Preface. The Song Dynasty was an important period in Chinese history, not only in terms of politics, economy and culture, but also in terms of civil service. The concept of the civil service system of the Song Dynasty was developed on the basis of the previous generations, and its main characteristics were to pay attention to moral and cultural qualities, taking into account meritocracy and merit, and this concept provided an important reference for the selection and training of future generations.
The idea of the civil service system in the Song Dynasty.
The core of the civil service system in the Song Dynasty was the imperial examination system, that is, selection through examinations**. The implementation of the imperial examination system provided equal promotion channels for the children of the people, thus making scholars the protagonists of political and cultural life. The development of the imperial examination system in the Song Dynasty went through historical stages such as the Jinshi system in the Tang Dynasty, the examination system of the Five Dynasties and the imperial examination system in the Northern Song Dynasty, and formed a complete imperial examination system in the Southern Song Dynasty, including the Jinshi Branch, the Ming Jing Branch, the Shuji Shike and the Guozijian Department. Among them, the Jinshi subject is the highest subject, and those who pass the Jinshi examination can serve as the senior ** of the imperial court.
In addition to the imperial examination system, the civil official system of the Song Dynasty also had some other systems and regulations, such as "officials are not separated", "fill vacancies", "not expensive and not cheap", etc., these systems and regulations played an important role in the selection and management of the Song Dynasty.
The main criteria for selection in the Song Dynasty were cultural quality and moral quality, and the establishment of this standard was influenced by Confucianism. Confucianism emphasizes people's moral cultivation and cultural quality, and believes that only people with high moral character and profound knowledge can be qualified for the task of governing the country.
Therefore, in the Song Dynasty, the first selection required candidates to have the quality of "both ability and political integrity", that is, noble morals and profound culture.
The civil official system of the Song Dynasty clearly stipulated the scope and procedures of the imperial examination system, and standardized the procedures and standards for the selection of the highest ranks. This kind of system emphasized the substitution of literature for military force and paid attention to cultural quality, which played a positive role in social stability and the improvement of governance efficiency at that time.
At the same time, the imperial examination system also laid the foundation for the examination system of the later Ming and Qing dynasties, and became an important innovation in the history of Chinese feudal society.
The selection and assessment mechanism in the civil service system of the Song Dynasty also provided an important reference for the selection and management of later generations. The Song Dynasty implemented a relatively perfect examination and assessment system, and established a supervision organization responsible for supervising the integrity of the government, which effectively curbed the occurrence of corruption and enhanced the management efficiency.
In modern national governance, a similar system has been adopted for the selection and assessment of the best members, aiming to improve the quality and integrity of the best members.
The clear division of labor and the separation of functions and powers of the civil service system in the Song Dynasty also provided a reference for the establishment and management of modern institutions. The Song Dynasty implemented a system of sub-lawsuits, in which each lawsuit performed its own duties and performed its own functions, avoiding the situation of overlapping responsibilities and unclear powers and responsibilities. This also provides an important idea and reference for the establishment and management of modern institutions.
Characteristics of the civil service system in the Song Dynasty.
The civil service system of the Song Dynasty adopted a system of examination selection, which mainly had three stages: the township examination, the guild examination, and the palace examination. The township examination is a local examination held in various states and counties, and a group of outstanding candidates are selected to participate in the examination; The examination is an examination at the provincial level, and more outstanding candidates are selected to participate in the palace examination; The Imperial Examination is the highest level of examination held in the Imperial Palace. In the three examinations, the candidates' test scores and personal character will be considered, and eventually the best candidates will become civil servants.
This kind of examination and selection system has the following characteristics: First, it is independent of the gate valve system. The implementation of this system makes people's origins no longer the decisive factor in becoming the best, but through their own efforts and abilities to achieve success. Second, the focus of selection is on talents, rather than origin.
This system selects those who are talented and capable, not those who come from prominent backgrounds and are wealthy. The third is to pay attention to personal morality. In the Song Dynasty's examination and selection system, the moral character of the individual was also very important, which made it difficult for those with bad moral character to become civil officials.
In the civil service system of the Song Dynasty, the imperial examination was not only a way to select the best, but also a way to be promoted. In the Song Dynasty, those who scored well in the imperial examinations could obtain official positions and could be progressively promoted to higher positions. As a result, people who do well in the imperial examinations tend to have more chances of becoming high-ranking civil officials.
The selection and appointment of civil officials in the Song Dynasty had their own unique characteristics. First of all, the civil official selection examination in the Song Dynasty took cultural level as the main criterion, that is, the imperial examination system, but compared with the imperial examination in the Tang Dynasty and the Ming and Qing dynasties, the imperial examination in the Song Dynasty paid more attention to practicality and practical ability. This is different from the swiftness of writing in the Tang Dynasty and the skillful writing of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Secondly, in the Song Dynasty, in the appointment of civil officials, the inspection and selection of civil officials were more strict, and attention was paid to their character and ability. For example, when appointing a prime minister, he is required to have the excellent qualities of "being a man of great military strategy, knowing people well, being loyal and patriotic, and having a noble moral character".
This method of selection can not only ensure the quality of civil officials, but also avoid collusion and mutual recommendation among civil officials, and prevent the emergence of problems such as power corruption.
