221–207 BC).

During the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), the Censorate was a branch of the centralized bureaucracy, paralleling the Six Ministries and the five Chief Military Commissions, and was directly responsible to the emperor.

[2] The investigating censors were "the eyes and ears" of the emperor and checked administrators at each level to prevent corruption and malfeasance, a common feature of that period.

Generally speaking, they were feared and disliked, and had to move around constantly to perform their duties.

During the Nguyễn dynasty a representative from the censorate served as a member of a government commission formed to create inscriptions for the 1 mạch cash coins.