Ancient China Political Development

China was ruled by different dynasties, or ruling families, over the centuries. China was ruled by emperors. Emperors need help ruling such a large country, because it was so large they hired qualified people to administer their government. Emperor Han Wu Di sent out an announcement to find find the most qualified people to help him. His announcement said;

Heros wanted! A Proclamation

Exceptional work demands exceptional men.... We therefore command the

various district officials to search for men of brilliant and exceptional talents,

to be our generals, our ministers, and our envoys to distant states.

Different Chinese emperors tried different things, and approaches. One method was to depend on an aristocracy of wealthy landowners. Another method to ensure the candidates for government jobs was giving them strict tests on their knowledge and abilities called civil service examinations. Other emperors formed this system into a meritocracy, or rule of officials who had proved worthy of the job, and bureaucracy, a group of non elected government administers.

The Chinese believed if natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, plagues, and famines were cause by the Heavens, as a sign that the emperor ruled badly. If an emperor ruled badly the people could overthrow him.

Many dynasties ruled over China, some flourished the country, others caused rebellions, tax rates to go up, bandit attacks, warlords started fighting each other, and the government to grow weak and not able to protects its people.

The dynasties that ruled over China through 221 B.C.E and 1644 C.E. were;

221-206 B.C.E- Qin dynasty

206 B.C.E-220 C.E- Han dynasty (created civil service examinations)

220-581 C.E- Six dynasty (China separated)

589-618 C.E- Sui dynasty (China reunited)

618-907 C.E- Tang dynasty (Peasant rebellions and battles between generals ended this dynasty)

907-960 C.E- Five dynasties in the North

907-970 C.E- Ten dynasties in the South

960-1279 C.E- Song dynasty (reunified China after it split after the Tang dynasty)

1279-1368 C.E- Yuan dynasty (Mongol dynasty, they ended the civil service exams, 1315, they restored the exams, though using them to favor Mongols and foreigners)

1368-1644 C.E- Ming dynasty (Trade and business was not encouraged, bureaucracy had an inability to adapt to the changes and contributed to the fall of the Ming dynasty)

When someone took the civil service exams they were locked in a room for several days, to prevent anyone from cheating. The tests had questions about poetry, and legal and administrative issues. Another person would copy the work so that the examiners didn't know who's work it was. It some one did not pass the test, they could take it again in the future. If some one passed it, it would be a few years before their first appointment. They would be given a position in another town, far from their hometown so they couldn't play favorites with their friends and family. Government officials were given certain privileges like not having to pay taxes, or work in the military.

Aristocrats were usually hired for the high-level jobs, mostly because of who they married, or their fathers or grandfathers held high ranking positions.

Around the end of the 13th century C.E., Mongols took over China. The Mongol Emperor's only entrusted the jobs in the government to other Mongols, relatives, and trusted foreigners. He ended the civil service exams, only to restore them in 1315, but they favored other Mongols, Persians, Europeans, Turks, Tibetans, and Central Asians.