Chinese civilization's longevity? Exams and bureaucracy
China's historical use of exams and bureaucracy, detailed in Yasheng Huang's book, explains autocratic governance endurance. The examination system shaped conformity, hindering innovation compared to Western democracies. Huang contrasts historical and modern policies, emphasizing China's struggle with technological advancement.
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China's long-lived civilization is attributed to its historical use of exams and bureaucracy, as explored in Yasheng Huang's book "The Rise and Fall of the EAST." The author delves into Chinese history to explain how autocratic governance in China has endured over time, emphasizing the role of the examination system in recruiting bureaucrats and promoting conformity. This system, dating back to the Sui dynasty in 581, helped shape a managerial class indoctrinated with Confucian ideology, contributing to the state's stability but hindering innovation. Huang contrasts China's approach with Western democracies, highlighting how China's emphasis on conformity stifled technological advancement, leading to a loss of its historical technological lead. The book also discusses Communist Party reforms post-Mao era that encouraged both stability and technological progress, contrasting with recent policies under Xi Jinping that risk stifling innovation. Huang's work offers fresh insights and data challenging conventional wisdom, providing valuable insights for understanding China's trajectory.
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4 commentsWhen the Han dynasty fell, there was a long period of confusion until the founding of the Sui dynasty approximately in the year 600 AD. The Sui built the grand canal which was used to transport rice harvests from the South to North. The Sui were hated and were quickly replaced by Tang and later by the Song. Most Chinese people think of Tang and the Song were China's golden age.
What is interesting and sparks debate is what happened afterwards. The Song dynasty fell approximately in the year 1100 after a series of "barbarian" conquests. There was the Khitan Liao who ruled northern China and who were related to proto-Mongols. There was the Jin took much of the Khitan's territory and who were related to the Jurchen/Manchu. And the Mongols who conquered the Khitan, the Jin, and Song. This turbulent era was the backdrop to one of China's classical novels "Water Margin" aka "All Men are Brothers" and tells the fictional tale of Song patriots fighting against their own government in an effort to repel the steppe "barbarians". A more modern novel based on this setting is the "Condor Heroes" which features a backstory of the Mongols, the Jin Jurchens, and the Song.
After the Mongols were repulsed by the Ming dynasty, the Ming dynasty eventually fell to the Manchu who were another "barbarian" peoples. The Manchu lasted until the modern era. There are those who claim the Manchu adopted Han culture and should be considered Han. Some modern scholars who read the actual Manchu records in the actual Manchu language (not the Mandarin transcript) said the Manchu never considered themselves Han but actually the rulers of five different peoples: Manchu, Han, Tibet, Mongol, and Uighur.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Chinese_history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_Margin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_the_Condor_Heroe... https://www.history.ucsb.edu/wp-content/uploads/Evelyn-Rawsk...
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