Office of Household

The Office of Household in Chinese history, particularly during the Qing dynasty, was an agency outside the regular bureaucracy. It was staffed with bond servants and managed large estates allocated to bannermen, supervised government monopolies, and oversaw imperial factories and customs bureaus. This department's growth reflected the increasing power concentrated in the hands of the emperor. The Qing rulers also established a Grand Council in 1729 as a top decision-making body, allowing the emperor to more efficiently manage government affairs. This system differed from the Han dynasty, where the emperor's will was declared through edicts, and officials could submit proposals via memorials.12