Changes In The Chinese Bureaucracy During The Song Dynasty

The Tang and Song dynasties in China existed between 618 to 1279 CE. Throughout this period, there were many developments in art, poetry, and technology. China was highly influential all around the world. It became known as the Golden Age of China. With advances in technology and ideas that could improve the everyday life, a unified government, and a strong economic system, the Tang and Song dynasties became the Golden Age of China.

In the period 1046B.C- 256B.C the Zhou Dynasy ruled. Next, during 221B.C -206B.C, the Qin Dynasty ruled. Finally from 400 years to 220C.E, the Han Dynaty ruled. Throughout all these dynasties, political, economical, social,and religion, were problems which led to different scenerious.

China was divided for almost four centuries. It became unified in 581 with the founding of the new dynasties, Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties. During the time of these dynasties, many changes took place. There were changes in the political, social, and economic structures. The first changes took place during the Sui dynasty in 581. Additional changes took place during the Tang dynasty in 618, and the Song dynasty in 960.

During the years 600-900 A.D. of the Chinese Empire, the Tang Dynasty was in power, and was considered the Golden age of Chinese civilization. The dynasty's second emperor, Taizong, started campaigns to deal with threats from the Nomadic Tribes. Due to these campaigns in the Tarim Basin, the Silk Road was able to stay open, allowing for trade in the Middle East and Europe. This trading society encouraged people from distant countries to come and settle in China. Another advancement affecting trade was the “equal-field system” which not only saw that everyone received proper care, but that all land was being farmed. This was possible by making it that people given land did not have to give it up to the military service, called the “Fubing System”,

First, the Han Dynasty was more important to the development of China because it created the idea of a Civil Service Exam. The Han Dynasty readopted the idea of having families rulers after the Qin Dynasty strayed from the tradition; however, they kept the idea of bureaucrats from the Qin Dynasty. They used appointed government officials to oversee the day-to-day work of their government. This lead them to implement the Civil Service Exam. The exam was meant to help chose the bureaucrats for the government. It was a test centered around the ideas of Confucius and how to apply them to everyday life. By making this a normal part of Chinese society, the Han Dynasty was able to extend government official job opportunities to people of all social classes. In addition, because the exam gave these opportunities to all people, all people put more emphasis on

New agricultural techniques, porcelain, metallurgy, printing, and naval technology were few of the technological elements that reinforced the established features of social order. New agricultural techniques helped in the expand of their agricultural potential, the dynasties gained reputation from porcelain technology which moderately diffused to other societies producing porcelain in large quantities, metallurgical techniques as well diffused to lands beyond China, printing produced texts quickly and popular works appeared in huge quantities, and naval technology included of the magnetic compass which soon became common for mariners to use. Population growth, patriarchal social structures, and gunpowder were technological elements reinforcing established features of political order. Population growth reflected the capacity of economy and distribution of food, patriarchal social structures included of concern to preserve family fortunes and foot binding, and gunpowder was an element used for military effectiveness. These aspects provided a fundamental change in traditions because they changed their whole concepts of how to use goods as in previous Chinese eras.

"Though you do not want to challenge the throne, how about your subjects? They might put the imperial yellow robe on you!"

Chinese Dynasties: 1. Shang: Also called Yin, dynasty that was China's earliest historically verifiable state 1766 B.C. to 1122 B.C. A. Reason's for Rise: Unlike the early accounts of history by the Chinese, there is archaeological evidence of the Shang, who built their cities in northern China around the eastern parts of the Yellow River. For this reason they are called the Yellow River civilization. They were a bronze age people; bronze-working seems to have entered China around 2000 BC (about one thousand years after its invention in Mesopotamia). B. Territorial Location & size at height of power (map): The Shang ruled the area from the North China Plain northward into present-day Shantung Province and westward to the tip of Honan

Political changes in this time period in East Asia included the fall of the Tang and the rise of the Song. The Tang dynasty was in the midst of internal rebellion and nomadic invasions (Martin 117). This eventually led to the abdication of the last emperor, causing the Tang to fall (Bentley and Ziegler 286). One major change during the Tang era was the rule of Wu Zhao, a female leader. This was surprising, considering the Confucian belief that women should not lead, but instead be lead by men.

Chinese Examination System was a series of very difficult tests given to young men who wished to work as government officials. The Examination System during the Song Dynasty was not a good way to select government officials. One reason that the Examination System was not a good way to select government officials is that the exams rarely revealed something about his character or his ability to be a good official. Another reason the Examination System was not a good way to select Government official is making the Memorize over 400,000 character in 6 years.

Song Dynasty: during the Song Dynasty, there were several reformations and the Keju System became more and more mature and consummate. It had reached its summit. The government expanded admission quota and established Provincial Examination, Metropolitan Examination, and Final Imperial Examination. Those exams would be hold triennially. Song Dynasty changed the situation that merchant were discriminated in Sui and Tang Dynasties. Thanks to this policy, many people who were born miserably could have a fair access to higher level of bureaucracy.

The Chinese essay exams for civil service selections were known as the Imperial examinations, which were instituted by Imperial Chinese to determine who among the population would be allowed to enter the state’s bureaucracy. The Imperial Examination System in China lasted from the founding during the Sui Dynasty in 605 to its demise near the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1905. These examinations lasted approximately 1300 years (Elman, 2002).

Rhoads Murphey describes the history of China history is on the succession of dynasties that ruled it over a period of time until around 1912 when Republic of china was formed before rising to the current People’s Republic of China was formed in 1949. In China, a dynasty was made up of Kings or emperors that came from the same family. They ruled in succession where a king could be inherited by his son or his immediate relatives. Although china’s history is majorly regarded on the basis of dynastic ruling, other small kingdoms were established that ruled different part of china. For example, in 200AD, the fall of great Han dynasty triggered formation of smaller kingdoms all over the china which were later united by a short lived Sui Dynasty that reigned between 580 and 618 AD.

According to Traditions and Encounters, the first nationwide examinations were developed during the Han dynasty, in the early third century BCE. Emperor Han Wudi developed the Confucian educational system with the civil service exams- standardized tests- in order to select candidates for a nationwide bureaucracy (Bentley). Students could take these exams and based on their scores, they would be accepted or denied a position in the Chinese government, the most prestigious job in China. Throughout the rest of China's history, civil service examinations have been the basis for occupation and college acceptance. Today, China continues to place enormous emphasis on the examination. A Chinese student in Guanzhou, Jodie Wong, says that with China's huge population it is has been easier for college or career recruiters to assess candidates based on a single platform. Her classmate, Kevin, adds that "[the Gaokao] is almost the only way to judge your application."

The Chinese Examination System was a civil service recruitment method that employed people from the Han dynasty. I do not think the Chinese examination system was a good way to select government officials during the Song dynasty in China. My reasoning for that is, that the exam didn’t reveal a man’s character/ ability to be a good official. Another reasoning is that the Chinese had to memorize over 400,000 characters in a short period of time. My last reasoning is that the exam exhausted people and they locked the people in the room for several days to finish the exam.