Yuan Dynasty Official Seal System

Timeline

1. 1351–1353Seal Casting Bureau of the Central Secretariat, Dadu · North ChinaYuan official seals were requested by the Central Secretariat and cast by the Ministry of Rites, using nine-fold seal script, mostly square, with the back inscribed 'made by the Ministry of Rites in a certain year and month' plus a serial number. During the Zhizheng era, the system strictly corresponding rank to size remained in force, with fixed rules for seals from first to ninth rank and for local administration.
2. 1354–1357Jiangzhe Province · East ChinaProvinces, circuits, prefectures, prefectural departments, counties, and organs such as Pacification Offices and Myriarchies each held dedicated bronze seals, with inscriptions usually bearing the full name of the organ. Seals were frequently used in key fiscal regions like Jiangzhe and Huguang, and excavated and surviving Zhizheng-era official seals provide direct material evidence for studying Yuan local administration.
3. 1358–1360Haozhou · AnhuiAfter the Red Turban Uprising swept the Huai region, changes in local power led to many Yuan official seals being captured, melted down, or recarved with new inscriptions. Excavated late-Zhizheng-era objects such as the 'Seal of the Marshal' and 'Seal of the Myriarchy Governing Troops' reflect the collapse of the late Yuan military seal system and the reorganization of power.