Civil Service Examinations in the Ming Dynasty - Essay Example

History: Chinese Studies Q1: the civil service examinations in the Ming Dynasty In the Ming dynasty, the civil service examinations was structured in levels and after passing a level, those who were successful were awarded special social status(Ebrey, Walthall & Palais 2009 p58). The examinations were graded in levels as discussed below; District level People who had passed the zau jyun si (district level exam) achieved the status of tong sheng and could sit the prefectural level exams. Those individuals were commoners and about 2% of the population had such qualifications. Prefectural level Successful candidates at this stage attained the Sang jyun degree and the most outstanding holders of this degree were awarded the gung sang degree and were the lower gentry. The exam was conducted twice after every three years by about 2% of the population. Level 2b Rich people within the government who were too lazy to study were allowed to buy a gaam sang degree in order to improve their social status, they became the lower gentry. Provincial level Those who passed the xiang shi were awarded the Geoi Jan degree and became members of the upper gentry.hey were done at the provincial capital every three years by about 0.0065% of the population. Metropolitan level Successful candidates at this stage were awarded the gong sheng degree and could immediately sit the din shi and be given the zeon si degree. They became the highest gentry and had rights to hold office although such positions were not guaranteed. Most of them worked as intermediaries between the government officials and the local peasants. This system was abolished in 1905 to adopt the science and technology based curricula practiced by the western nations. This set it apart from the Song Dynasty exam system that followed Confucian classical methods. Q2: Qin Dynasty and the Han Dynasty The Qin Dynasty and the Han Dynasty were both built around the same time i.e Qin around 221-208 BC and Chinese rulers’ controlled Han around 206BC-AD 220.Both Dynasties. Under this dynasties heir was no central political force in China and as such, the great nomad empires emerged such Liao and the great Mongol empires. Both tenures were characterized by ruthlessness and tyrannical demands on the people to pay heavy taxes and compulsory labor. These dynasties were effective in the sense that, during these periods there was relative peace in China. However, they both had weak military forces and were easily overrun by the nomadic tribes of the north. Both the Sui and the Tang Dynasty rulers’ were part nomads. These rulers’ were non-Chinese but their reign was considered Chinese. Both regimes were very successful in terms of commerce as the Sui were able to connect Yellow and Yangtze (Grand Canal) eastward waterways starting from Beijing to Hangzhou, thereby enabling nationwide commerce to thrive especially under the more prosperous Tang Dynasty. In addition, both Dynasties occurred after the reign of the Six Dynasties i.e. Sui from 589-617 AD and Tang from 618-907 AD(Ebrey, Walthall & Palais 2009 p89). These Dynasties were effective in the sense that they had stronger military’s that helped re-unify China and that there was improvement in commerce in this periods. However, under these regimes the citizens suffered tyranny from the government in the form of forced labor and heavy taxes. in addition, the costly and often disastrous military escapades in Korea combined with corruption, disloyalty and assassinations led to popular revolts resulting in the overthrow of the Sui dynasty. Q3: Women in imperial China It is possible to understand the overreliance of women on their male relatives as pillars of their lives (Hinsch, 2002). This is clear in the book ‘The Soul of Chien-nu leaves her Body’. Since Chien-nu relies on her lover Wang Wen-chu to help drive away the fear, she runs up to the river in the hope of finding him (Lu, 1990 p91). As she sings, she mentions the fear that she can’t stand alone leading us to conclude that most of the things were done by her lover hence she feels weak. If Chien-nu was empowered, she would be able to withstand the causes of fear and loss she is going through. Q4: Marco Polo’s impressions of his visit to Yuan-era China Marco Polo’s visit to China took place nearly 700 years ago. Much of the information to verify that visit is reported by his friends thus based on the report; impression is developed of what Marco Polo might have actually met.Based on the report, Marco Polo’s impression of China and the land thereabout was a mixed reaction, one with positivity and negativity in equal measure (Polo & Parks, 1927). During the reign of the Mongol; empire for instance, Polo’s was able travel extensively across the dynasties ruled by the Mongol’s, a situation which changed later on when the Mongol’s lost their power (Ebrey, Walthall & Palais 2009 p187). This was an indication of a hospitable Mongol empire indicating a positive impression. On the other, if we consider that Polo’s was not able to move easily after the collapse of the Mongol empire, we realize a negative impression and an indication of hostility. From the meeting with Kublai Khan, Polo presents Khan as someone who took a deep liking into him and even ended up using him as an emissary for over two decades. Generally, Polo’s encounter as described was largely positive and the reason as to why China and the east were opened up to the rest of Europe. The region was seen as great potential with people ready to interact in terms of trade. Q5: Buddhism as the Tang waned and the Song rose The conflict that was based on difference in religious principles in China and the surrounding areas was so fierce between Buddhism and Confucianism. The difference was mainly caused due to failure in Confucianism to explain the cause of suffering and belief in living for the present. In the Tang dynasty, Buddhism was the dominant religion although Confucianism was being practiced in china many years before it emerged (Ebrey, Walthall & Palais 2009 p26). As the Song rose to power in the 11th century, this set the stage was the diminishing of Buddhism and the rise of Confucianism once again. The significant occurrence was the rise of the Ch’an school, which resulted into deeper study of the original Chinese culture and thus laid importance on Confucianism, which had been on the verge of extinction. Though Buddhism received recognition through the adoption by the imperial court in the 14th century, its dominance was waning as the move by imperial court was seen mainly as political in nature. Further, Buddhism waned due to increased divisions in religious movements giving more opportunity to Taoism (a division of Confucianism) to thrive. Confucianism became even stronger through their teachings of living in this world while fulfilling duty as expected by the society. Works cited Ebrey, Patricia Buckley, Anne Walthall, and James B. Palais. East Asia: a cultural, social, and political history. 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2009. Print. Hinsch, Bret. Women in early imperial China. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002. Print. Lu, Runtang. Studies in Chinese-Western Comparative Drama;. Chinese University Press, 1990. Print Polo, Marco, and George Bruner Parks. The book of Ser Marco Polo, the Venetian, concerning the kingdoms and marvels of the East;. New York: Macmillan Co., 1927. Print. Read More