Lesson 19 - Political Development of Imperial China

Political Development of Imperial China

Which method of selecting officials led to the best leaders for China?

• Traditional hereditary system vs. Merit-based system

• Civil Service Examination System (Keju)

  • Written tests on Confucian classics

  • Open to male candidates from all social classes

  • Started in Sui Dynasty (581-618 CE)

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​Methods of Selecting Officials

Multiple Choice

Plato thought that things in a changeable state do not exist. Which of the following choices would a follower of Plato believe to be the most accurate?

• Concept of gravity

• A picture of a human

• Biology of the plant life

• The Pythangorean theorem

Sui and Tang Dynasty Reunification

• Sui Dynasty (581-618 CE)

  • Emperor Wendi unified China

  • Built Grand Canal

• Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE)

  • Golden Age of Chinese Civilization

  • Expanded territory

  • Improved examination system

Dropdown

The Grand Canal was a significant achievement for the ​

Select answer

Dynasty ​

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Select answer

The dynasty helped expand territories in China.

The unification of China was responsible for the ​

Select answer

Dynasty

The civil service examination test were improved by the ​

Select answer

Dynasty

• Kublai Khan's Conquest (1276-1279)

• Social class hierarchy:

  1. Mongols

  2. Foreign allies

  3. Northern Chinese

  4. Southern Chinese

• Government changes:

  • Ended civil service exams

  • Appointed Mongol relatives

  • Used foreign administrators

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The Mongol Yuan Dynasty

Reorder

Place these events in chronological order:

• Capture of imperial capital

• Kublai Khan becomes emperor

• Restoration of exam system

• Fall of Yuan Dynasty

1

2

3

4

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4

• Role in government administration

• Educated in Confucian classics

• Served as advisor to the emperor

• Maintained local and imperial governance

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​Scholar-Official Class

Hotspot

Click on the area showing where scholar-officials would typically work in the imperial court.

• Emphasis on moral character

• Five Relationships and Social Harmony

• Merit-based advancement

• Different interpretations:

  • Song Dynasty: Neo-Confucianism

  • Mongol Period: Practical application

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​Confucianism's Impact

Open Ended

Which method of selecting officials led to the best leaders for China?