Study On The Nine-grade System That Is In The Growing And Declining Between Imperial Authority And Gentry's Power

The Nine-grade system has the time characteristic to choose the official in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. It is bridge for linking the intellectual community to the official government. The Nine-grade system is different from recommending "excellent person" which is called Chaju system in Han Dynasty. It is different from Renzi system that is inheriting ancestor's official and purely taking power, influence and blood relationship as election condition. It is also different from the Keju System, which is characteristics by "examination" from Sui Tang dynasties to Ming, Qing Dynasties. The Nine-grade system integrates"Nine grade" and "Zhongzheng" closely. "Nine grade" is the nine rank for "Zhongzheng" passing judgment on talents. The name of "Nine grade" is come from "Volume twentieth, ancient and modern people"in"Hanshu" which is written by Bangu. According to the good and bad for moral character and ability of person, "Zhongzheng" sets apart person to nine grade and write to "Zhuang" . It is the basis for choosing by official department. "Zhongzheng" is chose by government. The organization of"Zhongzheng" is the base unit for appraising person. It intertwines with special politics society background in the Wei Jin Southern and Northern Dynasties. In the certain degree, from the imperial authority strips and compromises for the gentry's power to the gentry's power threats and the challenges for the imperial authority. All about rely on it.This article will attempt to lead the Nine-grade system into dynamic process, which is growing and declining between imperial authority and Gentry's power in Wei Jin Southern and Northern Dynasties. Passing through the following three angles of view in the research. First, The perspective that is the extensibility and exclusiveness principle of autocracy centralization. Second, Taking privileged stratum's formation, as well as the dynamic process, which is the rights and interests assignment and struggle between privileged stratum and other social class as the angles of view. Third, Taking the imperial authority—bureaucrat political rational administrative principle as the angles of view. The main text will divide into four parts to carry on the elaboration.The first part, It will definite the concept of Nine-grade system and explain its more than 370 years of development. It will analyze the " Zhongzheng " grade and official grade. " Zhongzheng grade " is the nine grades which is by evaluating talents. It exists as procedures of election officials and procedures. It is different from the nine grades in Official system. But it is also exist in close contact between them. With the development of nine-grade system, "Zhongzheng" grade is contact with family status closely. It becomes the standard of differentiating Gentry and common people. There are corresponding relation between "Zhongzheng" grade and official grade. Even though the corresponding relation is not strictly. "Zhongzheng" grade is not only the part of the official elections, but also the integral part in bureaucratic hierarchy system.The second part, explaining the Nine-grade system plays the role on the process of political, which is establishment, consolidation, declining and falling in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. Nine-grade system adapted to the extensibility and exclusiveness of centralized authoritarian. It is an important tool for imperial power to expand its influence. The imperial power is to achieve the control of local forces and coordination by the means of Nine-grade system. It establishes political. In the minority regime, imperial authority coordinates all sectors and changes its nature of alien regime by the Nine-grade system. It consolidates political. As a result, the imperial power consolidated. When the Nine-grade system cannot distinguish between Gentry and common people. And play the role on balancing the relation for powerful social stratum. It departed from the authoritarian principle of centralization scalability leads the authority of the imperial power into crisis.The third part, expounding the effect of Nine-grade system for the forming of gentry. Gentry are a social, political and cultural identity of the multiple social groups. The Nine-grade system inherits and undermines "select form rural "in Han Dynasty. Gentry's power is originate from rural. The Nine-grade system is the system embody for the fact. Gentry's social identity is forming. Controlling political power is the ultimate of the gentry's privilege. The forming of gentry's political identity is going through the course of accumulation of gentry's privilege and solidify of gentry's privilege identity. It plays import role on the forming of gentry's political identity. The Nine-grade system becomes the powerful tool for gentry to ascend political upper strata. Cultural superiority of gentry is the fundamental guarantee for their independence. With the implement of the Nine-grade system, it makes elect closely. It offers rich and generous soil for the forming of gentry's cultural identity.The fourth part, elaborating how the imperial authority to break through the Nine-grade system to weak the official privileges of gentry, and how the imperial authority to achieve identity of gentry by transform and strengthen. In the dynamic process which is growing and declining between imperial authority and gentry's power, the gentry bureaucratic carry out in rational administrative principle in choosing official is opening the end of the Nine-grade system.