According to the statistics of relevant experts, in the nearly 300 years of the Tang Dynasty, the number of prime ministers was nearly 400, and the number of prime ministers from the scholar clan was as high as 658%, and only 34 were born in the non-Shi clan to be prime ministers2%；In the Song Dynasty, the prime ministers who were born in serious academic classes jumped to more than 87%. Some people may not quite understand the meaning behind this set of data, but what do these numbers say?
The Tang Dynasty was monopolized by the big families, and the imperial examination in the Song Dynasty changed the pattern of the prime minister.
The prime ministers of the Tang Dynasty were almost all from the family family, which means that their promotion channels were more relaxed than those of ordinary people, while the prime ministers of the Song Dynasty were mostly selected through the Jinshi examination, that is, the promotion process of the prime ministers of the Song Dynasty was relatively fair. So what is the reason for this disparity?There are three main reasons:
1.The decline of the gate valve family.
Historically, from the Western Wei and Northern Zhou dynasties to the Sui and Tang dynasties, the rulers of these four dynasties were all from the Guanlong lineage, even if the surnames were different, they were actually "a group of people". However, every family that "sits in the bank" wants to monopolize power and is unwilling to share the "fruits of victory". The decline of this gate valve family is mainly due to two key figures.
The first was An Lushan, who launched the "Anshi Rebellion", although he died soon after in the chaos, but the chaos lasted for nearly 8 years, and had a far-reaching impact on the family. In this turmoil, the population of some of the clans was directly reduced, and the other part chose to cross to the south, while some of the remaining clans were also suppressed by the generals of the feudal towns due to the war, and the strength and vitality of the clans were greatly damaged.
The second was Huang Chao, who was the leader of the peasant uprising, who broke through Luoyang and Chang'an, and slaughtered the great families who settled in the two places. Although there is no ** family, the power at this time is not as good as before and it is beginning to decline.
2.The Tyrant and the Prosperity of the Domain.
During the Tang Dynasty, the power of the Guanlong patriarchs had a huge restrain on the emperor, and even led the "tyrant" Emperor Yang of Sui to move the capital to Luoyang, trying to get rid of the constraints of the Guanlong patriarchs. This act of power struggle and merit eventually led to the collapse of the Sui Dynasty. The prosperity of the feudal towns also played a key role in this, allowing the feudal towns to have greater autonomy after the Great Rebellion and were no longer subject to the clans.
3.Suppression of one article and one force.
In addition to the heavy damage to the family clan caused by the chaos, there are two forces that continue to erode the strength of the family clan. The rise of the imperial examination broke the original selection method, so that ordinary people also had the opportunity to enter important positions. At the same time, the prosperity of the feudal towns caused the family to lose control of the imperial court. Under the combined effect of these two, the "monopoly" position of the family was gradually broken.
Confucianism's fatal blow.
Although the great families have gone through many hardships, if there is no real rise of Confucianism, they will make a comeback sooner or later. Why did Confucianism rise in the Song Dynasty, and how did it give the final blow to the family?
Confucianism has undergone three stages of development. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the second phase of Confucianism, Confucianism had been glorious for four hundred years due to the adoption of the "Three Strategies of Heaven and Man", but with the rule of the Eastern Han Dynasty and the Sima clan, Confucianism gradually lost its influence. It was not until the Song Dynasty that with the prosperity of the imperial examination and the "perfection" of Confucianism again, Confucianism entered a new stage and formed the "Cheng Zhu Lixue".
Cheng Zhu Lixue synthesized the spiritual expertise of Buddhism and Taoism, and evolved a complete system of imperial examination selection according to the needs of the king. This system can not only be used by the royal selection of talents, but also will not be monopolized by the family and the educational resources, providing an upward channel for ordinary people. The family that lost its "monopoly" ability eventually went into decline.
Summary: The mystery of the gap between the prime ministers of the Tang and Song dynasties is solved.
The huge gap in the "composition" of the prime ministers of the Tang and Song dynasties is mainly due to the fact that the family of gate valves has gradually lost its original "monopoly" position and is declining under the continuous weakening and suppression. With the flourishing of the imperial examinations and Confucianism, the upward path of ordinary people gradually opened, and the number of people who passed the (fair) imperial examinations to become prime ministers continued to increase. In this macro historical change, the analysis of the gap between the prime ministers of the Tang and Song dynasties leads us to think deeply about the political evolution and social change of China's feudal society.
This article provides an in-depth analysis of the significant gap between the prime ministers of the Tang and Song dynasties, revealing the gradual decline of the monopoly of the family after facing a series of challenges. Through the introduction of the historical background and the presentation of data, the author clearly shows that the prime ministers of the Tang Dynasty were mainly from the family of the family, while the prime ministers of the Song Dynasty were more selected through the imperial examination system. This evolution not only reflects the transformation of China's feudal social and political system, but also reveals the profound impact of social change on the power structure.
First of all, the decline of the gate valve family mentioned in the article caused me to think deeply about the struggle between the forces of the Guanlong family in history. Through the introduction of two historical figures, An Lushan and Huang Chao, the author vividly shows the great impact of the Anshi Rebellion and the peasant uprising on the family. These two great rebellions led to the decline of the population of the clan, the southern crossing and the suppression of the military generals of the feudal town, which weakened the power of the clan unprecedentedly. The turmoil and unrest of this period laid the groundwork for later social changes.
Secondly, the actions of the "tyrant" Emperor Yang of Sui, which is covered in the article, gave me a deeper understanding of the struggles of politicians against the elders of the Guanlong line when it comes to achieving their personal goals. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty even moved the capital to Luoyang in order to get rid of the constraints of the Guanlong patriarchs, which shows the great influence of the Guanlong patriarchs on the emperor at that time. Events such as the Anshi Rebellion led to the prosperity of the feudal towns and further weakened the political dominance of the clans.
In addition, the article provides an in-depth analysis of the rise of the imperial examination and the rise of Confucianism, which gives me a clearer understanding of the importance of these two factors in changing the pattern of the production of prime ministers. The rise of the imperial examination system broke the monopoly of the family on the selection method and provided a fairer promotion channel for ordinary people. The resurgence of Confucianism in the Song Dynasty, especially the development of Cheng and Zhu Lixue, provided a theoretical basis for the imperial examination and injected new impetus into the progress of society. Together, these two have promoted social change and fundamentally changed the pattern of the prime minister's election.
Overall, this article has given me a deeper understanding of the political evolution and social change of China's feudal society through the analysis of the gap between the prime ministers of the Tang and Song dynasties. Through the lens of history, the author vividly shows the process of the family from monopoly to decline, and provides readers with an in-depth historical investigation. This article provides a wealth of historical information and profound reflections for understanding the political system and social evolution of Chinese feudal society.
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