Question: the confucian scholar-official system began during what dynasty
Answer: 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 .