What Happened To The Civil Service In The Tang Dynasty?

Learning Objective

Describe the role of the literati in the Tang dynasty's administration

Key Points

The Tang dynasty was largely a flow of progress and stability in the beginning half of the dynasty's dominion, which was established as a civil service organization by recruiting scholar-officials through standardized examinations and recommendations to office.
These scholar-officials, also known as the literati, performed the day-to-day governance of the land from the Han dynasty to the stop of the Qing dynasty, People's republic of china'south terminal royal dynasty, in 1912, but came to special prominence during the Tang period.
Since but a limited number could get court or local officials, the bulk of scholar-officials stayed in villages or cities as social leaders and teachers.
The imperial examinations were a civil service test organization to select scholar-officials in imperial Cathay.
Wu Zetian, later Empress Wu, reformed the imperial examinations to include a new class of elite bureaucrats derived from humbler origins.

Terms

Wu Zetian

A Chinese sovereign who ruled unofficially as empress consort and empress dowager, and then officially every bit empress regnan during the brief Zhou dynasty, which interrupted the Tang dynasty.

literati

Too known every bit scholar-officials, they were civil servants appointed by the emperor of Cathay to perform day-to-twenty-four hours governance.

Scholar-Officials

The first half of the Tang dynasty was largely a catamenia of progress and stability. Similar the previous Sui dynasty, the Tang dynasty maintained a civil service system by recruiting scholar-officials through standardized examinations and recommendations to office. These scholar-officials, also known as the literati, performed the day-to-twenty-four hours governance of the state from the Han dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty, China's last royal dynasty, in 1912, merely came to special prominence during the Tang catamenia. The scholar-officials were schooled in calligraphy and Confucian texts.

Since simply a limited number could become court or local officials, the majority of scholar-officials stayed in villages or cities as social leaders. The scholar-officials carried out social welfare measures, taught in individual schools, helped negotiate minor legal disputes, supervised community projects, maintained local law and order, conducted Confucian ceremonies, assisted in the authorities'due south collection of taxes, and preached Confucian moral teachings. As a class, these scholars claimed to represent morality and virtue. The district magistrate, who past regulation was not allowed to serve in his home district, depended on local scholars for advice and for carrying out projects, giving them power to benefit themselves and their clients.

Imperial Examinations

The royal examinations were a civil service test system to select scholar-officials for the state bureaucracy in imperial Prc. Although there were imperial exams as early on every bit the Han dynasty, the system became the major path to function only in the mid-Tang dynasty, and remained then until its abolitionism in 1905. Since the exams were based on cognition of the classics and literary fashion, not technical expertise, successful candidates, and even those who failed, were generalists who shared a common linguistic communication and culture. This common civilization helped to unify the empire and the ideal of achievement past merit gave legitimacy to imperial rule.

The examination system helped to shape China's intellectual, cultural, and political life. The increased reliance on the test organization was in office responsible for the Tang dynasty shifting from a military elite to a gentry grade of scholar-bureaucrats.

The entire premise of the scholarly meritocracy was based on mastery of the Confucian classics. This had of import furnishings on Chinese society. Theoretically, this system would result in a highly meritocratic ruling class, with the all-time students running the state. The examinations gave many people the opportunity to pursue political ability and honor, and thus encouraged serious pursuit of formal education. Since the system did not formally discriminate based on social condition, it provided an avenue for upward social mobility regardless of age or social class.

Still, even though the examination-based bureaucracy'due south heavy emphasis on Confucian literature ensured that the most eloquent writers and brainy scholars achieved loftier positions, the arrangement lacked formal safeguards against political abuse, besides the Confucian moral teachings tested past the examinations. One time their political futures were secured by success in the examinations, high-ranking officials were often tempted to corruption and abuse of power. Moreover, the relatively depression status of military professionals in Confucian order discouraged similar efficiency and meritocracy within the armed forces.

Wu Zetian's Reforms

A pivotal betoken in the development of imperial examinations emerged with the ascent of Wu Zetian, afterward Empress Wu. Upwardly until that signal, the rulers of the Tang dynasty were all male person members of the Li family. Wu Zetian was exceptional; a woman not of the Li family, she came to occupy the seat of the emperor in an official manner in 690, and even before that she had begun to stretch her ability inside the imperial courts behind the scenes. Reform of the royal examinations to include a new class of elite bureaucrats derived from humbler origins became a keystone of Wu's chance to retain power.

In 655, Wu Zetian graduated 40-four candidates with the jinshi caste, and during 1 seven-year period the annual average of exam takers graduated with a jinshi caste was greater than 50-viii persons per year. Wu lavished favors on the newly graduated jinshi degree-holders, increasing the prestige associated with this path of attaining a government career. This clearly began a process of opening up opportunities to success for a wider population puddle, including inhabitants of China'south less prestigious southeast area. Most of the Li family's supporters were located to the northwest, particularly around the capital urban center of Chang'an. Wu's progressive accumulation of political power through enhancement of the examination system involved attaining the allegiance of previously under-represented regions, alleviating frustrations of the literati, and encouraging education in various locales then even people in the remote corners of the empire would work on their studies in order to laissez passer the royal exams. Wu thus developed a nucleus of elite bureaucrats useful from the perspective of command past the central government.

Sources