The Imperial Control over the Power of Election of Civil Officials: A Study on the Granting of Jinshi by Imperial Grace during the Period from Tang to Song

Abstract

The title of jinshi (presented scholar) was normally conferred upon graduates of the metropolitan and palace examinations. Exceptions did exist, since some would be granted by the special grace of an emperor. This phenomenon began to appear in the late Tang Dynasty, but it was only an occasional measure, used by an emperor to exert the “imperial control over the power of election of civil officials” other than the keju (imperial examinations). Through the development during the period of the Five Dynasties and the early Song Dynasty, the attainment of the jinshi title by special grace gradually became institutionalized. At the same time, the ci jinshi (granting of jinshi by imperial grace) became normalized in the early Song Dynasty, namely, all those passing the jinshi examinations were granted as jinshi, and those passing other examinations of various subjects were also granted corresponding academic titles. This marks that all those who attained an academic title were produced under the “imperial control over the power of election of civil officials.” In the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, the rulers took many measures to solve the problems of the imperial examination. However,it was not until the early Song Dynasty that such problems were solved to some extent when the imperial authority was enacted in the imperial examination system. At that time, with the presence of the normalized ci jinshi and the palace examination (the final imperial examination presided over by the emperor), the imperial authority and its control over the power of election of civil officials was represented by the jinshi scholars granted by special grace.

Keywords

Tang and Song dynasties / ci jinshi / imperial examination / emperor / imperial control over the power of election of civil officials

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2023 Higher Education Press