How did Kublai Khan use Chinese systems of government in the Yuan dynasty?

Kublai Khan significantly transformed the Mongol government by adopting Chinese administrative systems, a shift driven by his reliance on Chinese advisers such as Liu Bingzhong. In 1271, he formally adopted the Chinese dynastic name "Da Yuan" (Great Origin) and positioned himself as a traditional Chinese emperor.1

Key aspects of his governance included:

• Bureaucratic Structure: He remodeled the central and local administration on Chinese lines, utilizing the Central Secretariat as the primary civilian authority. This included traditional agencies like the six ministries (finance, war, officials, rites, punishments, and public works) and the Censorate (Yushitai).1
• Territorial Administration: Provincial administrations were established as smaller replicas of the Central Secretariat, ensuring tighter central control than had existed under the Song dynasty.1
• Legal Framework: The Yuan legal code synthesized traditional Chinese law with legislation from the Jin state and Mongol legal practices.1
• Capital Cities: He moved the seat of government from Karakorum to Dadu (modern-day Beijing), establishing a sedentary capital with grand palaces while maintaining a seasonal court rotation between Dadu and Shangdu.1

Despite these adoptions, Kublai maintained a dualistic system, often reserving high offices for non-Chinese elites and relying on interpreters due to the language barrier between the Mongol rulers and their Chinese subjects.1