The Thorny Gates Of Learning In Sung China: A Social History Of Examinations (cambridge Studies In Chinese History, Literature And Institutions)

Professor Chaffee offers a stimulating investigation into the social impact of examinations on the Sung. Analysis of the development of the examination system and of the associated government schools reveals attempts by the early emperors to develop meritocratic recruitment, the growth of unprecedented examination competition as the elite increasingly turned to learning, and the appearance of special examinations for the privileged that subverted the system's fairness. Study of the geographical patterns of success points not only to the remarkable dominance of south-eastern China but also to the relationship between the socio-economic development of regions and their success in the examinations. Finally, the profound cultural impact of these examinations on the upper class is explored through examination rituals and the depictions of gods, ghosts and wandering literati in Sung vernacular literature. cover thorny gates of learning in sung china-john w chaffee-1995 -no ch7 Cover Contents 1 Introduction: the examination life Two protests The examination life The examination literature The historical context 2 The structure of recruitment The Sung bureaucracy Recruitment of clerks and the military Recruitment of the civil service Patterns of recruitment 太學生 & 舉人 The growth of the literati Recruitment and the social order 3 For the utmost governance: Examinations in the early Sung Sung examinations and the Confucian tradition Examinations under the early emperors Institutional innovations Qualifying for candidacy Occupational prohibitions Residency requirements Character qualifications The role of 開封 4 To be rooted in schools: Examinations in the late Northern Sung 慶曆新政 Curriculum changes Schools and the reformers 三舍法 The legacy of reform 南宋官學 The spread of academies 5 The failure of fairness: Examinations in 南宋 The examinations at mid-course The special preliminary examinations The higher examinations The extent of privilege The examinations in decline 6 The geography of success The rise of the south Geographical biases The problem of regional units The distribution of 進士 The unsuccessful regions Patterns of success 8 Conclusion The attempt at meritocracy Learning and authority Examinations and society chap 7 Professor Chaffee offers a stimulating investigation into the social impact of the examinations system on the Sung Dynasty. This study analyses how government schools attempted to develop meritocratic recruitment and the consequences that impacted this system both on the elite as well as the upper class.