Draft History of the Emergence of Scholar-Official Politics

Author: Yan Buke
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2001-01-01
Features: The bureaucracy of the Chinese Empire was governed by literati who served as officials, known as "scholar-officials." The existence of the scholar-official class is a reflection of a unique political culture. This book narrates the evolutionary process of this "scholar-official" political system and analyzes the characteristics and mechanisms of this political cultural model. The author traces the initial form of the scholar-official back to the "shi" (scholar) and "daifu" (high official) of the Zhou Dynasty. Since the Warring States period, they differentiated into two groups: "scholar-literati" and "civil servants." Ultimately, during the process of convergence between Confucian scholars and civil servants, as well as between Confucianism and Legalism in the Han Dynasty, a solid foundation was laid for the "scholar-official politics" of the Chinese Empire. Suitable for historians, political culture researchers, and faculty and students of liberal arts at universities and colleges.