The Song Dynasty abolished the "Three Provinces and Six Ministries System" of the Tang Dynasty and established the "Zhongshu Menxia System". The biggest feature of this system is that the prime minister and the ** under the Zhongshu door have become the core figures of the highest administrative body of the imperial court, and the Zhongshu door is actually the highest institution of the imperial court, and the prime minister is the highest official of the imperial court.
This system has significantly improved the administrative efficiency of the imperial court and avoided the mutual restraint and restraint between various departments in the past.
The Song Dynasty also created the "System and Punishment Law", and introduced some new examination subjects and contents into the imperial examination system, such as the Jingyi and ritual system, focusing on practicality and practical ability, making the imperial examination more integrated with the actual needs of society. This system made the selection criteria for civil officials more stringent, improved the quality of civil officials, and also provided an important reference for the imperial examination system in later generations.
Although the civil service system in the Song Dynasty remained relatively stable for a long time, it was still constantly undergoing reforms. The main reform ideas can be summarized in two aspects, one is the improvement and improvement of the system itself, and the other is the improvement of the selection and management of civil servants.
The reform of the Song Dynasty system was mainly manifested in the adjustment of the position and the scope of authority. In order to avoid corruption, Song Shenzong promulgated the policy of "delegating power to the county", encouraging the county order to let go of the governance of the local government, and improving the autonomy of the local government. In addition, the Song Dynasty also set up official positions such as governors and prefects, which played an important role in local management and governance.
At the same time, the Song Dynasty also set up special supervision institutions, such as the Inquisitor Court in Tokyo and the Trial and Criminal Court in Kaifeng, to supervise and manage the phenomenon of corruption.
The imperial examination system implemented in the Song Dynasty was the most important civil official selection system. On the basis of the imperial examination system, the Song Dynasty carried out a series of reforms, such as stipulating examination subjects, setting up tribute students, subsidizing study, setting up jinshi and later official ranks, and strengthening the assessment of **, etc., to further improve the imperial examination system. One of the most representative reforms was the establishment of the Jinshiyuan and the Ministry of Rites Examination.
Jinshiyuan is an institution responsible for training students to prepare for the imperial examinations; The Ministry of Rites Examination is the last and most important level of the imperial examination.
The Song Dynasty also implemented the policy of "selecting the virtuous and doing the good", that is, selecting talented and well-behaved people through various channels. This policy of selecting the best and promoting the good is a supplement to the imperial examination system and a new selection mechanism.
At the same time, the Song Dynasty also strengthened the assessment and supervision of the **, and took severe punishment measures against some incompetent **.
The characteristics of the civil service system in the Song Dynasty included a rigorous system of recommendation, inspection, and promotion, an emphasis on political quality and cultural level, and a well-established accountability mechanism. These characteristics made the Song Dynasty's team highly professional, honest and responsible, and made important contributions to the political, economic and cultural prosperity of the Song Dynasty.
The enlightenment of the civil service system of the Song Dynasty to later generations.
The civil service system of the Song Dynasty promoted the development of traditional Chinese culture. The imperial examination system was popularized and applied on a large scale during the Song Dynasty, which led to an unprecedented development of culture and education. A large number of talents have emerged, and they are seen as representatives of learning and talent.
The development of culture and the admiration of scholars have promoted the prosperity and development of traditional Chinese culture, which has had a profound impact on the formation and development of traditional Chinese culture.
The civil service system of the Song Dynasty had an important impact on the reform of China's political system. During the Song Dynasty, the imperial examination system effectively selected a large number of outstanding people, which greatly improved the efficiency of the process. At the same time, the civil service system also plays an important role in the stability of the country and the construction of a clean government.
This system has produced important enlightenment for the reform of the political system in later generations, especially in the political reform of modern China, the imperial examination system is considered to be a good selection system, so it is also respected by some reformers.
The civil service system of the Song Dynasty had an important impact on the ideology and culture of society. During the Song Dynasty, scholars became the elite of society, and they played an important role in society.
The civil service system advocates learning and talent, which also promotes the development and inheritance of traditional Chinese ideology and culture. The ideas and culture of the scholars had an important influence on the society as a whole, and this thought and cultural tradition still plays an important role in later generations.
The civil service system of the Song Dynasty was a very important system in Chinese history, which had a profound impact on the political, cultural, and economic aspects of Chinese society. Through the analysis of the civil service system of the Song Dynasty, we can see the advantages and disadvantages of it, and at the same time, we can also see its enlightenment and reference significance for modern society.
Despite some shortcomings, the civil service system of the Song Dynasty played a crucial role in the society of the time, making a great contribution to the prosperity and development of Chinese history.
In modern society, we should learn from its experience and lessons, constantly promote the improvement of the talent selection and training mechanism, strengthen the guarantee of social fairness and stability, and establish a more effective appointment and assessment system, in order to better serve the needs of social development.
Author's point of view. The civil bureaucracy of the Song Dynasty was one of the important bureaucratic systems in Chinese history, which was perfected and developed during the Song Dynasty and had a profound impact on the development of Chinese history and culture. The influence of the civil service system of the Song Dynasty was not limited to the time, but it also played an important role in later generations.
The civil service system of the Song Dynasty had an important impact on traditional Chinese culture, political system, social thought and culture, as well as academic exchanges around the world. Today, we can still look to the civil service system of the Song Dynasty for inspiration to promote the political, cultural, and academic development of China.