Scholar - official - wikipedia Scholar - official A 15th - century portrait of the Ming official Jiang Shunfu. The decoration of two cranes on his chest are a `` mandarin square '', indicating that he was a civil official of the first rank. Scholar - officials, also known as Literati, Scholar - gentlemen, Scholar - bureaucrats or Scholar - gentry ( Chinese : 士大夫 ; pinyin : shì dàfū ) were politicians and government officials appointed by the emperor of China to perform day - to - day political duties from the Han dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty in 1912, China 's last imperial dynasty. After the Sui dynasty these officials mostly came from the scholar - gentry ( 紳士 shēnshì ) who had earned academic degrees ( such as xiucai, juren, or jinshi ) by passing the imperial examinations. The scholar - officials were schooled in calligraphy and Confucian texts. They dominated the government and local life of China until the mid-20th century. The American philosopher and historian Charles Alexander Moore concluded : Generally speaking, the record of these scholar - gentlemen has been a worthy one. It was good enough to be praised and imitated in 18th century Europe. Nevertheless, it has given China a tremendous handicap in their transition from government by men to government by law, and personal considerations in Chinese government have been a curse. Since only a select few could become court or local officials, the majority of the scholar - gentry stayed in villages or cities as social leaders. The scholar - gentry carried out social welfare measures, taught in private schools, helped negotiate minor legal disputes, supervised community projects, maintained local law and order, conducted Confucian ceremonies, assisted in the governments collection of taxes, and preached Confucian moral teachings. As a class, these scholars claimed to represent morality and virtue. The district magistrate, who by regulation was not allowed to serve in his home district, depended on the local gentry for advice and for carrying out projects, which gave them the power to benefit themselves and their clients. Contents 1 See also 2 Notes 3 References and further reading 4 External links See also Bildungsbürgertum Four arts Junzi Kuge Yangban, the Korean form of the scholar - official Notes Jump up ^ Charles Alexander Moore ( 1967 ). The Chinese Mind : Essentials of Chinese Philosophy and Culture. U of Hawaii Press. p. 22. References and further reading Elman, Benjamin A. ( 2009 ), `` Civil Service Examinations ( Keju ) '', Berkshire Encyclopedia of China ( PDF ), Great Barrington, MA : Berkshire, pp. 405 -- 410 Esherick, Joseph and Mary Backus Rankin ( 1990 ). Chinese Local Elites and Patterns of Dominance. Berkeley : University of California Press. ISBN 0520067630... Free online text. Max Weber, The Religion of China : Confucianism and Taoism ( 1916 ; transl. 1951 ) Jerry Bentley and Herb Ziegler. Traditions and Encounters - A Global Perspective on the Past. Zhang, Zhongli ( 1955 ). The Chinese Gentry ; Studies on Their Role in Nineteenth - Century Chinese Society. Seattle, : University of Washington Press. External links Look up scholar - official in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Late Qing China : Reform and Rebellion ( 1898 - 1900 ) Reunification and Renaissance in Chinese Civilization : The Era of the Tang and Song Dynasties The Chinese Scholar - Official Education About Asia, Columbia University. Education in China Education system History Imperial examination Mandarin ( bureaucrat ) Scholar - bureaucrats Taixue Academies ( Shuyuan ) Chinese educators Burning of books and burying of scholars Guozijian Guozijian ( Beijing ) Hundred Schools of Thought Scouting in China Digital divide in China Challenge Cup Competition of Science Achievement in China May Fourth Movement Simplified Chinese Academies Chinese Academy of Sciences Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Chinese Academy of Engineering Academia Sinica Hanlin Academy Projects Project 211 Project 985 Double First Class University Plan Project Hope OpenCourseWare in China Research China Education and Research Network Institutions Ministry of Education China - U.S. Physics Examination and Application China Open Resources for Education Compulsory education Primary education Secondary education Boarding schools Category : Senior secondary ( high ) schools Category : Schools in China Senior High School Entrance Examination Vocation education Vocation education Higher Education Higher education National Higher Education Entrance Examination National Key Disciplines College English Test National Key Universities Academic grading in China State Key Laboratories JUPAS for HKSAR students Rankings Universities and colleges list Academic Ranking of World Universities Chinese university ranking ( Wu Shulian ) Chinese university ranking ( CUAA ) Chinese university ranking ( Netbig ) Libraries Libraries in China Archives in China Book collecting in China National Library of China Nanjing Library Shanghai Library Specialist schools Medical schools in China Business schools in China Law schools in China List of foreign language schools in China Schools of Journalism and Communication in China Defunct institutions National Southwestern Associated University International organisations Association of East Asian Research Universities Association of Pacific Rim Universities Universitas 21 Worldwide Universities Network International Alliance of Research Universities Global U8 Consortium Subject areas English education See also Science and technology in China Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scholar-official&oldid=841797314 '' Categories : Chinese culture East Asian culture Education in China Government of Imperial China History of Imperial China Political history of China Social class in China Social history of China Hidden categories : Articles containing Chinese - language text Talk Contents About Wikipedia Français 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano Nederlands 日本 語 Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 18 May 2018, at 03 : 38. 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Question: the confucian scholar-official system began during what dynasty
Answer: Han dynasty