Duke Yansheng (simplified Chinese: 衍圣公; traditional Chinese: 衍聖公; pinyin: Yǎnshèng gōng; literally "overflowing with sage") was a title of nobility in China. It was originally created as a marquisate for the direct descendent of Confucius during the Western Han dynasty. The dukes enjoyed privileges that other nobles were denied such as the right to tax their domain in Qufu while being exempt from imperial taxes. Their fiefdom had its own court of law and the power of capital punishment. The dukes were usually the second richest men in imperial China, after the emperor himself. After the republican revolution, the dukes lost their privileges, and Duke Yansheng was the only title of Chinese nobility retained. In 1935, the Nationalist Government changed the title to Sacrificial Official to Confucius (大成至聖先師奉祀官), which still exists as an office of the Republic of China, de facto hereditary. Until 2008, the Sacrificial Official to Confucius was ranked and compensated as a cabinet minister. This office is currently held by Kung Tsui-chang, the 79th generation descendant in the main line, who was appointed in September 2009, following the death of his grandfather Kung Te-cheng in 2008. In 2009, the Ministry of Interior announced that the position would no longer receive remuneration and that female descendants of Confucius would also be eligible for future appointment.
See also
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