CHAPTER 8: LESSON 2
THE FLOWERING OF CHINESE CULTURE
THE CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM
 The Sui and Tang rulers used examinations to find good
candidates for public office

Only an aristocrat, a member of a wealthy and influential family,
could afford to study for the civil service exams

Preparing for the tests took years and meant traveling to special
schools in the capital

Later on, during the Song dynasty, nearly half the civil servants
came from classes other than the aristocracy

Doing your job well led to promotions and those who did poorly were
demoted or even fired

This system is called a meritocracy
 Chinese believed that each emperor received from heaven a
mandate, or order to govern
 Emperor had absolute power in theory, but actually shared his power
with wealthy, landowning families
THE BIRTH OF A NEW ECONOMY
 To manage government business efficiently, official
inspectors, tax collectors, and messengers needed to
travel throughout the empire

Tang and Song dynasties built extensive systems of roads
and waterways

Spurred trade and encouraged the spread of ideas within
China
 Relay hostels, or inns, with horses and food for
traveling were in use along main roads

Mounted messengers and foot runners carried government
mail

Roads made it possible to move grain, tea, and other
goods
 Government also improved canals and waterways for
the growing numbers of sailboats, hand –driven paddlewheel boats, and rowing ships that used them

Sponsored hostels along the rivers and extended the
canal system
NEW CROPS AND FARMING METHODS
 Roads and waterways promoted trade throughout China

Travelers introduced a new, fast-ripening rice

Farmers could plant two or sometimes even three crops of this rice
each year instead of just one

Government officials taught farmers to build irrigation ditches and dams
with pumps driven by human, water, or wind power
 A population shift resulted from this boom in agriculture

The population of southern China grew steadily

Mongol invasions in the north forced many to flee to the south

Sold the surplus, or extra food, to people in other regions using the
new roads and waterways
A THRIVING MERCHANT CLASS
 Merchants transported products inexpensively in Chinese sailing
ships called junks

Made copper coins with holes in the center and strung on a string
called a cash (1000 coins= 1 cash)

In 1024, the Song government used an engraved metal plate to print
the world’s first paper currency
 This encouraged a money economy to develop
 Merchants tended to live in cities and towns, where trading activity
was greatest
 Cities grew in size as rural workers flocked to the cities to fill jobs
related to trade