Lessons on the division of power from Ming dynasty

The division of the state into separate, independent branches is assumed by many to be the best form of governance, given that it’s long been adopted by the most developed nations.

Hong Kong subscribes to a strict separation of the executive, legislative and judicial branches, represented respectively by the government, the Legislative Council and the Court of Final Appeal and other law courts. It’s widely held that the healthy separation of powers in Hong Kong prevents any branch, especially the government, from becoming excessively powerful.

Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), had similar thoughts when deciding how the provinces were to be governed. To prevent them from becoming too powerful and challenging the imperial court, Zhu kept the powers in local governments separate; the military, administrative and judiciary branches in each province were each headed by a different person. They weren’t subordinate to one another and all were appointed by the emperor and ultimately answered to him. Zhu even had two officials heading the same administrative branch in each province, acting as a check on one another, underlining the level of distrust he had towards his own people.

Even as division of power was applied at local level, the emperor wielded tremendous executive powers, which proved to be disastrous for the Ming dynasty when its emperors were weak.