礼部
Because becoming an astronomer was a hereditary profession and those that are employed by the Bureau are not transferable to other occupations, students were trained very young by the Ministry of Rites. However, when there was a shortage of workers in the Bureau, the Ministry of Rites would scout suitable students and train them on a trial basis. Calendrical recordings greatly attracted Confucian scholars, which widened interest into this subject, and thus into astronomy and divination. Confucian student's deep need for knowledge and practicality made these tasks appeal to academics. Astronomy was attractive because it blended the physical world with larger implications. However, Astronomy was considered part of the "small dao", a title used to attempt to discourage Confucian Scholars from studying subjects that while interesting at first, could eventually bog them down.