Complex sentence: Qian was born in what is today Shanghai city, the son of a scholar, his father was able to pass several levels in the Ming dynasty Imperial exam, but only served briefly as an administrator before continuing life as a free scholar back home.
Split into simpler sentences: Qian was born in what is today Shanghai city, the son of a scholar. His father was able to pass several levels in the Ming dynasty Imperial exam, but only served briefly as an administrator before continuing life as a free scholar back home.