Civil Service of Imperial China

Title

Civil Service of Imperial China

Description

The origin of civil service can actually be traced back to Imperial China over 1000 years ago, where men who had memorized the classics were admitted to government administration by correctly answering written questions. This civil service examination system was a method of recruiting civil officials based on merit and knowledge rather than family or political connections. In theory, any Chinese with the exception of one or two outcasts, could go through the examinations. For a millennium until 1904, the Chinese Emperor recruited his top aides using this method and personally examined the top candidates himself. The examinations elicited the voluntary participation of millions of men and also attracted the attention of both elites and commoners at all levels of society.

Creator

Han Huang

Date

Tang Dynasty

Source

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Song_Imperial_Examination.JPG

Relation

Publisher

Han Huang

Contributor

Han Huang

Format

Medium: Drawing.

Language

English

Type

Artwork

Identifier

Civil Service, Imperial China, Anciety History, Exam, Merit, China

Coverage

China

Files

Song_Imperial_Examination.JPG

Reference

Han Huang, Civil Service of Imperial China, Han Huang, Tang Dynasty

Cite As

Han Huang, “Civil Service of Imperial China,” Virtual Museum of Public Service, accessed April 24, 2024, https://vmps.omeka.net/items/show/426.