Surpassing The Traditional Country:A Study Of The Imperial Examination And State Construction In The Northern Song Dynasty

The Northern Song Dynasty is unique in Chinese history.On the one hand,it is poor and weak,and is often invaded by northern minorities.On the other hand,it has a prosperous commodity economy,flourishing science and technology,poetry and poetry,and it has developed even ahead of its various aspects in the political,economic,cultural society,etc.Where is the fundamental source of this complexity?In the process of exploring this issue,this article believes that the major changes in the Northern Song Dynasty were mainly due to the imperial examination system.This paper discusses the important role of the Northern Song Dynasty imperial examination in national construction from the perspectives of centralization,administrative effectiveness and identity,based on Giddens’ theory on the division of state forms,with the basic topic of the Northern Song Dynasty imperial examination system making China different from the traditional national appearance described by Giddens.The first chapter of this paper is the introduction,which mainly introduces the origin and significance of the research of this article,and reviews the related research of this article.Combining the literature data,it defines the related concepts involved in this article,and builds a framework for the follow-up discussion.The second part to the fourth part is the main body of this paper.This paper mainly elaborates how the imperial examination system shaped the national construction in the Northern Song Dynasty from three parts:centralization,effective administration and military and border defense.The reason why the three theoretical perspectives are chosen is that in the relevant theoretical discussion of Giddens,several prominent characteristics of the change of national form are put forward,which almost coincide with the three points.At the same time,these three analytical dimensions also play an important role in national construction.The last part is the conclusion and reflection of this paper.Through the discussion of the foregoing,this paper summarizes the logic related to the imperial examination system and national construction in the Northern Song Dynasty,and expounds its own views.The imperial examination system of the Northern Song Dynasty shaped China at that time in terms of centralization,administrative efficiency,and identification.The analysis of this article shows that the imperial examination system implemented a series of pioneering works in the Northern Song Dynasty.The institutionalization of the imperial examination system directly put the right to obtain civil servants in the hands of the emperor.The scholars were grateful for the imperial power,and the various events and honors for those who have won a place in the imperial examination not only has it become a common practice to study and enter official positions,but also made the scholars full of ambitions to serve the country,directly strengthening the centralization of power in the Northern Song Dynasty,and consolidating political rule.;Not only was the imperial examination procedure reformed,but the personnel who could participate in the scientific examination also changed.Song Taizu hoped to rule the world with scholar-bureaucrats.In order to realize his political ambitions,he ordered almost all men to take the examination,which directly changed the source structure of the bureaucracy at the time.The literati class rose up,and the imperial examinations banned the general list of all referrals to Cheng Wen as the standard for leaving and staying,allowing more talented people to join the bureaucratic group in the Northern Song Dynasty.Civilian politics,effective administration,and elite governance provide institutional guarantees;special policies and imperial examinations are divided into areas to give preferential treatment to border candidate,preferential policies such as exemption of examinations,opening of additional examination rooms,and the Tezouming system in Hebei,Hedong,Shaanxi and other places adjacent to Xixia and Liaoning.Obviously,the ruler of the Northern Song Dynasty was trying to win people’s hearts and save the Northern Song Dynasty from the pain of gathering uprisings or defecting to the enemy country by intellectuals who had not obtained fame.Jingdong,Jingxi,Hedong,Hebei,shaanxi implemented the"Five-Route Law" in order to inspire the literati and the people to resist aggression with a sense of mission and responsibility.These measures at that time may have enabled the construction of the Northern Song Dynasty to surpass Giddens’s the assertion that China is a traditional country.This paper holds that the analysis of the imperial examination system in the Northern Song Dynasty should be explored in a deeper level.This paper comprehensively uses qualitative research,historical data analysis,comparison and other research methods to analyze and summarize how the imperial examination system in the Northern Song Dynasty affected the national construction at that time,and puts forward prospects for future research perspectives and directions.