[1] Although his main concern was to link the emperor with the supernatural world and Heaven, he was also given the task of setting educational standards for the Imperial University (est.
124 BC)[2] and the academic chairs (Chinese: 博士; pinyin: bóshì) who specialized in the Five Classics, the canon of Confucianism.
The Court Astronomer also upheld a literacy test of 9,000 characters for nominees aspiring to become subordinate officials for either the Minister Steward or Palace Assistant Imperial Clerk.
[5] Other subordinates of the Minister of Ceremonies reported illegal acts at ancestral temples, prepared sacrificial offerings of food and wine at shrines and temples, and arranged for the music and dancing that accompanied ceremonies.
[6] This would be the precursor to the Ministry of Rites during the Sui and Tang dynasties, and the State Administration for Religious Affairs in present-day China.