On Why Han Chinese Officials Were Not Given Important Roles in the Government of Kublai

In the reign of Kublai Khan from 1260A.D. to 1294A.D, favorable policies for the Chinese population, including regular taxation system, population growth policy, and policies to promote agriculture, were widely adopted by the government of Mongol Empire in China. However, unlike the Semu officials (officials from Central Asia, Western Asia, and Europe), Han Chinese officials were not trusted by Kublai to hold important positions. In this article, I will use Persian and Chinese sources to find out why Kublai was conservative in appointing Han Chinese officials to help govern his empire. I argue that there are three major reasons: pressures from conservative nobles to alienate Han Chinese, the actual need of encouraging commerce, and Kublai’s fear of the possible rebellion from the Han Chinese.