The Three Different Forms of Chinese Government
Aristocracy: The Sui and Tang Dynasties
-Early dynasties in Chinese history looked to wealthy nobles and landowners to help them rule their empire. These people, called aristocrats, were just as interested in keeping themselves in power as they were in helping the Emperor.
-During the Sui and Tang dynasty, the Emperor required that all civil servants pass a difficult exam to work for the government. Even through this exam was open to nearly all men, it favored aristocrats. Only the wealthy aristocrats were able to afford tutors, books, and had time to study. As a result, almost all of the civil servants were aristocrats.
-Since most of the civil servants were aristocrats, they focused on issues that were important to them and the Emperor, and less on issues important to other groups.
Meritocracy: The Song Dynasty
-After the Tang dynasty fell, China fell into another period of war and chaos. When the Song dynasty took over 60 years later, they reinstated the civil service exam. They opened the exam up to several more groups, and only the well-qualified people received jobs. This system was called meritocracy, where people are chosen on their merit (ability).
-Civil Service exam were extremely difficult, and people would study for years to prepare for them. People who went to take the test were locked in a cell for up to three days! These exams were based on the teachings of Neo-Confucianism: a mix of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. During the test they had to answer questions about problems in society and how to handle them. The focus of these teachings was on relationships between rulers and subjects, husbands, wives, and children, siblings, and friends.
-During the Song dynasty, the government opened schools to educate people who wanted to become a civil servant. People who passed the exam went to a job far away from their home, so they could not play favorites. But civil servants were given special privileges, such as freedom from taxes and military service.
Nepotism: The Yuan dynasty
-The Song dynasty was overthrown in the 1270’s by invaders from Mongolia. The Mongolian general Kubli Khan, grandson of Ghengis Khan, took over China and declared the new Yuan dynasty. They threw out all of the Chinese officials, and enacted the system of nepotism, or hiring the Emperor’s friends and family members as government officials.
-Kubli Khan felt that he could not trust the Chinese, and so filled government positions with people he could trust, even some trusted foreigners (from as far away as Europe!). Many of these people were not qualified to rule, and some were even illiterate (could not read). The people who were put in power were interested in keeping the Emperor happy, as they could be removed at any time.
-As time went on, it was clear that some Chinese were needed to help, but most were only teachers and minor officials. Since officials were more interested in keeping the Emperor happy, often times the needs of other groups were ignored. Others were corrupt and took money from others.
-Although the exam system was instated later, it was open to mostly non-Chinese and Mongol candidates.
What happened in regard to organization of the government after the Mongols were forced from China during the Ming Dynasty?