Fascination of China
Tang dynasty
Tang 唐 dynasty
Historical background
Chinese heyday and its achievements
During the time of the Tang dynasty China experienced a heyday, which was to shape the empire profoundly. This development resulted from the establishment of the official examination system, a new administration system, the codification of the penal code, various new inventions and the expansion international relations as well as foreign trade. The Grand Canal was expanded to promote communication and trade between the northern and southern parts of China.
The imperial examination
Earing office and status
The Tang rulers promoted the amalgamation of land holding, education and holding an office. Till the end of the Qing dynasty, these were characteristic features of the Chinese imperial state. The establishment of the imperial examinations was thus significantly involved in the transition from an aristocratic to a meritocratic government. This factors resulted in the new state maxim: "The empire belongs to everyone".
Education became the preferred method to participate in government and administration. The subject matters based on the early chinese classics and which implied the cultivation of Confucian moral values.