China’s Meritocratic Examinations and the Ideal of Virtuous Talents
Emphasis on both moral character and talent in selecting government officials has been an intrinsic part of China’s meritocratic tradition. From early on, mainstream Chinese political philosophy, particularly of the Confucian heritage, has promoted such an ideal. This quest, however, has also encoun...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Book Chapter |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2015
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/79261 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/38783 http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/politics-international-relations/political-theory/east-asian-challenge-democracy-political-meritocracy-comparative-perspective |
| _version_ | 1811694658931130368 |
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| author | Xiao, Hong Li, Chenyang |
| author2 | School of Humanities and Social Sciences |
| author_facet | School of Humanities and Social Sciences Xiao, Hong Li, Chenyang |
| author_sort | Xiao, Hong |
| collection | NTU |
| description | Emphasis on both moral character and talent in selecting government officials has been an intrinsic part of China’s meritocratic tradition. From early on, mainstream Chinese political philosophy, particularly of the Confucian heritage, has promoted such an ideal. This quest, however, has also encountered perennial challenges in practice. In this chapter, we examine in historic context the ideal and the practice of integrating moral character with talent in selecting government officials. We will show that, despite difficulties, searching for virtuous talents in China today has evolved into the most comprehensive and most sophisticated form in history. The first section of this chapter retrieves the history of China’s civil examinations and its problems. The second section investigates recent evolutions of China’s public servant recruitment as a stepping stone into officialdom. The third section focuses on China’s recent reform on selecting government officials. Finally, we examine to what extent the reformed system causes corruption in China. |
| first_indexed | 2024-10-01T07:11:05Z |
| format | Book Chapter |
| id | ntu-10356/79261 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-10-01T07:11:05Z |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/792612019-12-06T13:21:04Z China’s Meritocratic Examinations and the Ideal of Virtuous Talents Xiao, Hong Li, Chenyang School of Humanities and Social Sciences Emphasis on both moral character and talent in selecting government officials has been an intrinsic part of China’s meritocratic tradition. From early on, mainstream Chinese political philosophy, particularly of the Confucian heritage, has promoted such an ideal. This quest, however, has also encountered perennial challenges in practice. In this chapter, we examine in historic context the ideal and the practice of integrating moral character with talent in selecting government officials. We will show that, despite difficulties, searching for virtuous talents in China today has evolved into the most comprehensive and most sophisticated form in history. The first section of this chapter retrieves the history of China’s civil examinations and its problems. The second section investigates recent evolutions of China’s public servant recruitment as a stepping stone into officialdom. The third section focuses on China’s recent reform on selecting government officials. Finally, we examine to what extent the reformed system causes corruption in China. Accepted version 2015-10-09T05:22:52Z 2019-12-06T13:21:04Z 2015-10-09T05:22:52Z 2019-12-06T13:21:04Z 2013 2013 Book Chapter Xiao, H., & Li, C. (2013). China’s Meritocratic Examinations and the Ideal of Virtuous Talents. Bell, D., & Li, C. (eds), The East Asian Challenge for Democracy: Political Meritocracy in Comparative Perspective. Cambridge University Press, 340-362. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/79261 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/38783 http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/politics-international-relations/political-theory/east-asian-challenge-democracy-political-meritocracy-comparative-perspective en © 2013 Cambridge University Press. application/pdf |
| spellingShingle | Xiao, Hong Li, Chenyang China’s Meritocratic Examinations and the Ideal of Virtuous Talents |
| title | China’s Meritocratic Examinations and the Ideal of Virtuous Talents |
| title_full | China’s Meritocratic Examinations and the Ideal of Virtuous Talents |
| title_fullStr | China’s Meritocratic Examinations and the Ideal of Virtuous Talents |
| title_full_unstemmed | China’s Meritocratic Examinations and the Ideal of Virtuous Talents |
| title_short | China’s Meritocratic Examinations and the Ideal of Virtuous Talents |
| title_sort | china s meritocratic examinations and the ideal of virtuous talents |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/79261 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/38783 http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/politics-international-relations/political-theory/east-asian-challenge-democracy-political-meritocracy-comparative-perspective |
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