1st Edition

The Bureaucracy in the Song Period From Disorder to Stability

By Deng Xiaonan Copyright 2025
386 Pages
by Routledge

386 Pages
by Routledge

The bureaucracy has always played a crucial role in the exercise of political power, and how officials are appointed is directly related to the effectiveness of state governance. This book conducts a clear and structured study of the complex personnel management system in imperial China. It examines the main features of the official appointment system in the Song dynasty (960–1279), such as the... Read more

1. Establishing offices and allotting assignments in the Song period  2. Agencies and regulations for the appointment of officials  3. Implementation of the merit rating system in the Song period  4. The parallel existence of ‘seniority’ and ‘functional rank’ in civil service recruitment and selection  5. The recommendation system and its uniquely important role in civil service recruitment and selection  6. The system of rank promotion based on the evaluation of merit rating results and seniority  7. The system of appointments to commissions in the Song period  8. Conclusion

 

Biography

Born in 1950, Deng Xiaonan graduated from Peking University's History Department in 1985. She was the director of the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, and a professor of history at Peking University. She was also the vice-chairman of China History Society. Her areas of interest include the history of the Song period, the bureaucracies and institutions of middle-period China, and gender in the Tang and Song dynasties.