to the Ministry. The Ministry also helped train children of astronomers for their future jobs and helped select outsiders in certain cases, but not specifying from where they draw these candidates. The Bureaus were also in close contact with the Emperor, and he often read the reports sent by the Bureau to the Ministry. Training 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. Payment Within the Bureau, payment was decided upon by rank. As established in the year 1392, the top rank of Directors is paid sixteen piculs of rice per month. The Deputy Directors and Chiefs of the Five Agencies are allotted ten piculs per month, the Astronomers receive seven piculs, while both the Registrars and Chief Diviners have six and a half piculs. The Chiefs of the Clepsydras receive six piculs, and the Calendar Officers and Observers both have five and a half piculs. The lowest payment level goes to the Observers of the Sunrise and the Professors of the Clepsydras at five piculs per month. Instruments Used by the Occupation Memorial The memorial was used by astronomers as a record keeper of anomalies, as the heavens are demonstrative of the effect of the ruler's actions. Originally, authors signed each contribution individually but that was eventually replaced by the official seal of the astronomical bureau. Imperial Observatory The imperial observatory was a platform where the observations were made. It was first located just south of Nanjing, but late moved to Jiming Mountain city. However, in 1402 there was another platform created in the capital of Beijing. Armillary Sphere (Ming China) The armillary sphere has three sets of rings that represent the celestial sphere.